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Description
One black and white photograph of the construction of the factory for Pearl Varnish 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.
Pearl Varnish Co. Ltd (later Pearl Paints) was founded in 1937/8 by the Stern family, Jewish refugees from Nazi-Europe. The Stern brothers, Simon, Fritz and Willi were paint manufacturers. They arrived in South Wales in 1937 and were provided with Unit A5 on the Treforest Trading Estate, Treforest not long after. They produced paints, varnishes, trefelex cutting compounds. Initially, they supplied speciality finishes for imitation jewellery and novelties. With beginning of World War Two, the company became fully occupied in work of national importance.
The Stern brothers were important members of the Jewish community in south Wales. For many years, Fritz Stern was a member of the council of the Cardiff United Synagogue and also served as a Warden of the Windsor Place Synagogue. Willi Stern was co-chairman of the Building Committee responsible for the new Penylan synagogue. Simon Stern was the Treasurer of the Cardiff United Synagogue and chairman of the ‘Chevra Kadishah’. The business still exists today on the Treforest Industrial Estate.
The photograph is from Album H.
Sources:
Beebe, Tiffany, Britain’s special areas and the refugee crisis (2024) https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c04a1a0d2897409d84ee2169cfb4f914 [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, Pearl Paints Ltd https://www.rctourheritage.com/view-item?i=23918&WINID=1730198689400 [accessed 26 September 2024]
Depository: Pontypridd Museum.
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