Chambers, Arthur- Created Grantham’s best known haberdashery

 Arthur Chambers (1838 -1901)

BORN in Chadwell, Leicestershire, he came to Grantham as an apprentice to his uncle John who was a woollen draper at the Exchange Hall, High Street.

After leaving for a spell working in Leicester, he returned to Grantham taking over The Warehouse, run by Mr Hart Buck.

He opened his own store A. Chambers and Co which he ran with his wife and proved an exceptional businessman, especially as a buyer and spotting trends in advance.

Syston blankets, made from wool bought from Sir John Thorold and Winceby serge were particularly popular.

A keen antiquarian, especially interested in ancient religious buildings, he had a vast library on the subject at his home, The Priory, off Union Street.

He was a sidesman at St Wulfram’s Church and a churchwarden at St Saviour’s, Little Gonerby.

He was married with nine children.