Horn button makers in the British Isles weren't always so tricky to come by, but now, for one well-trod reason or another, this is only one.
Moving as it has with the times, the factory no longer occupies its premises of the last two centuries, and its factory floor is now a fittingly 21-century one. Dig around, though, and you'll be reminded that it is steeped in history: much of it is knocking around in abundance at your feet. Read more about the last horn button maker in England here.
The workshop was built over a century ago, and for the past decade or more has served competently and compactly as company headquarters. Garments aren’t made here, of course — that’s the purview now of makers across the British Isles — but it is quite handy for the development of them.
S.E.H Kelly
1 Cleve Workshops, Boundary Street, London E2 7JD.
020 3397 0449
Not open very much at all, these days, the workshop. Still, look out for the first workshop in the row, and if the lights are on, step on inside why not.