'The Full Monty' - Burton's in Barking by Simone Panayi
Barking’s Curfew Tower or Fire-Bell Gate, where a curfew bell tolled until the early twentieth century, is the grand gateway to historic Barking - St Margaret’s Church, Barking Abbey ruins and the old quay beyond. When viewed from East Street, it is framed by two more heritage buildings! On the corner of North Street, is the 1925 rebuild of The Bull Inn, which, as an establishment, has possibly been present since the abbey gate, opposite, was first built in 1370. There were no rooms at the inn this Christmas unfortunately, as it undergoes redevelopment, before offering accommodation for Barking visitors once again. On the even side of East Street, at number two, on the corner of The Broadway, is the equally striking, white stone Burton Building, of 1931.
Currently an International Supermarket, this site was the location of fabric and fashion stores in years gone by. During the Victorian era William Lake, son of John, a fishing-smack owner and bootmaker, became a bootmaker too and had a shop on this spot. He purchased the alms houses (charity homes for the poor) at the back of the store, in 1879, probably to expand the property or to add storage space, but two more homes for those in need were purchased with the proceeds, further up East Street. These Alms houses, opposite the station and parade, survived until the twentieth century.
Mr Lake went into partnership with Mr King - probably a relative of Richard, the local baker and confectioner or Philip, the fishing-smack owner, ship and house painter – Lake and King Drapers is listed in the 1870s trade directories. It was on the corner of Broadway and East Street opposite another drapers – Willets - which was next to the Curfew Tower on the Broadway. [See photo of the snowy scene]
Drapers sold cloth and fabric by the yard, in the days when people usually made their own clothes or relied on a dressmaker or tailor to make them.
John King obviously enjoyed a celebration, he has the Union Flags out (in an early photograph of his store), possibly for the coronation of George V in 1911, or Armistice Day at the end of World War One, in 1918. By 1930 John H King had sold this shop to Montague Burton, who consistently sought out corner locations to build grand stores for his bespoke tailoring business. At this time Mr King must have moved to a smaller store along East Street (listed as number 35, which is now the site of Macdonald’s but the numbering has varied over the years). There is a marvellous photograph of Mr King’s Gent’s Outfitters shop in 1931, on our home page, when W D Stewart created an incredible display on top of the store, documenting Barking’s heritage in celebration of Barking’s Town Borough status confirmed by a charter in 1931 and a royal visit by Prince George (the father of Queen Elizabeth II).
The Barking Charter parade was filmed by Pathe news and can be viewed on the Valence House Collections webpage. The film and photos from the Borough’s Archives show the recently built limestone Burton building in the background (at the end of the street, positioned behind the carriage). Whether this was serendipity for Mr Burton, or he planned for the fine new store to be completed in time for the royal visit we don’t know, but it was certainly the type of occasion, full of pomp and glory, that Mr Burton would relish too.
By 1931, Burton had over 400 shops, and this famous ‘tailor of taste’ would soon control one of the largest tailoring businesses, in the world. This was an incredible journey for a European immigrant. Burton arrived in Britain, in 1900, as Meshe David Osinsky, 15 years of age. The Jewish teenager had fled the Russian pogroms (from Kovno, in modern Lithuania). He probably started out as a ‘peddler’ of garments, before he opened his first outfitter’s shop in Chesterfield in 1904, under his new name, Maurice (later Montague) Burton. He began to offer ‘wholesale bespoke’ suits, which were manufactured to measurements rather than ‘made to measure’ - therefore they were more cheaply available, and he could quickly respond to increased demand. This business model survived the First World War (when he made uniforms) and enabled him to rise above the depression era, buoyed by the production of ‘de-mob suits’ following both world wars. Phrases such as ‘gone for a Burton’ and ‘The full Monty’ are often said to have originated in reference to Montague Burton’s suits!
Burton was a paternalist employer, providing amenities for his workers such as a huge canteen for his thousands of mill workers in Leeds, (producing the cloth) with state of the art catering facilities, medical and rest rooms, sports field and recreation ground, all provided during the 1920s and 1930s… He also valued the temperance movement and, like the Methodists, aimed to provide local alternatives to public houses. He installed billiards/snooker halls on the top floors of his stores.
In 1931 Montague Burton was knighted, for his service to, ‘industrial relations and international peace’ - the Burton’s website acknowledges that he played a role in promoting education around the world and in the creation of the United Nations. He was also appointed Justice of the Peace, a post he held for many years. This was the year when Barking’s Burton’s building was built - in a classic Art Deco style. Designed by Burton’s in-house architects, it features key Art Deco motifs that also appear on other stores. Look closely at this beautiful building to view the elegant Elephants, positioned as capitals on the columns, beneath a cartouche - which would have displayed the Burton logo – and the decorative overlapping quadrants. These were all regular features on Burton buildings built between 1931-2, as is the foundation stone, at the base of the building, laid by one of his children.
The 1930s could be described as the hey-day for Burton’s, but the number of Burton stores continued to grow - there were 616 stores at the time of his Montague’s death in 1952. You can look out for the grand buildings in their various styles, as most towns had one, and many are now listed for their protection.
In Barking, Burton’s tailoring and fashionwear business moved out of the purpose-built store in 1990, when they transferred to a new commercial space at Vicarage Fields. It is perhaps timely to think of what the original Burton’s building once stood for, as high street fashion stores struggle to compete with internet sales; and the fashion industry in general is under pressure to address the environmental consequences and sustainability of ‘fast fashion’. Maybe we will one day return to hand made clothing, as produced by the dressmakers and drapers of Victorian East Street. Meanwhile, this classic, thirties building remains on the intersection of Broadway and East Street and will hopefully get a face-lift over coming months as part of the Barking Abbey and Conservation Area Townscape Heritage improvements, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and managed by Be First. The Photographs of Burtons and the earlier Drapers (William King and John H King) and the Barking Charter Parade, were kindly provided by the Borough's Archives and Local Studies Library, at Valence House. A version of this article appeared in Barking and Dagenham's Post Newspaper on Wednesday 1 January.