John Barran's of Leeds 1851 - 1951 : centenary book issued by John Barran & Sons Ltd., Leeds, West Yorkshire, 1951 : cover by Barnett Freedman
Sir John Barran BT (1821 - 1905) is in some ways one of the forgotten names of Leeds and of the industry he helped pioneer - ready made clothes. John Barran moved to Leeds from London in 1842 and set up a tailors and clothes shop in the city. By 1851 he had set up a workshop using what was then a new technology, the Singer sewing machine then imported from the USA, and in 1858 he adapted woodworking technology, in the form of the bandsaw, to the cutting of cloth. Barran's genius was to bring these component technologies and staff together in a factory setting and to produce decent, ready made clothing - workshops became factories. In many ways Barran was a generation ahead of Leeds companies that would become High Street names such as Burton's and the Fifty Shilling Tailors, alter John Collier.
Barran had a number of factories in Leeds as his business grew, these included ones in Alfred Street, Park Row and most importantly, the splendid Moorish style factory and warehouse in St. Pauls Street opened in 1878, designed by T Ambler, and that is now a Listed building. Barran was also actively involved int he politics of his adoptive city being Mayor (1870 - 71) and then as a Liberal MP (1876 - 1885) and then for Otley (where I am writing this) from 1886 - 1895, the year he was created a Baron. In some respects his greatest memorial in the city is the marvellous Roundhay Park, the political battle for which he was especially involved.
The company, run his his descendents, celebrated their centenary in 1951 and produced this marvellous book written by David Ryott, with illustrations by David Knight MSIA, covers by Barnett Freedman and printed in Leeds by E J Arnold. By this date the company, whose brands included Varsity, Achilles and Fashion-Sport, had factories in Leeds, a new venture in Gateshead on the Team Valley Trading Estate that had opened in 1937 as well as one in Morpeth.
John Barran's of Leeds 1851 - 1951 : centenary book issued by John Barran & Sons Ltd., Leeds, West Yorkshire, 1951 : cover by Barnett Freedman
Sir John Barran BT (1821 - 1905) is in some ways one of the forgotten names of Leeds and of the industry he helped pioneer - ready made clothes. John Barran moved to Leeds from London in 1842 and set up a tailors and clothes shop in the city. By 1851 he had set up a workshop using what was then a new technology, the Singer sewing machine then imported from the USA, and in 1858 he adapted woodworking technology, in the form of the bandsaw, to the cutting of cloth. Barran's genius was to bring these component technologies and staff together in a factory setting and to produce decent, ready made clothing - workshops became factories. In many ways Barran was a generation ahead of Leeds companies that would become High Street names such as Burton's and the Fifty Shilling Tailors, alter John Collier.
Barran had a number of factories in Leeds as his business grew, these included ones in Alfred Street, Park Row and most importantly, the splendid Moorish style factory and warehouse in St. Pauls Street opened in 1878, designed by T Ambler, and that is now a Listed building. Barran was also actively involved int he politics of his adoptive city being Mayor (1870 - 71) and then as a Liberal MP (1876 - 1885) and then for Otley (where I am writing this) from 1886 - 1895, the year he was created a Baron. In some respects his greatest memorial in the city is the marvellous Roundhay Park, the political battle for which he was especially involved.
The company, run his his descendents, celebrated their centenary in 1951 and produced this marvellous book written by David Ryott, with illustrations by David Knight MSIA, covers by Barnett Freedman and printed in Leeds by E J Arnold. By this date the company, whose brands included Varsity, Achilles and Fashion-Sport, had factories in Leeds, a new venture in Gateshead on the Team Valley Trading Estate that had opened in 1937 as well as one in Morpeth.