Although Summerhill Road is largely a residential Road there are a number of locations from which many businesses have been operated over the years. In addition, many residents have operated business’s from their homes, which has introduced a wide variety of professions ranging from General trades to more exotic and fascinating occupations. One of the earliest formal records was ‘Kelly’s Directory’ which was the equivalent to ‘Yellow Pages in its day. The 1882 edition, of which Ray Swain has a copy, lists many residents from Summerhill Road and includes both Tradesmen and Professional people. Their occupations range from Builders, Florists and Drapers to Shoemakers, Baptist Ministers, Ostrich Feather Dyers and clerks at the Royal Courts of Justice and the India Office.  

The national census occurs every ten years and captures people’s occupations as well as their names, age place of birth etc. On the ‘Census’ section of this website we have attempted to summarise the 1881,1891 and 1901 reports. In the ‘Comments’ section we have captured the occupations of the Head of each household. As a social document it provides a fascinating insight into the wide variety of occupations of Summerhill Road residents over this period. 

The purpose of the next section is to list some of the business’s that have been operated in more recent times, which hopefully will spark peoples memories of days gone by. This listing can be updated as names of more candidates are remembered by residents past and present.