In 1835, two years before Victoria took to the throne, the Grainger Market opened. Designed by the architect John Dobson, it was considered to be "the most beautiful (market) in the world".
About Us
We are proud to be an independent opticians located in the north east with nearly 60 years experience. We like to be part of the community and value our customers by providing the best experience we can. Read our story below to find out about our journey so far.
Our Story...
The Corporation Ophthalmic Opticians opened in 1894 and today, the practice still retains many of those original Victorian fascia. It was re-named The Northern Optical Co. in 1911 and was aquired by Mr K. C. Haikings in 1956.
As its reputation grew, patient numbers swelled. To cope with this demand the Northern Optical Co. extended the premises and doubled in size. However, the expansion did not affect the welcoming, family-run atmosphere generated by the practice.
In 1986, Mr. Haikings son-in-law Peter Birtwisle joined as Dispensing Optician to help manage the company. Some ten years later he was followed by his children, Katie and Simon, who had both qualified as optometrists from the University of Bradford. Incidently the same place their grandfather studied some 65 years earlier!
Recently Peter has retired from optics to leave the third generation of the family to manage the company. So opening another chapter in the history of the Northern Optical Co.