Argy58
Montague Burton | Factory worker badge c1940s
This wonderful and ornate letter 'B' was part of the extended 'Burton' signature so common place in British high streets throughout the early and mid 20th Century (The market town of Abergavenny in South Wales still has, to this day (Jan 2013), a Burton shop with original shop fascia and the original 'tiled' Burton signage) .
As the rear of this badge indicates, it was an employee badge from the Hudson Road Mills factory in Leeds with an accompanying serial number underscoring the letter 'B' on the front. The name 'Montague' stamped across the letter 'B' relates to Montague Burton (1885-1952), the founder of the clothing and tailoring empire.
His illustrious and enterprising career started from humble beginnings. Born in Lithuania, he arrived in Britain and soon started selling accessories on a door to door basis. By 1906, Burton had established shops in Mansfield and Sheffield. Initially known as Burton & Burton, the name changed in 1917 to Montague Burton Ltd and by 1921 Burton started to develop the Hudson Road Mills factory (see badge). By the mid 1930's it had become one of the largest clothing factories in Europe and at its peak, the company had over 600 stores throughout the UK.
Thousands upon thousand of measurements were taken weekly in shops and sent to the Hudson Road Mills factory to be made up into suits. The suit had become the mass male uniform of post-WW1 Britain and Burton dominated the market. There is also hearsay evidence to suggest that the term 'Full Monty' evolved from the Burton empire. Staff who worked in Burton shops often had customers asking by name for the 'Full Monty'......................meaning a full three piece suit.....instead of a two piece suit.
Photography, layout and design: Argy58
(This image also exists as a high resolution jpeg and tiff - ideal for a variety of print sizes
e.g. A4, A3, A2 and A1. The current uploaded format is for screen based viewing only: 72pi)
Montague Burton | Factory worker badge c1940s
This wonderful and ornate letter 'B' was part of the extended 'Burton' signature so common place in British high streets throughout the early and mid 20th Century (The market town of Abergavenny in South Wales still has, to this day (Jan 2013), a Burton shop with original shop fascia and the original 'tiled' Burton signage) .
As the rear of this badge indicates, it was an employee badge from the Hudson Road Mills factory in Leeds with an accompanying serial number underscoring the letter 'B' on the front. The name 'Montague' stamped across the letter 'B' relates to Montague Burton (1885-1952), the founder of the clothing and tailoring empire.
His illustrious and enterprising career started from humble beginnings. Born in Lithuania, he arrived in Britain and soon started selling accessories on a door to door basis. By 1906, Burton had established shops in Mansfield and Sheffield. Initially known as Burton & Burton, the name changed in 1917 to Montague Burton Ltd and by 1921 Burton started to develop the Hudson Road Mills factory (see badge). By the mid 1930's it had become one of the largest clothing factories in Europe and at its peak, the company had over 600 stores throughout the UK.
Thousands upon thousand of measurements were taken weekly in shops and sent to the Hudson Road Mills factory to be made up into suits. The suit had become the mass male uniform of post-WW1 Britain and Burton dominated the market. There is also hearsay evidence to suggest that the term 'Full Monty' evolved from the Burton empire. Staff who worked in Burton shops often had customers asking by name for the 'Full Monty'......................meaning a full three piece suit.....instead of a two piece suit.
Photography, layout and design: Argy58
(This image also exists as a high resolution jpeg and tiff - ideal for a variety of print sizes
e.g. A4, A3, A2 and A1. The current uploaded format is for screen based viewing only: 72pi)