General Information
During the year 2000 D J Clark built a visual record of the Lancaster &
Morecambe district using photographs and information submitted by those that
feature in the pictures. The project was conducted in association with Lancaster
Museum and has been archived for future generations to look back at the district
at the turn of the new Millennium. For more information on the project visit
the information page. If you find a caption is
wrong or there is a fault with the page please e-mail D
J Clark.
Date:
April 11th 2000
Location: White Lund Industrial
Estate
Photographer's Diary
11th April Storeys
You can not fail to visit Lancaster and in some way come across the legacy of the Storey brothers. I am not a great historian but know the Ashton Memorial, The Storey Institute, the so called "Storey's industrial estate" (now White cross officially), and many other sites were all a part of their influence on the City. Local talk is not always positive of the brothers, I don't believe they were always the most generous of entrepreneurs, but the City certainly seems to have benefited in the long term.
The storey is not so rosey for those who remain employed in what appears to be the last of large scale industry in the City. The name is confusing to start with, Transprints, Storeys, Crown, Home Decor, Rembrant Engraving and more are often thrown in. When the lady from personnel phoned me back I thought she was trying to sell me home furnishing. It seems part of the company at least has been taken over by a holding bank and as I walked the floors, the remaining 500 workers all were suspicious of my intentions. "Do you want to buy it ?" one worker shouted at me.
I was met at the gate by Tony Stevenson, a 15 year employee and one proud of the company he was now employed by. His blue fleece jacket with a prison like white stamp on the back. For someone who appeared so loyal this need to mark property in the fear of it being stolen seemed very out of place. Our tour started and I photographed. The place was as I had imagined all industry to be. Large machines, steam, mess and people on tea breaks. We wandered from one huge warehouse to the next, with Tony giving me an explanation of every machine. The factory had been working for 150 years and some of the machines looked as if they may have been there from the start. Tony was quick to point out computerisation where the odd screen popped up but this was a long way from the farm Feeds Mill I had been in a week earlier.
I was really happy with the pictures, there was so much to photograph and in the "New Economy" where quality will outweigh quantity I can not see this industry staying the way it is for many more years. As I got into my car after what was actually a very short period of time, Tony came running after me. "I forgot to show you the CAD (computer aided design) rooms are you interested ?." This led to a more modern looking, computers everywhere, room where I met a friend -Peter Double-day the head of all this. He showed me around and invited me to visit Rembrant Engravers, another part of the company located around the corner. We jumped in his car and spoke of Golf games we should be having. The Site manager - Derek Fielding was there to meet us and began a long but informative tour. Again the business was stooped in history and Derek was keen to talk me through it. This time I had the opportunity to get closer to the workers and get some more intimate photographs. The place was relatively quiet, again a sign of the times, with many of those we spoke to having a long past with the company.
It was here the whole story came together. Designs were purchased
by the company for both wall coverings (one company) and textile design (another
company). The designs were sent up to the CAD room to be colour separated and
prepared for the engravers. Rembrant then produced copper cylinders with the
pattern engraved into them that were sent to the factories to produce the final
products. Everything was in house.
Photographer's Comments: These photographs were taken over a two hour guided
tour around the various parts of the factory. Storey's remains one of the last
large scale industrial activities in the area and I was keen was very pleased
they allowed me take photographs. Tony Stevenson, my guide, knew much about
the history of the factory and was obviously proud to be associated with it.
I felt my strongest pictures were of the machines which seemed to come from
a different age but still performed the job they were intended for.
Other Comments Submitted: Storeys is now only a brand name within a group of companies called Imperial Home Decor Group formed from a merger between Borden Decorative Products and Imperial Wallcoverings 1n 1998 Companies in the group include Crown Wallcoverings (which carry the brands Storeys, Shand Kidd and Decorene), Transprints, Imperial Wallcoverings, Rembrandt Engravers and Texales. IHDG is the biggest producer decorative print world-wide.
Here's some basic info on the pictures
1. Transprints production area, Gravure presses; P7, P8 & P9. Transprints
produces heat Transfer paper for polyester fabrics for home furnishing and fashion
markets world-wide.
2. Transprints Inspection Area. Boxes stacked awaiting rolls of Heat Transfer
Paper. In the background Lemaire Heat transfer calendar. 3. Wallcoverings Dept
supervisors office
4. Wallcoverings Dept Spread Coater machine and operator preparing substrate
for vinyl wallcoverings.
5. Wallcoverings Dept environmental control system, all fumes from print processes
are extracted and oxidised before emission, heat from the process is returned
to warm the factory.
6. Transprints Showroom
7. Transprints Design area. Peter Doubleday CAD Manager setting up a CAD workstation
in the left background Gill Forbes Commercial Manager.
8. Rembrandt Engravers. Rembrandt Engravers has been producing gravure cylinders
since the early 70's and was originally a part of Storeys. Dave Brown washes
off a cylinder after copper plating before preparation for electronic digital
engraving.
9. Rembrandt Engravers. Eddie Lloyd repairing a damaged cylinder by hand, a
skilled and dying trade.
10. Rembrandt Engravers, Polishmaster machine and operator