On July 3rd, Alan Pugh talked to us about ‘John Barran, Leeds Clothier’. JB was born in London in 1821 and in his mid-twenties he moved to Leeds, a rapidly growing town where wool and tailoring provided many jobs. At that time all men, including manual workers, wore suits and poorer people had to make their own. JB moved into Briggate, and by 1865 he was providing a range of suits for men. He provided the public with cheap suits, created overnight by using technologies including Singer sewing machines and bandsaws (to cut multiple layers of cloth) – enabling him to outsource work on the suits to less skilled employees.

JB was an active local philanthropist. He became Leeds’ Mayor. He persuaded the City Council to purchase Roundhay Park for the local people in 1870, and in 1875 he became MP for Leeds. He was influential in the creation of the University of Leeds in 1903, and became Sir John Bannon.

His business grew – when he died in 1905 he employed three thousand people in his factories, many around Park Square in central Leeds.