The Family Firm with the personal touch

From a business run in a converted house, Maxwell's has become one of Northallerton's leading high street retailers - that is the success story of Maxwell's

Maxwell's retails a vast range of electrical products like washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers, Plasma, LCD and CRT televisions, DVD Recorders and high end hi-fi equipment. Maxwell's also specialise in multi-room entertainment.

Maxwell's was founded by the late Wilfred Maxwell in 1940 in a former house in South Parade, which leads onto Northallerton's High Street, the business began life in a very small way, mainly dealing with lead acid batteries for wirelesses, as radios were then known.

By the late 1940's Mr Maxwell managed to rent premises on the High Street, at number 169 (shown below), the present day site of Woolworths.

However, in 1952 Mr Maxwell died suddenly and the business was bought by Mr William Handley Burton and Mr Dick Charlton, who operated as a partnership.

Dick Charlton was a radio engineer who was interested in running the shop, and Mr Burton set up and supervised the electrical contracting side.

Business blossomed, retailing radios and televisions as well as electrical appliances.

But a move was forced on the business when, in the 1960's the Co-op wanted to expand. Maxwell's moved across the street to the first premises of its own, next door to its present shop at 129 High Street. Another sudden death, that of Mr Dick Charlton, forced another change in the 1960's. The retailing side was now so busy that Mr Handley Burton had to spend his time running the shop at the expense of the electrical contracting side of the business. This was gradually phased out as electricians who left were not replaced.

It was at the end of the 1960's that the present proprietor, Mr William E. Burton, joined his father and today him, his wife Mavis and his son, Paul are the sole proprietors. Handley Burton sadly died in Autumn 2004.

Further expansion has included building a new frontage adjoining the original shop and in front of a chapel which had along drive leading to it from the High Street.

And in the mid 1980's, part of the former Naylor's Garage showroom next door was bought by the Burton's to accommodate another expansion.

Mr William E.Burton is proud of the fact that personal service is still a prime requisite of this long-established family business.

The Burton family has been associated with Electricity since the early part of the 20th Century, when the great-grandfather of Mr William E. Burton (present day owner of Maxwell's) brought Hydro-Electricity to the Yorkshire Dales villages of Askrigg (Wensleydale) and Reeth (Swaledale). Find out more about these Rural Electrification Pioneers.

Present owner Mr William E Burton is proud of Maxwell's heritage and has had restored a number of the vintage vehicles that were used by Maxwell's in the 'Good old Days'. Check them out on our Vintage Vehicles Page

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