Tanneries in Warrington

[Coffee]

How about listing the tanneries that used to operate in Warrington

 

I know there was the Orford Tannery that burnt down, one in John St, one were the Lidl shop is in town, one in Grange Ave in Latchford - was that the last one to close in Warrington? I do not know any more then that, their names, date of trading, how large they were.

 

Has Tanners Lane got any significance in the tanning industry?

[Mimocuja]

Howley had a number of tanneries, the last to close was in the 1990's.  An elderly gent gent I knew in the 1980's used to work in one at Howley.  He to.d me that the workers often fell into the dye pits. Can you imagine that today?

mimocuja

[Dizzy]

I've heard that too Mimocuja.  I've seen photo's in books of the tannery workers walking nothing wider than thin planks between the 'tanks' of hides soaking in all sorts of chemicals and dyes and then having to pull them out by hand too.  As most of my ancestors were tanners on my dads side (from his grandad back 3+ generations) I often wonder just how they survived working in such conditions  over the generalions and how I am here today.

[algy]

One of the most dreaded diseases that came in with the hides was Anthrax, I remember there was a case in the early 1950's at the Mersey Street Tannery but was quickly contained, not sure if there were any fatalities though.

There were at least  20 Tanneries In The Warrington Area In 1907

Winwick Road Tannery
Tanners Lane Tannery
Buckly Street Tannery

Haydock Street Tanner

Winwick Street Tannery on the corner with John Street
Orford Tannery
Howley Tannery - Howley Lane
Holmesfield Tannery - Howley Lane
Running Pump Tannery - Smith Street (off Mersey Street)
Fennel Street Tannery
Mersey Tannery - Mersey Street
Vernon Street Tannery
Old Tannery - Mersey Street
Manor Tannery - Lower Wash lane
Raddon Court Tannery - Lower Wash Lane
Latchford Tannery - Thelwall Lane
Knutsford Road Tannery - Grappenhall
Cliff Lane Tannery - Grappenhall
Grappenhall Tannery - Bellhouse Lane
Penketh Tannery.

 

 

 

[Mimocuja]

Well done Algy.  The one at the top of Parr st (Vernon st I think) would billow out red smoke from its chimneys. If you walked passed it, the smoke would drop droplets like rain, that would hit your face etc.....

mimocuja

[Latchford Locks]

On 2/12/2018 at 9:48 PM, Mimocuja said:

Howley had a number of tanneries, the last to close was in the 1990's.  An elderly gent gent I knew in the 1980's used to work in one at Howley.  He to.d me that the workers often fell into the dye pits. Can you imagine that today?

mimocuja

Yes it was called Whittles Tannery and made the leather that covers the benches in The House of Commons and Lords.

I had the ""pleasure"" of working there in 1980's😖 think I stuck it out for 3 weeks!!!!  Rat traps were just emptied and re baited every morning and the dead rats were thrown in a heap in the corner till there were enough worth bagging and dumping in the rubbish bins.Hard to believe in this day and age.

[Stallard12]

During the war my father was the engineering maintenance fitter at Flemings Tanerry, on Battersby Lane I think.   He wasn't part of the regular fire crew, but everyone had to do one night a week fire watching on the plant roof.   Nothing much ever happened, so dad used to wait until midnight then steal away on his bicycle to home in Woolston.  Can't count the number of times he got to the front of the house and the warnings would sound !  He then had to break biking records getting back to Flemings before he was missed!

Another interesting fact, many of the employees and their friends would bring any child suffering from asthma and hold them over the tanning pits as a cure.  God knows if it worked.

[Evil Sid]

Kill or cure method of self medicating by the sound of it.

My gran would always have a big block of carbolic soap in the house. Used it for everything grazes, cuts bruises, leg chopped off, nit removal and the ever present use as a cure for profanity.

[David Mannion]

Central Tanneries

Co-operative Tannery

J Fleming

Grappenhall Tanneries

J & WN Hutchings

Liverpool Tanneries

Latchford Tanneries

Parkinson (Longford)

Pierpoint and Bryant

Union Tannery

Vernon St Tannery

Arthur Waring

Winwick Street Tannery

My dad said if you fell into a pit you were given 30 mins to go home get changed and return before pay was docked.

[Latchford Locks]

On 4/4/2020 at 7:38 AM, Evil Sid said:

Kill or cure method of self medicating by the sound of it.

My gran would always have a big block of carbolic soap in the house. Used it for everything grazes, cuts bruises, leg chopped off, nit removal and the ever present use as a cure for profanity.

I can still smell it just by thinking of it .

It is still distributed to disaster victims for routine hygiene by the Red Cross and other relief organisations

[Bill]

Carbolic soap and Jey's fluid. We certainly did know how to make things good and smelly in those days.

 

Bill

[Evil Sid]

I always have a tin of jeyes fluid in the house for when the outside drains get a bit too pungent. Keeps the bins smelling if not fresh at least clean as well.

Can't remember the red soap but do seem to remember the one my gran used was an odd green colour and about the size of the average house brick.

She used it for just about everything from cleaning the steps to washing clothes.

[Latchford Locks]

5 hours ago, Evil Sid said:

 

Can't remember the red soap but do seem to remember the one my gran used was an odd green colour and about the size of the average house brick.

She used it for just about everything from cleaning the steps to washing clothes.

That was Fairy Household Soap

 

[Evil Sid]

whatever it was it certainly got things clean, mind you my gran could get a shine on a sandstone slab. elbow action like a train when she got going.