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Description
Seven black and white photographs of the construction of the factory for Treforest Chemical Co. Ltd, from a series of ten albums commissioned from photographer Leonard Taylor by the engineering firm Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners, who acted as consultants on the creation of the Treforest Trading Estate. The photo albums were deposited at Pontypridd Museum by the granddaughter of the photographer.
Treforest Chemical Co. Ltd occupied Unit A12 and opened in 1939; it manufactured surgical adhesives and gelatine products. It was founded and managed by Leslie Leiner, a refugee from Nazi-Europe. In 1943 they moved to a larger site, currently occupied by the deserted buildings of the Treforest Tin Works. Here they produced gelatine from animal bones imported from India and Pakistan. By the 1960s the company was the largest bone gelatine manufacturer in the world. In 1978, the Welsh Development Agency invested £2 million into the business, their biggest investment at the time, with aims to commercialise a new photographic gelatine technology. However, in 1985, the company experienced difficulties and filed for bankruptcy, which resulted in the plant being sold. The business then became PB Gelatines UK and moved to Unit A6. The company still exists and operates from there today.
The first photograph, from Album G, is taken from the roof of Treforest Chrome Leather and shows the foundations for Treforest Chemical Company.
The second and third photographs, from Album A, show the steelwork under construction.
The fourth photograph, from Album A, shows retaining walls being built. The roof of the Treforest Silk Company can be seen in the background.
The fifth photograph, from Album H, shows the roofs being fitted onto the steelwork.
The sixth photograph, from Album H, is an interior shot of the factory, showing washing tanks.
The final photograph, from Album J, shows the finished factory.
Treforest Trading Estate, near Pontypridd, was set up as part of the Special Areas Act of 1934. The Act was created to help parts of Britain with high unemployment, and it offered support to businesses to set up in these areas. When the Nazis began seizing Jewish businesses in Germany in the years after 1933, many Jewish refugees fled here to establish their businesses with help from this scheme.
By May 1940, 55 businesses started by Jewish refugees were running at Treforest. They provided jobs for around 1,800 local people.
Sources:
Beebe, Tiffany, Britain’s special areas and the refugee crisis (2024) https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c04a1a0d2897409d84ee2169cfb4f914 [accessed 26 September 2024]
Carter, Kris, Treforest Tin Works (2019) https://kriscarter.wordpress.com/2019/09/14/treforest-tin-works/ [accessed 26 September 2024]
Leiner Pak Gelatine Limited (2022) https://www.leinerpakgelatine.com/#:~:text=Leiner%20Pak%20Gelatine%20Limited.%2C%20is,the%20capacity%20of%203000%20M [accessed 26 September 2024]
Parry-Jones, Cai, The History of the Jewish Diaspora in Wales (doctoral thesis, Bangor University, 2014)
https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/20579001/null [accessed 26 September 2024]
Refugees from National Socialism in Wales, Treforest Trading Estate https://wp-research.aber.ac.uk/nsrefugeeswales/history/life-for-refugees-in-wales/treforest-industrial-estate/ [accessed 26 September 2024]
Rhondda Cynon Taf Library Service Digital Archive, P Leiner and Sons Ltd https://www.rctourheritage.com/quick-search?key=SXsiUCI6eyJ2YWx1ZSI6ImxlaW5lciBzb25zIiwib3BlcmF0b3IiOjEsImZ1enp5UHJlZml4TGVuZ3RoIjozLCJmdXp6eU1pblNpbWlsYXJpdHkiOjAuNSwibWF4U3VnZ2VzdGlvbnMiOjUsImFsd2F5c1N1Z2dlc3QiOmZhbHNlLCJpbmRleCI6MX19 [accessed 26 September 2024]
Depository: Pontypridd Museum.
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