1885
Architecture of Leeds
Architecture of Yorkshire
factories
W.S. Braithwaite
Random Building
1898 – Queen’s Theatre, Leeds, Yorkshire
1884 – Clothing Factory, Wellington Street, Leeds, Yorkshire
Architect: W.S. Braithwaite
Designed for Messrs. J. Hepworth & Son and published in The Building News, March 21th 1884. In 1864 Joseph Hepworth went into business with James Rhodes, his wife’s brother, as a tailor in Leeds. By 1881 their factory in Wellington Street employed 500 people and, unusually, made all three pieces of a gentlemen’s three-piece suit. In the 1880’s they established shops to sell their suits direct to the public. By 1890 they employed over 2,000 staff who sold their stock through 107 shops. In 1905 Hepworth’s had 143 shops and was the largest clothing manufacturer in the United Kingdom. The factory has become residential apartments. In 1982 the business changed its name and direction, and renamed itself Next.