Description:
John Player Company delivery wagons. John Player & Sons are recorded as having four Sentinel Standard wagons; in the foreground is one of two Class B 4-tonners, No 2727 of 1919 which was new to them and registered AW 5972. (Information courtesy of the Road Locomotive Society's historic records).
The Company was founded by John Player in 1877 at Broad Marsh, Nottingham. John Player's marketing methods were so successful he was able to buy an extensive site at Radford, an area which was largely undeveloped at the time. In 1881 he built three factory blocks, the nucleus of the 30 acres of factories and offices that were to grow on the site. Since only one block was needed immediately, the other two were hired out for lacemaking until they were needed to expand the tobacco business. This expansion actually took place early in the 1900s and a certain Mr Meats, lace manufacturer, was so loath to give up his tenancy that his steam power had to be cut off and the matter thrashed out - in Player's favour - at Nottingham Assizes. The Castle tobacco factory was opened in April, 1884, but John Player was not to see his plans come to fruition. A few months later he became ill and went to Bournemouth. He died there at the age of 45, having seen his factory take shape and having persuaded the authorities (after persistent requests) that Nottingham should be granted the privilege of its own bonded warehouse. The new factory, one of the world's largest at the time, had one room 300 feet long by 60 feet wide, a 300 horse power engine driving the machinery and very elaborate fire precautions. Working conditions, too, were given a high priority and John Player's involvement with the welfare of his employees were reflected in amenities which were far ahead of their time. When Player died his firm was run for nine years by a group of his close friends until his two sons, John Dane Player and William Goodacre Player, were ready to take control in 1893. Two years later the business was made a private limited company, of which they became the managing directors. Player's sons joined with other British Tobacco companies to form The Imperial Tobacco Company in 1901 to combat the threat of aggressive American competition in the UK market. Today the old 'Lace factory' on the Radford site is dwarfed by the Branch's modern factories in Nottingham the Branch also has factories in London and Dublin, and distributing depots in Glasgow and London.