Boulton and Paul at work
Back in the spring of 1909, this major Norwich engineering firm, whose "Rose Lane Works" were just up the road from the new Mountergate carpark's site, were involved in a desperate race - to build and equip a new skating rink for their clients (Messrs Bostock and Fitt, also proprietors of the Hippodrome, on St Giles Street) before their dastardly rivals at the Agricultural Hall could get their much larger version open!
They succeeded, and the "Rinkeries" opened on Easter Monday, 1909, as had been lavishly advertised.
Both establishments prospered for a while, although competition saw prices being cut quite quickly after the novelty had worn off (Norwich's other rink, later St Giles Hall, had been closed for some 20 years by this time).
In their last issue of 1910, one paper recorded... "Since the prices of admission etc have been lowered at the Rinkeries, Rose Lane, Norwich, patrons have not been slow to take advantage. Mr F W Fitt, the manager, has provided cosy tea-rooms which are much appreciated. There are three sessions daily at hours to suit all classes fond of the exercise."
The Rinkeries may well have closed "for the duration" of the Great War but - after one of Boulton and Paul's munition works had suffered a fire that stopped production of fuses for artillery shells - they quickly came a-knocking... the skating rink was acquired, and within three months they were back at work.
(The pair of photos above come from one of B&P's export catalogues, c1912.)
Boulton and Paul at work
Back in the spring of 1909, this major Norwich engineering firm, whose "Rose Lane Works" were just up the road from the new Mountergate carpark's site, were involved in a desperate race - to build and equip a new skating rink for their clients (Messrs Bostock and Fitt, also proprietors of the Hippodrome, on St Giles Street) before their dastardly rivals at the Agricultural Hall could get their much larger version open!
They succeeded, and the "Rinkeries" opened on Easter Monday, 1909, as had been lavishly advertised.
Both establishments prospered for a while, although competition saw prices being cut quite quickly after the novelty had worn off (Norwich's other rink, later St Giles Hall, had been closed for some 20 years by this time).
In their last issue of 1910, one paper recorded... "Since the prices of admission etc have been lowered at the Rinkeries, Rose Lane, Norwich, patrons have not been slow to take advantage. Mr F W Fitt, the manager, has provided cosy tea-rooms which are much appreciated. There are three sessions daily at hours to suit all classes fond of the exercise."
The Rinkeries may well have closed "for the duration" of the Great War but - after one of Boulton and Paul's munition works had suffered a fire that stopped production of fuses for artillery shells - they quickly came a-knocking... the skating rink was acquired, and within three months they were back at work.
(The pair of photos above come from one of B&P's export catalogues, c1912.)