Luxdon Laundry always enjoyed a reputation for loyal service – with many employees clocking up 40 and even 50 years at the firm.

But none can lay claim to an almost life-long dedication to the business, except James Lumsdon-Taylor – Jimmy to his friends.

"I was born into the Luxdon way of life. As my father ran the business, it was always around me. I suppose I ate, slept and breathed it!" he said.

"But, although our family owned the firm, my father made sure I knew the business inside out, by making me work in almost every department."

Luxdon Laundry had its origins in 19th century Sunderland, when two sisters, the Misses Ramage, opened a laundry at Smyrna Place in 1887.

The firm was then shaken up by businessman James Taylor – Jimmy's grandfather – who married a sister and moved the factory to larger premises.

By the time Jimmy was born in 1931, the County Laundry and Dye Works was doing roaring business at another base, Wycliffe Road in High Barnes.

"My father, Henry, was the driving force behind the laundry by this stage," said Jimmy. "He had trained as a laundry dryer before World War
One."

Henry saw action as a sniper with the Quayside Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers during the war, before being wounded in battle.

He then went on to serve with the Royal Flying Corps after recovering from his injuries, finally entering the family business when war ended.

"My father was very innovative," said Jimmy. "He came up with many successful ideas, like the Insitu service to clean carpets in your own home. He was also the one who changed the firm's name to Luxdon, although he originally wanted to call its Lumsdon – which is a traditional family name.

"When he wasn't allowed to do that, because of some law, he decided on the name Luxdon, because the word Lux means light and bright."

Henry did, however, manage to change the family name from Taylor to Lumsdon-Taylor by deed poll – as a tribute to his eldest son.

Allen Lumsdon Taylor tragically died on the operating table at the Royal Infirmary, following complications with meningitis. He was just 13.

"Jimmy was only seven at the time, but he wore his new name with pride.
It was a lasting memorial to his brother," said Jimmy's wife, Linda.

Generations of Wearsiders looked to Luxdon to keep their clothes "light and bright" – with the firm's popularity ever increasing over the years.

The Second World War saw the firm processing 10,000 bundles of soldiers' clothing each week, as well as 5,000 household bundles and dry cleaning.

And, once peace was declared, Henry developed new services such as Pillopac, to sterilise pillows, and Cellopac for non-shrinking blankets.

Jimmy wasn't short of ideas himself after entering the business at the age of 20, but first his father expected him to learn the ropes from the bottom up.

Stints in the dirty laundry sorting room, the washhouse and ironing rooms followed – and he even took his driving test in a Luxdon Laundry van.

"I still remember how nice everyone was. It was like one big family really. They were all so good and helpful to each other," recalls Jimmy.

"In later years, people would come to me for help. I wanted to help them, as they helped my by working there. I felt like a father figure to them."

Jimmy took over the firm in 1959, following Henry's death, sharing the role of MD with Florence Howey at first – a former Luxdon's shop girl.

Florence had worked her way up the career ladder, spending time in the laundry and as a supervisor, and was one of Sunderland's first female MDs.

"My father had spotted her potential and realised she would make a good supervisor," said Jimmy. "It was a very progressive firm in that way."

Just as his father had helped "grow the business" with innovative schemes, so Jimmy's ideas for new projects and services helped the firm flourish too.

Among the many schemes he introduced was "work apparel", which saw Luxdon's join forces with a manufacturer to make and launder uniforms.

"The idea came from laundering uniforms for soldiers in the war. I realised that, not only could we clean uniforms, we could make them," said Jimmy.

And he also introduced a hugely popular rental service too, when hotels rented all their linen needs from Luxdon – and paid to have it laundered too.

"The whole of the North East was blanket covered by Luxdon's back then. All the big hotels from Scotland to York used our services," said Jimmy.

Such was Jimmy's devotion to the job that, whenever he went out for a meal, he would check to see if the table linen had been laundered by Luxdon.

His habit became a standing joke, but Jimmy managed to devote the rest of his leisure time to far more exciting things – from charity work to fast cars.

Indeed, he is one of the few – if not the only – Wearsiders to be fined for speeding twice in one day – once in a sports car and once in a plane.

And he is also a member of Donald Campbell's exclusive K7 club, after helping with speed boat time trials on Lake Windermere in the 1950s.

"I loved Luxdon's, as it had always been in my life, but I loved fast cars and boats and flying too. I suppose I take after my father," said Jimmy.

During Jimmy's time at Luxdon's, he oversaw the rebuilding of the factory following a fire in 1961, as well as a move to Fulwell Road in the 1980s.

His wife Linda then took charge for a final move to Sunderland Enterprise Park, before Jimmy decided to retire and sell the business eight years ago.

"It was a big wrench when I decided to retire, but I was 70 by then, and I knew it was the right time to leave," said Jimmy, who lives in Whitburn.

The business was sold as a thriving concern to the Brooks Service Group, but the firm sadly went into administration last year and closed down.

"I sold to Brooks as they had promised to keep all my old staff on," said Jimmy. "So it was was a very sad day when I heard it had closed down.

"We always had a good reputation for quality and service. People knew what they were getting with Luxdon – we never fell out with a customer."

The name of Luxdon is now to live on, however, after being snapped up by a County Durham firm which plans to offer laundry services in Sunderland. And, to celebrate the revival of the name, an exhibition featuring nostalgic photos and memorabilia will go on show at Sunderland Museum tomorrow.

"It is very exciting for us to have the opportunity to rebuild a local brand and business," said Ed Lebbon, a director of the new Luxdon.

* The Luxdon exhibition is open to all and is free.

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