In 1877, Norwegian Quaker Sivert Hjerlied established a company for the manufacturing of icing sugar until 1886 when the works were taken over by Walter and Martin Pumphrey.
The Pumphrey family specialised in sugar milling, almond processing and the manufacturing of preserves. During the 1920s the Pumphrey Family demolished the original building and built a modern factory on Mandale Road, the façade influenced by the art deco style. The windows were very large which allowed a lot of light into the building; this was typical of the new style of factories built between the wars.
The Pumphrey’s introduced new working conditions such as paid holidays, staff breaks with refreshments and a five day week well before these practices were commonplace. By 1949 Pumphrey’s were employing 300 people.
Pumphrey’s Factory closed in the 1970s to make way for the new road system which was to be connected to the A66.
