Alex has spent a lifetime in the sewing industry and is considered one of the foremost experts of pioneering machines and their inventors. He has written extensively for trade magazines, radio, television, books and publications world wide. 

Bradbury Sewing Machines

Bradbury & Co. claimed to be Britain and Europe’s first sewing machine manufacturer. Not bad eh! Bradbury were certainly Britain's first.

Bradbury Sewing Machines were fist established in 1851 as tool makers and general jobbing engineers. They would make to order parts or build whole machines and as the business grew they took on mores staff and bigger orders.

Originally the business was started by two brothers, Fred and Tom Sugden in partnership with Joseph Firth and George Bradbury.

An old advert for Bradbury Sewing Machines established in 1852. I really love the Bradbury bassinette or pram they are so plush, you would not get one of those on a bus though.

Sugden Bradbury and Firth moved into wood planing machines and then iron planing machines. Soon they were making hand and slide lathes. By 1853 Sugden Bradbury and Firth were undertaking a multitude of projects in there expanding workshops from general repairs to just about any machinery. Specialised manufacture of gas regulators, copying presses, embossing machines, brick presses and much more. Turn up with one of the new fangled velocipedes and Sugden Bradbury and Firth would repair it for you.

The more work the company undertook the more their abilities grew and more space was needed.

The business worked out of a small foundry in Primrose Bank, Oldham. But in 1854, needing larger premises, Bradbury Sewing Machines moved to Rhodes Bank Foundry in Oldham. However they were not called Bradbury Sewing Machines at that point, they were still Sugden Bradbury and Firth.

Bradbury Sewing Machines did not Specialise in sewing machines for several years after their business was started up. After the installation of a japanning plant Sugden Bradbury and Firth were ideally set up to start manufacturing sewing machines.

Sewing machines were flooding in from America and they were the new big thing besides bicycles. It was not long before Sugden Bradbury and Firth were making both. As the company started to specialise in Bikes and sewing machines changes took place to the structure of the company.

I can only guess that the partners wanted different things and to go in different directions, so common amongst new expanding businesses.

The solution was a break up of Sugden Bradbury and Firth in 1855.

From this point we see the real birth of Bradbury Sewing Machines as an individual company and Bradbury and Co was formed becoming Limited in 1874. In 1875 the Duke of Wellington was placed on Bradbury Sewing Machines which became the company trade mark for decades.

The Iron Duke was never beaten Bradbury are second to none.

Originally the company manufactured sewing machines under licence from Wheeler & Wilson, Singer, Howe and Grover & Baker. Look at any early models from these makers and you will see very similar Bradbury machines.

The Wheeler & Wilson or rather the Bradbury Belgravia was marketed as silent, the simplest, cheapest and best machine for the family only £7. 7 shillings in 1865. The Howe principle machines were sold for less at only £7. Several months wages in 1870!

By 1866 the birth of the Wellington Works Factory was taking place. A factory grew and grew eventually taking over a whole block of Oldham around the Wellington Street area.

 Bradbury high-arm Sewing Machine circa 1920 one of the last Bradbury Sewing Machines.

Don't you love the axe head haircut!
Simple Strong, Durable. Bradbury Sewing Machines advertising motto.

Bradbury Sewing Machines advertised themselves as Europe's oldest sewing machine manufacturer established just a year after Isaac Singer's 1851 model. This was not strictly true as the business did not start making sewing machines until later and they were not really Bradbury Sewing Machines until after 1855 but who's complaining.

Husqvarna Sewing Machines were in business long before that time but did not turn their attention to sewing machines until after 1852.

Bradbury's final sewing machine was the Bradbury VS or Vibrating Shuttle sewing machine.

The Bradbury machines became famous for their reliability and endurance and won over 30 gold medals at exhibitions all around the world plus loads of silver and bronze.

Bradbury Sewing Machine, The Wellington sewing machine.

 
A beautiful Bradbury Wellington sewing machine circa 1890

The huge Wellington Works in Oldham employed around 500 workers at its peak. Their later machines were marked with the Duke of Wellington badge. His profile sits proudly on the bed of this machine as if still waiting for Napoleon at Waterloo .

Similar to the Jones Cat Back but this Bradbury was sold as a Chas Todd

Bradbury Sewing Machines also sold machines to other dealers who, if they bought enough, could have their own name on the machine and market them as their own product.

This changed a bit with the Trade Description Act of the 1890's. Before this period there were fewer laws to protect the consumer.

The early Bradbury sewing machines were hand built and were made up of individually numbered pieces that were uniquely made and finished for each machine, they would fit no other.

All Bradbury machines are collected today and represent superb British engineering.

Bradbury were pioneers of British motorcycles

A rare early Bradbury with Sturmey Archer gears now more common on bicycles.

Established in 1852, Bradbury Sewing Machines produced sewing machines right up until its collapse in 1924 then stumbled on before finally disappearing just before the great Wall Street Crash of 1929.

As well as sewing machines, Bradbury Sewing Machines produced prams, bicycles and later motorcycles. In fact they were one of the pioneers of the British motorcycle industry.

Today only a plaque marks the spot in Oldham where once the air was turned black with manufacturing.

The End

Well that's it, I do hope you enjoyed my work. I spend hours accumulating, researching and writing these pages and I love to hear from people so drop me a line and let me know what you thought: alexsussex@aol.com

Fancy a good read: Ena Wilf  & The One-Armed Machinist

A brilliant slice of 1940's life: Spies & Spitfires

Alex's stories are now available to keep. Click on the picture for more information.

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