EARLS COLNE HERITAGE MUSEUM
Reuben Hunt was undoubtedly a hard-headed businessman, but he also had a concern for the welfare of his employees. Like other industrialists in his time (the Lever family who built Port Sunlight, the Cadburys at Bourneville and, more locally, the Courtaulds) he believed that a contented worker was a more productive worker. As a result, everyone in Earls Colne benefited from some of the amenities which the firm provided.
By the early years of the 20th century, the Atlas Works was the main source of employment in the village and the company had built 140 new houses for its employees, including retirement bungalows for former staff. The design of the buildings was influenced by the ‘Arts and Crafts’ movement, using traditional materials and styles.
HOUSING and EMPLOYMENT
Retirement bungalows
in Burrows Road
in Burrows Road
Photgraph by David Brown © Earls Colne Heritage Museum