Hepburn and Gale's Tannery

Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey

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A Short History

Hepburn and Gale's Tannery was founded in 1760 by John Hepburn, who moved to Bermondsey from Chesham and established a tannery there, purchasing three tanneries in Long Lane that had been in existence since the middle of the 17th century. The site, known as the Grange, covered two and a half acres by 1841 and was described as one of the largest and most complete private tannery establishments in the world at the time, featuring a 175-foot-high chimney and employing 250 workers with mechanized operations.

The company became a major player in the leather industry, eventually merging with Ross and Co. in 1901 and later with Samuel Barrow and Brother in 1920 to form Barrow, Hepburn and Gale. The tannery complex in Long Lane was a significant part of Bermondsey’s historic leather district, which had a guild, the Comonalty of the Mistery of Tanners of St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey, granted a royal charter by Queen Anne in 1703.

The Grange tannery site was destroyed by fire in 1898 but was restored and later converted into residential flats known as Tanners Yard. The company continued to operate in Bermondsey until the 1970s, when operations ceased due to increasing competition from overseas and the decline in demand for leather goods as synthetic alternatives became more common.

Despite the closure of the tannery, the Barrow Hepburn & Gale brand survives and holds royal warrants for the manufacture of despatch boxes and Royal Maundy purses.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrow_Hepburn_&_Gale

http://bermondseyboy.net/viewtopic.php?t=256

https://bermondseystreet.london/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Long-Lane-Bermondsey-Street-Back-Stories-Number-19.pdf

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