Our Family History: Founding in 1935
Laytons Dry Cleaners was founded by William Layton in the small rural town of March in Cambridgeshire in 1935. William opened a shop within the premises of the Pavilion Cinema, but unfortunately the hand of fate fell heavily on the venture when a fire destroyed the entire complex, putting William's business future on the line because he wasn't covered by insurance. Undeterred, William continued his venture in premises on Station Road with the addition of a steam press that was placed in the window display. This machine was a huge attraction in the town & business expanded due to the popularity & success that came with it. The business serviced both the local community & customers in London due to a collection & delivery service that made use of the rail links.
World War 2 & Post War
William's eldest son George had left school at the age of fourteen & worked in the shop until 1942, when at the age of eighteen he was called up to join the Royal West Kent Regiment & served overseas for two & a half years in Italy. During the war, his father had kept the dry cleaning business running & when George returned in 1947, together with the help of his brothers & sister, he developed the business further. In the years after the war it was of course an austere period where people had to continue the 'make do and mend' mentality, and so clothes were cleaned regularly by the dry cleaners to prolong their useful life.
Expansion & Growth: 1950-1989
The Layton family established further dry cleaning works at Falcon Road, Wisbech, with a state-of- the-art dry cleaning machine & pressing equipment, as well as other machines to enable them to offer a complete cleaning service to customers. Customers were needed to sustain the works, & so Layton's set about establishing its name throughout the surrounding areas.
In 1955, George opened a shop in Spalding, Lincolnshire where he continued serving his customers until he sold the business in 1989. One special order was for garments from the Royal Household at Sandringham, though sadly this was not enough to earn a Royal Warrant.
Year 2000-Present Day: the journey continues
In 2000, George's eldest son Andrew decided to open up the business once more in Market Deeping, Cambridgeshire, under the careful guidance & instruction from George, who at this point was 76 years of age. Andrew expanded the business to open up a shop in Spalding, Lincolnshire once more & George couldn't resist the opportunity to be involved again. Until 2015, aged 91, George walked from his home into the town to open up the shop & serve his customers. George sadly passed away in March 2016 but his hard work & dedication as well his passion for quality & service will continue to stand out as the core elements to our business today.
Today, we now have a third shop in Bourne, Lincolnshire, as well as an ever expanding number of agencies who are served twice a week by our van delivery service. Andrew's children Christian, Dominic & Lucinda are all involved in the growth & development of the business and we strive to service the entire region.
