Norman, James T. (1871-1905)
Norman, James T.
London; wholesale cabinet makers and upholsterers (fl.1871-c.1905)
J. T. Norman was recorded in the 1871 Post Office Directory at Plough Yard, Shoreditch. In 1876 he moved from 13 New Inn Yard to 5 John Street, which abutted the new road running from Shoreditch to Old Street [The Furniture Gazette, 30 September 1876].
The Furniture Gazette, 13 November 1880, illustrated 16 plush brackets and wall shelves mostly in Queen Anne & Early English styles, which were available for 8s 6d to 30s; by which time the firm was recorded at 25 & 27 Phipps Street & 90 Leonard Street, Shoreditch.

James T Norman advertisement for a mahogany or birch wardrobe, The Furniture Gazette, 8 January 1881
On 24 August 1882 a fire broke out on the first floor of 21 Phipps Street, the ground floor of this building and 25 & 27 Phipps Street were damaged by fire and water but business was not affected [The Furniture Gazette, 2 September 1882].
By 1885 Norman at 57 Great Eastern Street had the telegraphic address of ‘Norman, London’ [The Furniture Gazette, 1 December 1885]. The firm was listed at the same address in The Furniture Gazette: Classified List of the Furniture, Upholstery, and Allied Trades (1886).
An advertisement in The Cabinet Maker, March 1886 (illus. Agius (1978), p. 172) described the firm as ‘Wholesale Cabinet Maker, Upholsterer and Looking Glass Manufacturer’ and stated that their catalogue, available at 10s 6d to trade, was overprinted by wholesalers to market to retail customers.
Norman was recorded at Great Eastern Street until 1905 as a cabinet maker.
The Graham Gadd Archive (NMS) includes five billheads, letters and memorandum, for J. T. Norman of 57 Great Eastern Street, dating 1886-1893; the heading is the same on all. The bill (above), dated 1891, is for a revolving bookstand (price £2 2s).
Sources: Agius, British Furniture 1880-1915 (1978); Kirkham, Mace, Porter, Furnishing the World. The East London Furniture Trade 1830-1980 (1987); Graham Gadd Archive (NMS)