Description:Tanning animal skins to make leather is a lengthy process. After washing each hide the hides are placed in lime pits, containing a solution of lime and water. After a number of days, this loosened the hair and epidermis which would then be removed by special knives.
E.B. & W.R. Chapman's Sheepskin Works, at the Old Mill, Tutbury. The corn mill in Tutbury was converted to use as a tannery in 1913-14 by E.B. Chapman. His son Walter expaned the business to produce sheepskins. The business closed in 1983 and was converted into a clothing business and hotel. This in turn closed in the late 1990s.
This photograph is from the collections of Tutbury Museum.