The First Factory

In 1867 Samuel John Moreland established a match factory on the outskirts of Gloucester at premises adjoining the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal. Gloucester was an ideal location for a match factory in the 1860s and 1870s due to its prosperous timber trade. The city's proximity to the canal allowed Moreland to obtain his raw materials easily and to transport the finished product quickly. The first factory was in fact a wooden shed built by the founder himself.

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