City of Darebin Heritage Study Volume 1 Draft Thematic

DAREBIN HERITAGE STUDY STAGE 2the two large factories, Watson and Paterson, and Huttons, were still operating. Huttonsclosed in 1970.TanningLike bacon curing, tanning was a smelly business that required a lot of water, so Preston was anideal location for Yorkshire immigrant William Braithwaite to start a tannery. In 1865, hebought six acres on the corner of High Street and Murray Road, not far from the Yan Yeanpipetrack in St George’s Road, and set up Preston’s first tannery. William was killed in anaccident in 1874, however his son continued the business, continually expanding andintroducing new techniques. In 1937 Braithwaite’s was taken over by Geo Pizzey & Son Ltd.One of Braithwaite’s employees, Thomas Broadhurst opened another tannery nearby in 1880.The Parkside Tannery was opened in 1898, and taken over by Henry P. Zwar in 1902. JohnHowe started his tannery in 1911. These were Preston’s four largest and best known tanneries,but there were nineteen altogether over the years since 1865, according to Jones (Jones 1994:9). Each of the four large tanneries had its own specialty. Broadhurst’s made a variety ofleathers, while Braithwaite’s concentrated on sole leathers, Zwar’s made patent leather andHowe’s made high quality leather for shoes and upholstery. Howe’s provided the leatherupholstery for Canberra’s first Parliament House.Figure 24Zwar’s Tannery , c1900[DHE: ID 442]Tanneries involved a huge variety of work, much of it dirty, smelly and heavy. Ralph Underhillworked at Howe’s before he moved to Braithwaite’s during the Second World War, and foundit:Quite different because it was all heavy, wet stuff. Howe’s leather was lighter having beenthrough a shaving machine, reduced in thickness for shoe uppers and leather used for furniture.On the other hand, Braithwaite’s had to be the thickness of heavy sole leather for military bootsand horse harnesses. That was pulled out wet, from the pits and then you let it drain. You hadbig rubber boots and rubber aprons so you didn’t get wet through. Braithwaite’s leather washung on four foot poles over little racks, under a line of peppercorn trees along Clinch Ave. Therewas a little narrow train line with a little platform. The leather would be pulled into the factory,on the trolleys right up to the machines, and that’s how you got your truckload of leather. (Jones1995:13)The industry employed many young boys in the nineteenth century. In 1903, Braithwaite tookpart in a deputation to the government seeking exemption from restrictions on juvenile labourin the leather industry. He claimed that cheap ‘boy labour’ was essential to the viability of the50