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217 Bath Road (Formerly 18 Norwood Terrace)For many years this building housed the smithy in Bath Road. The 1851 census lists William Bushell, a blacksmith employing 2 men, at this address. William lived next door at Weighbridge House (now 219 Bath Road) and owned this small row of premises until his death in 1886. By 1893 the blacksmith here was Samuel Hodges and when the property was advertised for sale in 1895 it was described as consisting of a blacksmith's shop with a yard and dwelling house. The area behind the building, which was entered from the main road, was used for stabling the horses and a gate post still survives. The shop next door (now Rosa Blue) was incorporated within this property and shared the address for some years.
At the turn of the 20th century the Poulton family worked at these premises, remaining here for over 30 years. Listed in 1904 as a 'general smiths', the business was variously described over the years in the trade directories as blacksmiths, ironmongers and hot water engineers. It seems that they were versatile craftsmen and traders who diversified into different areas. In 1929 they were agents for Hercules bicycles, whilst in 1931 they advertised iron gates for sale. In 1925 Walter Herbert Poulton married Marguerite Horatia Parker, who owned a confectionery business next door (now 215 Bath Road). In about 1936, before the outbreak of World War II, Sydney Quinton took over these premises, trading as a hardware man and wireless dealer. Mr Quinton also sold bicycles and motor bikes. He isn’t listed in the directories after the war and it appears that the shop remained unoccupied for some years.  c. 2007
Much later the property was bought by Mr Burnett, the proprietor of Cheltenham Boiler Maintenance Ltd, as their offices and storerooms. In about 1990 it became the home of Garden Irrigation Supplies and later Floorline, a domestic and commercial flooring company. A completely different trade arrived here in 2014, when this became La Rocca Cafe and Patisserie, and today this is home to the Brew & Bake café, offering artisan coffees and teas, handmade cakes and savouries.
Researchers: Marilyn West, Stuart Manton & Eric Miller (July 2018)
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