Yeovil's Virtual Museum

Parker, Brooks & LOng

Glove Manufacturers of Addlewell Lane

 

Parker, Brooks & Long were glove manufacturers and leather dressers of Addlewell Lane. It is believed that the company was originally called Patten, Parker & Brooks in the 1920s. Certainly a valuation of property, machinery, fixed and loose plant, stock and trade belonging to Patten, Parker and Brooks, Leather Dressers and Glove Manufacturers, Coronation Works, Yeovil, was made in the amount of £4,602 (around £800,000 at today's value).

They were listed in Kelly's Directory as early as 1935 as Parker, Brooks & Long, Glove Manufacturers of the Coronation Works, Coronation Avenue. In fact they were not of Coronation Avenue off Stiby Road, but their business was located in what had formerly been lower class residential properties off Addlewell Lane called Coronation Buildings.

The gardens of Coronation Buildings had been converted into a leather dressing yard and the houses themselves had been converted to industrial use - the leather and gloving workshops of Parker, Brooks & Long.

The company clearly had close connections with Ewens, Johnson Ltd, nearby glove manufacturers, since a 'wanted' advertisement placed in the 29 December 1944 edition of the Western Gazette read "Parker, Brooks & Long, c/o Ewens, Johnson Ltd, Yeovil. Boys and young girls wanted for factory; also Liners and Handsewers for outwork. Girls to learn P.X.M." Prixseam (PXM) was a variation of the outseam made on a special machine in which the stitches run horizontally.

A further advertisement, placed in the Western Gazette edition of 26 September 1947 read "PXM and Pique Makers Wanted indoors on power, and Outworkers, Machines provided. Also Young Girls to train.— Apply Parker. Brooks Long, Ltd., Coronation Works. Addlewell Lane. Yeovil."

By 1954 Parker, Brooks & Long had become a limited company and were listed twice in Edwin Snell's Directory of 1954; once as leather dressers and then as glove manufacturers. In both instances as 'Parker, Brooks & Long Ltd of Coronation Works'.

The final listing in any trade directory was in Foord's Directory of 1964 in which they were once more listed as 'Parker, Brooks & Long Ltd, Glove Manufacturers of Coronation Works'.

The factory buildings were to become the workshop of Males Garages Ltd.

By the 1960s, Parker Brooks & Long had premises at the bottom of Mill Lane, where it met with Summerhouse Terrace (see Gallery).

 

The 1886 Ordnance Survey showing Coronation Buildings just right of centre. The long front gardens were converted to a leather dressing yard while the houses themselves were converted to leather and gloving workshops.

 

In this photograph of 1950 the rear of Victoria Buildings stretches across the bottom of the photograph, seen from the slopes of the hill behind, and Park Street runs across the top of the photograph, while glove factories fill the space in between. Immediately above Victoria Buildings is the long terrace of former houses known as Coronation Buildings but, by this time, the leather and gloving workshops of Parker, Brooks and Long. At left the dog-leg spur of Addlewell Lane runs past Coronation Buildings towards Victoria Bridge, obscured in this photograph by Victoria Buildings.

 

Courtesy of Roger Froude

The north elevation of Coronation Buildings photographed in the late 1950s by which time they were being used as the leather and gloving workshops of Parker, Brooks and Long whose sign is visible at right.

 

Courtesy of Roger Froude

The Addlewell Lane end of Coronation buildings, photographed at the same time as the previous photograph. In the background is the terrace of housing known as Victoria Buildings.

 

Courtesy of Roger Froude

The previous two photographs 'stitched' together to give an impression of the whole.

 

Courtesy of Roger Froude

The yard of Parker, Brooks & Long. At left is the glove factory (the former coronation buildings) and at top right is Victoria Bridge over the railway. At top right is the rear of the Clothier, Giles & Co's factory.

 

Courtesy of Roger Froude

David Hunt (General Manager, Males Garages Ltd) and an Estate Agent viewing the old Parker, Brooks and Long Ltd glove factory (not the big one at top left, the little one at centre right) which was to become the new Addlewell Lane premises for Males' workshop.

 

Photographed in the 1960s, Parker Brooks & Long had premises at the bottom of Mill Lane, where it met with Summerhouse Terrace. Mill Lane is running of to the bottom right, the Parker Brooks Long premises are seen in front of the chimney at left.

 

A closer view of the Parker Brooks & Long premises.