Sir James Reckitt: ‘Hull’s greatest philanthropist’
LASTING LEGACY: Sir James Reckitt at his desk. Picture credit: Reckitt Group of Companies
By Simon Bristow
‘You will struggle to find a businessman anywhere in the North of England who has had a bigger impact on a place than Sir James had on Hull’
These are the words of Steve West, heritage adviser at the Reckitt Heritage Centre in Dansom Lane, east Hull.
Located on the same site where Sir James Reckitt’s father, Isaac Reckitt, founded the Reckitt business by renting a starch mill in 1840, it is a treasure trove of memorabilia, artefacts and documents detailing the history and legacy of one of the most famous names in Hull.
Old bottles and packets of popular household brands, including Dettol, Brasso, and Harpic, are accompanied by Reckitt account books, family portraits, and sports trophies won by Reckitt employees in bygone days.
Also among the collection is a silver trowel, used to lay the first brick in Hull’s Garden Village – a development of more than 600 houses, a club house, and village hall commissioned by Sir James to provide his workers with a better quality of life.
The Heritage Centre provides visitors with a glimpse into the journey of a business which once had a workforce of just 25 people, but today employs more than 40,000 in over 60 countries across the globe.
INDUSTRY: The Reckitt & Sons site in Hull in 1913. Picture credit: Reckitt Group of Companies
Beyond that, it is a fitting tribute to the legacy of Sir James, arguably Hull’s greatest philanthropist and a name which can be found dotted right across the city.
Steve West’s words would surely resonate with any listener – as would the story of how a modest starch factory grew to become a global, multi-brand business which continues to support communities on many levels.
Just three years before his death in 1924, Sir James transferred 33,333 ordinary shares in Reckitt & Sons Ltd to the trustees of a new charity. His request was a simple one – that income from the shares should be used for charitable purposes to help those connected with Hull and East Yorkshire, and those within the Society of Friends (Quakers).
As one of Sir James’s final acts before his death, he created a charity which in its 100 years of operation has to date donated more than £30m to good causes.
The shares used by Sir James to launch the charity were worth £66,666 in 1921. By 1999, those same shares had a value of £15m.
A BETTER LIFE: The construction of Garden Village in 1910, which was built for the workforce. Picture credit: Reckitt Group of Companies
To this day, The Sir James Reckitt Charity comprises 13 descendants of the Reckitt family and two Quaker trustees. They are supported by two part-time administrators who review incoming grant applications.
To truly understand the roots of the charity, it is important to understand Sir James as a man.
Born on November 14, 1833, the youngest son of Isaac and Ann Reckitt, Sir James grew up as a member of the Society of Friends – commonly known as a Quaker. In fact, the Reckitt family had been Quakers almost since the start of the movement.
After Sir James and his brother Francis became sole partners in the Reckitt business in 1864, the company grew steadily. Throughout its growth, Sir James stayed true to his Quaker beliefs and embarked on an extraordinary campaign of philanthropy which would have a huge and lasting impact on Hull.
Perhaps Sir James is best remembered for the building of the Garden Village in east Hull, which opened in 1908. The village was built on 140 acres of land by the Hull Garden Village Company, a company with £200,000 of capital – of which Sir James contributed two-thirds.
HOUSEHOLD NAME: An advert for Brasso in about 1907. Picture credit: Reckitt Group of Companies
Garden Village consisted of 600 houses, mostly occupied by employees of the Reckitt company. The houses were built to a good standard and provided with gardens. Facilities included a shopping centre, a club house, and a hostel for female workers.
Sir James also helped pay for the construction in 1924 of twelve almshouses within Garden Village to provide rent-free accommodation for elderly Quakers and ex-employees of the Reckitt company.
Through his Quaker upbringing, Sir James was determined that the Reckitt company be run in an ethical way, with profits used for public benefit.
He led a campaign for the first free, public library in Hull. When the city authorities declined to build one, Sir James built one at his own cost. That library, named in his honour, remains in Hull today. It closed in 2006 but is now a listed building.
He also supported Hull Royal Infirmary and paid for the construction of a children’s home for the orphans of men lost at sea.
FAMILY: Sir James Reckitt, left, with his brother Francis Reckitt in 1913. Picture credit: Reckitt Group of Companies
The Sir James Reckitt Charity met for the first time on August 4, 1921. Chaired by Harold Reckitt, Sir James’ eldest son, the meeting set out the values and vision for the charity.
Its progress was significantly disrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War. Although the charity continued to function, meetings were scarce. In fact, trustees met just four times between 1940 and 1945.
The Reckitt site was not spared from the devastating bombings Hull suffered during the war.
Most of the Dansom Lane site was put out of action by a Luftwaffe bombing raid on the night of July 18, 1941, and narrowly escaped complete destruction.
Dettol was a product of strategic importance to the war effort and the Government persuaded the company to relocate its manufacture to the safety of Skipton in the Yorkshire Dales, where it remained until its return to Hull in 1968.
Over the past 100 years, the charity and the Reckitt family have remained intrinsically linked.
COLLEAGUES: A staff photograph of Reckitt’s Hull in the early 1900s. Picture credit: Reckitt Group of Companies
In 1950, the poor state of the Reckitt family grave in the Quaker Burial Ground in Spring Bank, west Hull, was brought up in a meeting of the charity. Ever since, the charity has supported its upkeep.
The trustees of the charity are descendants of Sir James – Robin Upton, the longest-standing trustee, is Sir James’s great-grandson. Mr Upton has been a trustee since 1956, and served as chair for several decades.
The charity’s current Chairman, Sarah Craven, is Sir James’ great-great-granddaughter.
Although the century that has passed has taken the trustees to different corners of the country, the charity’s core focus of serving Hull and East Yorkshire remains.
FAMOUS: Advertising Reckitt’s Blue in the 1920s. Picture credit: Reckitt Group of Companies
Donations, however, have also been made much further afield. In 1984, £10,000 was sent overseas to tackle famine in Africa. A total of £15,000 supported a hurricane appeal in Honduras and Nicaragua in 1998, and £20,000 was sent to Kosovo in 1999 as war raged in the country. More recently, £20,000 was sent to Afghanistan and £50,000 to Ukraine.
A hundred years on, the charity enjoys a respected position, particularly in the local area and in Quaker circles. Wise financial management by the trustees has enabled the charity to pursue the objectives laid down by Sir James and exercise the discretion he allowed.
In 2009, annual grants given by the charity passed the £1m mark for the first time.
THE WAY IT WAS: The Reckitt’s site in Dansom Lane in 1905. Picture credit: Reckitt Group of Companies
More than 50 per cent of the charity’s funding supports social and community projects. A further 19 per cent goes to educational purposes. The remainder benefits religious, medical, and youth causes.
As the charity celebrates 100 years since Sir James Reckitt donated the shares from the family business for its incorporation, over £30m has helped good causes across both Hull and East Yorkshire and the Quaker community.
Throughout its century of giving, the charity has stayed true to the values of Sir James. It is a 100-year history fitting for a man considered Hull’s greatest ever philanthropist.