Metadata
WORK ID: YFA 5246 (Master Record)
| Title | Year | Date |
| THE ROMANCE OF LEATHER | 1937 | 1937-01-01 |
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Details
Original Format: 16mm Colour: Black & White Sound: Sound Duration: 21 mins 34 secs Credits: Filmed by Debenham's and Co. Beverley and Yorks Subject: Working Life Industry |
| Summary Made by Debenham’s & Co., this film shows the whole process of tanning, the different types of leather produced and finished goods at the large tannery of Richard Hodgson and Son in Beverley, with a commentary explaining each stage. |
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Description
Made by Debenham’s & Co., this film shows the whole process of tanning, the different types of leather produced and finished goods at the large tannery of Richard Hodgson and Son in Beverley, with a commentary explaining each stage.
Title – The Romance of Leather
Intertitle – A link with the past. In medieval times guilds of craftsmen were established . . . . . centuries ago in the old-town world of Beverley the GUILD of TANNERS was formed. Today the manufacture of leather has become...
Made by Debenham’s & Co., this film shows the whole process of tanning, the different types of leather produced and finished goods at the large tannery of Richard Hodgson and Son in Beverley, with a commentary explaining each stage.
Title – The Romance of Leather
Intertitle – A link with the past. In medieval times guilds of craftsmen were established . . . . . centuries ago in the old-town world of Beverley the GUILD of TANNERS was formed. Today the manufacture of leather has become the staple industry of this East Riding town . . . . and the art of the old craftsmen is carried on, in its modern form, in one of the largest tanneries in the country.
The film begins showing Beverley Minster followed by footage of cows out in the Westwood. Leather is being unloaded from barges on Beverley Beck. Bundles of leather are unloaded from the lorries at the factory of Richard Hodgson and Son. Men are re-stacking sacks in a large warehouse.
Some suited men don white coats for a tour of the tannery works. Leather is being soaked in a liquid, stacked and then put through a roller. The sheets are then passed through another machine which scrapes off the excess, which is then shovelled onto a cart. The last traces of excess are scraped off the leather sheets by hand, using rounded metal scrapers. The sheets are trimmed before passing through another machine for cleaning. There is a large area of tubs containing liquid, possibly water from the local wells, into which the sheets are placed for soaking. After this the leather sheets are removed from the tubs and taken away.
The film switches to another part of the factory where women are seated in lines, making leather goods with sewing machines and hand stitching. One man shows a fencing helmet he has completed. Another man is making a prosthetic leg. Pieces of leather are being cut to make belts, and finished luggage items of various kinds are shown. The feet of pedestrians are shown as they walk about to illustrate leather shoes.
Back on the factory floor, sheets of leather are again shown being dipped into the tubs. One man uses a hydrometer to test the liquid in the tubs. In the laboratory various experiments are being made. Elsewhere the leather sheets are being unloaded from large tumble drying machines. From here they pass through another large rolling machine and then a smaller pressing machine. The cut sheets are then inspected and weighed.
The film finishes with a cobbler at work on a pair of shoes, interspersed with shots of the Minster.
Title – Filmed by Debenham’s and Co. Beverley and Yorks
Title – The End
Context
This film was produced by Debenham & Co. a film company founded by Ernest Symmons, initially in York around 1911, before relocating to Beverley after the First World War where they also ran the Picture House in the Corn Exchange. Debenham’s produced a range of over two hundred films, though some have since been lost, many shown at the cinema in Beverley. Though Debenham’s made some films during World War I, the majority of their films were produced with the intent of capturing local...
This film was produced by Debenham & Co. a film company founded by Ernest Symmons, initially in York around 1911, before relocating to Beverley after the First World War where they also ran the Picture House in the Corn Exchange. Debenham’s produced a range of over two hundred films, though some have since been lost, many shown at the cinema in Beverley. Though Debenham’s made some films during World War I, the majority of their films were produced with the intent of capturing local scenes including the industries, schools and events that occurred within Yorkshire: The Romance of Leather being an example of these films. It was the first film that they made with sound.
The film shows that the tanning and leather goods industry in Beverley was in a fairly healthy shape, and it would certainly have fit in with government policy of encouraged sales of British-made goods at home and abroad. The Romance of Leather highlights the intrinsic link between industry and society that was fundamental to twentieth century Britain. Tanning had a close link with Beverley in particular; the tannery featured in the film, Richard Hodgson & Sons Ltd., was the modern continuation of the medieval Beverley Guild of Tanners, and at the time of the film’s production over thirty former mayors of Beverley had also been tanners. Sadly the tannery is no longer in existence, making this film invaluable to those researching the history of industry. During its active years however, Hodgson & Sons was a prominent outlet in British tanning as it was one of the largest tanneries in the country: one that oversaw the preparation of over three quarters of a million hides each year and was one of a few tanneries (predominantly located in Yorkshire) deemed significant enough to be mechanised in the early twentieth century. Though it used machine-assisted techniques in its processes, Hodgson & Sons continued to use traditional techniques in its production of leather for specialised uses. The film showcases the processes involved in the creation of all kinds of leather for all kinds of purposes including liming, hair and flesh removal, rounding or splitting (depending on its designated purpose), scudding, tanning, and finally, drying. The film also highlights the varying types of leather and their uses and thus provides an insight into contemporary fashions and trends, with the popularity of leather shoes, luggage, and upholstery during the twentieth century. References Peter H. Robinson, The Home of Beautiful Pictures – The Story of The Playhouse Cinema Beverley, Hutton Press, 1985 R.A. Church, ‘The British Leather Industry and Foreign Competition, 1870-1914’, Economic History Review, Vol. 24, November 1, 1971 |
