Leather Tanning
Great Ayton was a centre for leather tanning for centuries, with easy access to animal skins, oak bark, and a plentiful supply of water. Of all the families involved, the Richardsons are by far the most important. William Richardson had a small tanyard in Ayton in the seventeenth century. His descendants went on to establish tanneries at Whitby and Newcastle, the latter growing into the major business of E & J Richardson Ltd. The industrial chemist Professor Henry Richardson Proctor was an international figure in the application of science to leather tanning.
Leather tanning in Great Ayton
Leather tanning in Great Ayton (Large file - expect short delay)
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page revision: 34, last edited: 29 Mar 2012 15:07