Barran's Cloth Cutting Machine

John Barran established his tailoring business in Leeds in 1842, and expanded to a factory in 1851 following the arrival of the sewing machine to Britain from America. To increase productivity in the factory, he invented a machine that could cut many layers of cloth to an exact measurement at once. More inventions followed, including a counter-weighted iron and a foot control for power machines, which are still used by trade today.