A Dickens of a place
Introduction
Victorian Bournemouth (244) analyses how the Steam Laundry’s commercial success lasted over half a century. It suggests stable, paternal management as an important factor. Managing director Robert Catt implemented measures to improve workplace health and safety and engaged in industry affairs at the national level. Staff expressed their satisfaction with the work environment by voting for birthday and wedding gifts for managers and their families. Shareholders may have considered the company a stable, long-term investment.
Victorian Bournemouth (244): background
Category growth
During the last quarter of the Victorian period, more women derived income from laundry activities. Most of them belonged to the lower social levels, their husbands or fathers employed in manual labour. The census shows how, in some cases, family enterprises would appear. By the end of the century, almost all such women resided in the suburbs: Springbourne, Winton, and Boscombe. Although the growth of laundrywomen fell behind that of the town overall, those residing in the suburbs far exceeded it. In the 1890s, the number of laundry enterprises as listed in directories doubled. A few of these operated on a large scale, sometimes incorporated, occupying dedicated buildings filled with specialised equipment. In addition to their female workforce, such enterprises employed males, tasked with operating the equipment, driven by steam power. Companies appeared in both Boscombe and Winton, but perhaps the earliest such entity consisted of Bournemouth Steam Laundry, Springbourne.
Bournemouth Steam Laundry Co Ltd
In 1876, the Bournemouth Steam Laundry came into existence, capitalised at £6,000, each share worth £25. At the first AGM, the directors expressed satisfaction at their company’s surviving its start-up costs. Its profit supported a 10% dividend. The next year, the company delivered over £650 profit, paying the same return. During the 1880s, the directors issued more shares, thereby increasing the capital. They decided to grow through organic funds, eschewing outside debt. Financiers regarded the company as a safe and valuable investment. Bournemouth Steam Laundry maintained a regular advertising presence: recruitment campaigns (‘best’ workers) and competitive strikes at local emerging laundries. The directors installed heavy equipment made by an established, specialised company: Thomas Bradford. Many laundries across the country used their equipment. The long-serving manager placed a priority on workers’ safety. Almost half a century after arriving, his family still managed the Bournemouth Steam Laundry Company.
Victorian Bournemouth (244): Robert Catt
The man
Robert Catt (1859-1931) rose from humble beginnings to professional success. Growing up in Kent, an agricultural labourer’s son, he found work in Liverpool, selling hardware. Here, he may have learned the accountancy which qualified him to manage Bournemouth’s Steam Laundry. Here, also, may have germinated the idea about laundries, for his sister-in-law managed one. From the start, he appears to have enjoyed positive relations with the staff. They presented to him a silver-bound album on his birthday in 1886. In time, Catt extended his role to the national level, becoming an industry spokesman. William Lever’s ephemeral cartel, the ‘Soap Trust’, attracted criticism from Catt. Beyond his professional life, Catt participated in the local community: the Buffaloes, the militia, and jury service. Furthermore, he practised a form of philanthropy by helping to bring Osmond Tearle’s famous acting company back into order. This included mentoring Tearle’s sons’ stage careers.
Management style
Robert Catt emerges from newspaper accounts as a thoughtful, proactive manager who understood the importance of employee satisfaction. In 1906, he addressed the Laundry Association on the subject of “Little Things”. He mentioned ‘the merits of punctuality, the capacity of machinery and its intelligent use, dealing with “muddles”.’ Around this time, a male employee slipped between two lines of rotary washing machines. His arm became jammed in the massive equipment. Catt had the machine disassembled to release his man, a process requiring almost two hours. Perhaps because of this, Catt, together with an engineer, patented at least two safety innovations, one to protect fingers. This exceeded the inspectors’ standards. Understanding the importance of public perception, he maintained a thoughtful, strategic relationship with the media. For example, he sent the editor of the Bournemouth Graphic ‘a charming memento … to commemorate’ the silver anniversary of his marriage to Mrs Catt.
Victorian Bournemouth (244): nice place to work
New Year, 1889
On Saturday, early in 1889, neither unrest nor equipment failure but a joyous occasion brought Bournemouth’s Steam Laundry to a halt. Employees and management spent the day decorating the place for their New Year’s party, a company initiative. Evergreen and mottos abounded. That evening, at six o’clock, 80 people, directors and staff, enjoyed a ‘substantial meat tea’. The chairman, local notable E.W. Rebbeck, led ‘a very hearty cheer’ for Mr and Mrs Catt. Soon, the tables removed, ‘the evening was devoted to singing, music, and dancing’. Enthusiastic participants demanded several encores. ‘Katy’s Letter’ may have resonated with some. Her beloved had not answered her letter, perhaps because he could neither read nor write. Five minutes before midnight, ‘Auld Lang Syne’ and more cheers for the Catts closed the occasion. This event, captured by the press, evokes a vivid image, reminiscent of a scene penned by Dickens: warmth, camaraderie, simple pleasure.
A family at work
Genealogical analysis suggests the Catts intertwined their family, friends, and employees into a cohesive network. It blended familial ties and professional relationships that fostered both personal satisfaction and business success. Their niece, Kitty Booth, who sang ‘No, sir’, worked in the laundry. Her mother and Robert’s brother each ran laundries elsewhere, creating a wide professional network. Another singer, Mary Love, belonged to a substantial farming family, their holding near Robert’s origin. Though the families occupied different strata, Robert would visit Mary’s mother after her husband died, perhaps to give professional advice. Among the singers featured siblings Rosie and Edgar Barnes, long-term employees of humble origin. They sang with the genteel Mary Rose and the respectable ‘Kitty’ Catt, the manager’s daughter. To celebrate ‘Kitty’s’ wedding (1901), employees gave their colleague and friend a marble drawing-room clock. This integration perhaps enhanced work satisfaction and also contributed to Bournemouth Steam Laundry’s profitability.
Takeaway
Victorian Bournemouth (244) has suggested how Bournemouth Steam Laundry’s financial prudence, effective marketing, and worker safety contributed to a robust business model that could withstand the pressures of competition and economic fluctuations. Furthermore, the long-term management style of Robert and Catherine Catt made the company a showcase for how employee satisfaction and commercial profit could co-exist. As a proactive manager, Robert Catt combined attention to detail, commitment to safety, regular innovation, and positive media relations. The Catt family connected their family, friends, and employees into a unified network. This perhaps created a supportive and harmonious work-place environment, benefiting all network members, whatever their social position. The success of this approach perhaps appears in the family’s management of the firm extending over at least two generations and several decades.
References
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