Historical information

In 1878, J H Abbott bought the Edinburgh tannery from Mr Lambert and Mr Sibley in 1878 and set about expanding and modernising it. Soon it consisted of the necessary sheds surrounded by cottages built for the workers. The tannery buidings and processes consisted of :-
1. Hide shed that held 400-500 salted hides
2. Salt pots where the salted hides were soaked to remove all salt
3. Lime water pits where the hides were soaked to remove hair and all adherent flesh.
4.Beam shed where hides were hung so they could be scraped clean with double handled knives
5. Water baths that soaked the hides to remove the lime
6. Tan yard where there were 10 pits containing tanning liquid made from ground wattle bark.
The entire process could take up to 9 months depending on the type of leather required.
A forward thinking initiative of this tannery was the lack of waste. The left over flesh was boiled down to make tallow, trimmings from the hides was used to make glue, hair was washed and used by saddlers and upholsterers and the lime was mixed with tanning liquid to produce fertilizer. The tannery was producing about 240 sides of leather a week, with about two thirds of this being sent to England where it was in great demand because of its quality.
In December 1894 the plant was destroyed by a fire believed to have started in the engine room. The plant was quickly rebuilt at an estimated cost of ten thousand pounds. The plant at 145 Tannery Lane operated until 1906.

Physical description

Sepia photograph: 13 workmen, shed at rear. Brick, timber, corrugated iron buildings in back ground. Interesting industrial site of the time.
Photo of workmen taken in front of open sheds. Brick chimney and pile on L.H.S. Suggests Edinburgh Tannery, Sheepwash. J.H Abbott & Co. On back on small piece of paper 1127 Bgo. New registration No. rather indistinct. James Lerk 26.11.1999, ' Edinburgh Tannery - Sheepwash?' Ken Arnold Book 'Bendigo A History in Bottles & Stoneware 1852-1930 p10. This photograph labelled 'Workers at Sheepwash Tannery,' C. 1880-1890 with section about J.H. Abbott & Co. See book 'Bendigo A History in Bottles & Stoneware 1852-1930 by Ken Arnold, p.10

Inscriptions & markings

RHSV 1127, Bgo