Morlands was a retailer of sheepskin products, based in the South West of England. The company originally manufactured sheepskin jackets, boots, and other footwear from its base in Glastonbury in Somerset, England. The retailer held a closing down sale advertised on their website in January 2024, signalling their intention to close down. Morlands of Glastonbury has now closed its online store in March 2024 [1] .
In 1870, John Morland (1838–1934) bought a tannery in Glastonbury, particularly attracted by the water (essential to the tanning process), which he described as being "of unusual purity". [2]
John Morland was chairman from the day he founded the company until he died in 1934 at the age of 96. [3] A devout Christian he was a highly regarded speaker at Quaker meetings, both in Great Britain and abroad. [4] [5] He was four times the mayor of Glastonbury and a member of the Liberal party. Both his sons and grandsons went on to become Directors of the company.
Morlands produced a range of products from sheepskin including, from the early 20th century, coats, rugs, and foot muffs for Motor car drivers. In 1928 the company made a profit of £13,867. [6] In 1940, Morlands' made flying jackets and boots for the RAF pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain although this caused some ethical discussions within the Quaker family. [7]
The company was a family business for over a hundred years before running into difficulties in the recession of the 1980s. The large tannery closed and the manufacturing process was moved to a smaller building. [8] [9] Boots and gloves are still available. [10] It was part of the G.R. Holdings company in the 1990s and 2000s [11] before being taken over by Whitworth CS Holdings in 2019.
The 31-acre (130,000 m2) site of the old Morlands factory in Glastonbury was scheduled for demolition and redevelopment into a new light industrial park, [12] [13] although there have been some protests that the buildings should be reused rather than being demolished. As part of the redevelopment of the site a project has been established by the Glastonbury Community Development Trust to provide support for local unemployed people applying for employment, starting in self-employment and accessing work-related training. [14]
Glastonbury is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, 23 miles (37 km) south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than 1 mile (2 km) across the River Brue from Street, which is now larger than Glastonbury.
Street is a large village and civil parish in Somerset, England, with a population of 11,805 in 2011. On a dry spot in the Somerset Levels, at the end of the Polden Hills, it is two miles southwest of Glastonbury. There is evidence of Roman occupation. Much of the history of the village is dominated by Glastonbury Abbey, and a 12th-century causeway from Glastonbury built to transport local Blue Lias stone to it.
Somerset is a historic county in the south west of England. There is evidence of human occupation since prehistoric times with hand axes and flint points from the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic eras, and a range of burial mounds, hill forts and other artefacts dating from the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. The oldest dated human road work in Great Britain is the Sweet Track, constructed across the Somerset Levels with wooden planks in the 39th century BCE.
Ugg boots are a unisex style of sheepskin boot originating in Australia. The boots are typically made of twin-faced sheepskin with fleece on the inside, a tanned outer surface and a synthetic sole. The term "ugg boots" originated in Australia, initially for utilitarian footwear worn for warmth, and which were often worn by surfers during the 1960s. In the 1970s, the boots were introduced to the surf culture of the United Kingdom and the United States. Sheepskin boots became a fashion trend in the U.S. in the late 1990s and a worldwide trend in the mid-2000s. In Australia, they are worn predominantly as slippers and often associated with daggy fashion sense and bogan culture.
Clarks, the trade name of C. & J. Clark International Limited, is a British international shoe manufacturer and retailer majority owned by Viva Goods, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1825 by Cyrus Clark in the village of Street, Somerset, England, where the company's headquarters remain. The company has 1,400 branded stores and franchises around the world and also sells through third-party distribution. Clarks also operated concessions in Mothercare stores. Clarks had been owned by the Clark family and employees, but taken over via a £100 million investment by the Hong Kong-based private equity firm LionRock Capital, after which the Clarks family lost overall control of the company. In January 2021, Viva China Holdings agreed to acquire 51% of LionRock Capital, so has a substantial stake in the Clarks brand. Viva China was later renamed to be Viva Goods Co. Ltd.
John Player & Sons, most often known simply as Player's, was a tobacco and cigarette manufacturer based in Nottingham, England. In 1901, the company merged with other companies to form The Imperial Tobacco Company to face competition from US manufacturers. The company also released several series of association football trading cards in the 1930s under the Player's brand.
Highbridge is a market town on the edge of the Somerset Levels near the mouth of the River Brue. It is in the County of Somerset, and is about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Taunton, the county town of Somerset. No longer a market town, the market site is now a housing estate. Highbridge is in the District of Sedgemoor, being about 7 miles (11 km) north of Bridgwater, the district's administrative centre. Highbridge closely neighbours Burnham-on-Sea, forming part of the combined parish of Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge and shares a town council with the resort town. The 2001 Census recorded Highbridge's population as 5,986. In the 2011 Census the population of the town was included in the ward of Highbridge and Burnham Marine, which totalled 7,555.
Sheepskin boots are boots made from sheepskin. The wool on sheepskin has good insulating properties and so such boots are commonly worn when it is cold.
Clarks Village is an outlet shopping village in Street, Somerset, England. It was established in 1993 on the site of old C&J Clark factory buildings.
UGG is an American fashion company primarily known for its sheepskin boots, founded in 1978 by Australian surfer Brian Smith in Santa Monica, California. After putting on his pair of Australian sheepskin boots after a chilly late-night surf in Malibu, Smith realized sheepskin boots weren't available in the United States like they were in Australia, giving Smith the idea to create UGG. UGG also sells apparel, accessories, and home textiles.
Workwear is clothing worn for work, especially work that involves manual labour. Often those employed within trade industries elect to be outfitted in workwear because it is built to provide durability and safety.
Somerset is a county in the south west of England. It is a rural county and transport infrastructure has been significant in industrial development. There is some heavy industry particularly related to the defence technologies and the county has several centres for stone quarrying, although the coalfield is now closed.
Gerald Trump is an English cricketer, schoolmaster and the founder, and headmaster, of Edington School. He was a medium pace seam bowler who generally opened the bowling. He played for Devon and Somerset second XI between 1958 and 1977. He was captain of Devon between 1970 and 1972.
The Bona Allen Company is a tannery and leather goods factory that opened in 1873 in Buford, Georgia. It became the nation's largest producer of hand-tooled saddles, bridles, horse collars, postal bags, cowboy boots, and shoes and had a contract to supply the sporting equipment giant, Spalding, with raw material for the manufacture of baseballs and baseball mitts. Starting in the early 20th century Bona Allen saddles were offered in the Sears Mail Order catalog under a variety of names. The Bona Allen Company was owned by Bonaparte Allen Sr. Also known as the Bona Allen Shoe and Horse Collar Factory, the factory closed in 1981 after a fire, and the main tannery building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 3, 2005. It is located at 554 West Main Street. After another fire on February 10, 2015, firefighters allowed the building to burn itself down.
The HON Company designs and manufactures office furniture including chairs, cubicals, tables, desks and education furniture. Headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa, it has manufacturing facilities located throughout the United States and China, and sells its products through a nationwide network of dealers and retailers.
Henry Folliott Scott-Stokes was an English businessman and writer.
Pajar is Montreal-based fashion footwear retailer.
The Michelides Tobacco Factory building was an Interwar Art Deco building in Northbridge, Western Australia constructed in stages between the early 1920s and mid-1930s. The building was later known as the Peters Ice Cream Factory and the Tony Barlow Menswear Building. At the time of demolition, the factory was the only extant industrial building in Perth to be remodelled into the Art Deco style.
Sir Ernest Jardine, 1st Baronet was a Nottingham, England, industrialist and businessman. He was a Liberal Unionist and later a Conservative Member of Parliament for East Somerset from 1910 to 1918.
Beckery is an area within Glastonbury. It was once the main industrial area of the town. The area is said to have been visited by Saint Brigid of Kildare in the 4th or 5th century.
