|
LEATHER TANNERS & KILNS IN BRENTFORD |
shown on the 1865 OS Map on the land belonging to British
Waterways near the Brentford Gauging Locks (this land is
now under the Brentford Lock housing development).
Archaeological investigations here in 1996 and 2001 suggest
tanning activities were carried on from the late 16th century
to the late 19th. More famous leather producers were the Band
family, who came from a long line of leather workers. James
Band moved to Brentford in 1859 and set up a factory at the
junction of Glenhurst Rd and Boston Rd (now Boston Manor
Rd). James Band & Son (later G&J Band and Son) produced
parchment and certain qualities of leather but was forced
to close in 1911 after the Government discontinued the
practice of recording all official documents on parchment.
James Band's cousin Martin set up a tannery which the Brentford
directories list as being in Brentford High Street It was probably,
however the same building in which Martin's nephew Henry Owen
Band set up his own leather business in about1890. This factory
was in Plough Yard which, at the time of writing had been
incorporated into Brent Way (Brent Way is due to disappear with
the development of the south side of Brentford High Street)
H Band& Co Ltd specialised in producing best quality parchment
and finest quality vellum. Vellum from calfskin was used for books,
diplomas, rolls of honour regimental memorial books, drum and
banjo heads and lampshades. The Royal Family are known to have
used Band vellum for binding books and Henry Band & Co were the
sole producers of printing and binding vellums for William Morris's
Kelmcott Press. The factory was famous worldwide and when it
closed in 1983 it was described as the last parchment and Vellum
works in Europe.
during an archaeological excavation in St Paul's Rd in 1977. Masses
of pipe bowls were recovered from the ash and cinder filling most
bearing the letters 'WH'. These were the initials of William Heath
who is known to have worked in Brentford between 1738-1745.
The two lime kilns mentioned in the 1792 Brentford survey were by
Kew bridge and were owned by Robert Tunstall and operated by Messrs
Trimmer, The Tunstall family also ran the ferries to Kew and built
Kew Bridge. The extensive pottery belonged in 1792 to Messrs Turner
and was in Windmill Rd Another pottery at the top of what are now
Pottery Rd produced flowerpots and chimney pots in the 18th and 19th
centuries. In 1839 it was known as the Bull Lane Pottery and was owned
by George Robinson. This gentleman owned a great deal of land in Old
Brentford and is described in Kelly's Directory for 1852 as running
very extensive brickwork. He also bought Kew Bridge from the Tunstall
family. By 1872 the Bull Lane pottery was in the hands of the Greenrod
family; it closed in about 1911.
Photographs of Brentford
Don't forget to send your Comments
top-left corner of this page.