One of the most charming features of the stores built for Sir Montague Burton is the foundation stones laid by his children, engraved with their name and the year.
The earliest foundation stones date to 1924 when the children were still fairly young; Barbara and Stanley who laid foundation stones that year would have turned 14 and 10 respectively. The tradition seems to have continued consistently throughout the Twenties and Thirties, coming to a natural halt at the start of World War II.
Interestingly, Stanley, Arnold and Raymond apparently revived the tradition for just a few years between 1950 and 1952. They would have been in their thirties by this point. Sir Montague died in 1952 and the timeline of foundation stones fittingly ends here too.
Click or tap on the columns in the table below to order the list of known foundation stones by date, family member, or status. Follow the links to view the building page for each location. You might also spot some rare stones laid by Montague’s wife Sophia, listed as “Lady Burton” or “Lady Montague Burton”!
| Location | Laid Year | Laid By | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Laid Year | Laid By | Status |