In 1894 the Briggs family expanded from their boot-making shop in Leicester, taking over Blandford’s Flour Mill on St Mary’s Road in Market Harborough.

The new venture was the Harboro Rubber Company, which benefitted from its proximity to the River Welland, as water was required in the manufacturing process.

Following a successful start and participation during the First World War, the company employed 250 people by 1939. The production of synthetic rubber began during the Second World War as the materials needed to produce rubber originated in Japan, an opponent during the conflict.

The Harboro Rubber Company still exists today manufacturing a variety of products.