In January 1928 plans were passed for an extension to the boot and shoe factory in Newton Road belonging to Mr. John White. He had bought the factory in 1921 for £4,000 when another firm had gone out of business. He took on most of the machinery and had 125 men making shoes by hand. Within a few months he had increased output from 2,000 to 6,000 pairs per week and had extended the factory. Extensions were added in 1925, 1927 and again in 1928.
The Newton Road factory
By 1930 things were very difficult in the shoe trade, and Mr. White took the big decision to advertise in the national press, having a full page advert in the Daily Mail costing £1,200. At that time he was making 1,250,000 pairs a year compared to 100,000 in 1921.
In 1936 he bought the factory in Higham Ferrers, and also provided a bandstand in the Hall Park. The bandstand was inscribed “Erected to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the reign of His Majesty King George the Fifth 1935. The gift of Councillor John White 1936.” It was built by Robert Marriott and cost £2,000. The bandstand was rebuilt in the 1980s but sadly was burned down in 1997.
Just before WWII he built the factory in Lime Street, Rushden. By 1941 there were nine factories employing two thousand workers.
The factory in Higham Ferrers
The Lime Street factory
The bandstand in the 1950s.
The base of the bandstand turned into a flower bed. It has now been changed into a rose arbour.
August 1940 saw the start of the Spitfire Fund. This went on until November and Rushden and Higham Ferrers raised £7,468 1s. 1d. To add to that Mr. John White gave £5,000, money raised by the employees and directors of John White, Ltd., “Impregnable” Shoes, of Rushden and Higham Ferrers.
The ‘Impregnable ‘ spitfire
In 1951 a trip for 2,500 staff was arranged to the Festival of Britain. It took 86 buses to transport all the people. In 1952 he became Mayor of the Borough of Higham Ferrers and in 1953 he presented every school child over the age of 5 years with a crown piece (5 shillings or 25 pence) to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
A picnic box for the Festival of Britain 1951
The Coronation Crown
A page from a 1956 catalogue
A page from a 1969 catalogue
A portrait of John White
In 1962, at the age of 77, John White retired from the business, intending to devote his time to his farm which was at the rear of his house, “Ferrers Mere.” He died in 1974, and the business continued until 1991, when, in February, it was announced that the manufacturing side in Lime Street, Rushden would be run down and shut over the next few months, with the loss of 120 jobs.
Still got my Coronation Crown.
Yes, I still have mine. Sorry for the delay in getting back to you, I have not been too well. Better now though.
Regards, Gill
John White was my great-great-uncle so it was interesting for me
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I have not been too well, better now though. You will find a lot more about John White on http://www.rushdenheritage.co.uk if you have not already looked at that.
Regards, Gill
My Army Boots Were Made By John Whites, They Lasted The Whole Nine Years Of My Service!!!!!!!!!
They were obviously well made. A lot of army boots were made in Rushden. Gill
John White is in my family tree too
Hi Helen, It must be interesting to be able to find out so much about someone in your family tree. An important person in our town. Gill
I interviewed John White for the Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph around 1970 when he had a significant birthday, perhaps his 85th. By that time his business had been taken over by a conglomerate. I asked him what he thought about the new bosses. I remember well how he answered the question. When I walked into a factory, he said, I might see a worker with a problem with a piece of leather. I could help him sort it out. These people in charge now couldn’t make a shoe to save their lives. All they care about is finance.
He was most probably right.
Gill
My Great Grandfather was William Henry White, born in Northampton in 1886. He was a bootmaker, and it seems his whole family was too. His father was Walter White I think. I’m trying to find out how John White fits into the family. Do you know his father’s an mother’s names?
Hi Chris, John White’s mother was Jemima (nee Cuthbert) and his father was George. You can find more information about him at rushdenheartsandsoles.co.uk
Kind regards,
Gill
Also, do you know how I could get a copy of his autobiography Keep Believing? Thanks, Chris.
We have several copies in the museum which you can see. We might have a spare but I will have to check on that.
Gill