Harris Lebus Ltd

Harris Lebus Ltd was a furniture manufacturer that operated from the 1840s until the 1980s. The company was established by Louis Lebus, who arrived from Breslau, then in Prussian and now in Poland and known as Wrocław, and established a cabinet-makers in Hull. In 1857 he moved to London and opened a furniture shop in Whitechapel, which proved successful and by 1875 the company moved to new larger premises in Stepney. In 1879 Louis Lebus would die and his son Harris Lebus would take over. Following this, the company would continue to grow and in 1885 it moved to Tabernacle Street near Shoreditch. By the 1890s it would describe itself as the largest furniture company in Britain, having 1,000 employees.

In 1900 Harris Lebus purchased a 13.4-acre site in Tottenham and by 1904 had finished constructing a new factory on the land. During the First World War, this new facility would be used to manufacture war supplies, such as ammunition boxes, as well as the airframes from Handley Page O/100 and Vickers Vimy aircraft.

During the 1920s and 30s, the company would enjoy a boom providing modern art deco designs and would grow to employ around 6,000 people. During the Second World Wa,r they would be involved in military work again, producing Albemarle, Hotspur and Mosquito aircraft as well as landing craft and mock-ups of Sherman tanks from wood. In addition to this, from 1941, the company would be part of a government scheme to produce utility furniture for newly married couples and families whose homes had been destroyed in bombing.

Following the end of the war, Harris Lebus would focus on the mass production of cheap but high-quality furniture. This work though was limited by the rationing in place at the time and led to increased use of plywood, particle board and chipboard. They would also establish a new upholstery factory at Woodley and, in 1947, were registered as a public company.

During the 1950s the Tottenham site would see expansion in the form of a new warehouse and in 1955 the company established a subsidiary, Merchandise Transport. This was a haulage firm that would deliver furniture for Harris Lebus until 1981. The 1960s would see the company begin to decline in the face of increased competition and in 1969 the Tottenham site would close before being sold to the Greater London Council. The company would continue to operate on a reduced scale from its Woodley and Walthamstow sites. In 1978 it would begin production of flat-pack furniture but in 1979 it ran into financial difficulties and was purchased by the PMA Group. This continued to operate the company until the early 1980s when it collapsed.