Grays High St went for a Burton 80 years ago

I am sure you have seen the building, now under new occupation as St Luke’s Hospice shop, but I’m not sure if the snooker hall above still functions.

In March 1934, this building stood out from the rest of the brick-built shops, with its white facings, fire-proof floors and two lofty storeys, with stately columns and massive pediments emblazed in gilt lettering with “Montague Burton, the tailor of taste”, which was illuminated at night.

A full-page advert in the Grays & Tilbury Gazette announced the opening made local history and the building gave “dignity” to the town. The advert also gave full details of the four guinea suit (£4.20) available to measure at a price of 45 shillings (£2.25) despite wool prices rising over the last two years!

Sir Montague Maurice Burton (1885 – 1952) founded the chain of tailoring shops. He was born in Lithuania and arrived in England in 1900. He began as a pedlar and in 1903 became a general outfitter in Chesterfield, selling ready-made suits bought from a wholesaler.

By 1929, he had 400 shops, as well as factories and mills. His firm made a quarter of the British military uniforms for the Second World War and a third of demobilisation clothing.

Knighted in 1931 for “services to industrial relations”, he was a justice of the peace for many years. He endowed chairs in industrial relations in the University of Leeds and Cardiff in 1929 and Cambridge in 1930. He also endowed chairs of international relations in Jerusalem, at Oxford University and the London School of Economics.

It is suggested his name forms the origin of the expression “the Full Monty” from the complete Burton’s suit given to demobbed servicemen.

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