The story of one hundred years of laundry

James however, soon arrived with his naturally calming demeanour and practical personality to help focus on what was to be done to save the business and protect the staff.

Industry support at this point was second to none, with contemporaries immediately pulling together to provide vital backing.

This enabled Royal Jersey Laundry to continue serving their clients as they worked through the night to launder linens for the luxury hotels of London, proudly without any impact to the service standards or client numbers.

James recalls that while the building itself was un-salvageable, 

‘much of the Royal Jersey memorabilia was rescued from the fire, and the framed photograph of Walter was eerily untouched, as if he was urging the business to continue.’

Chris says of the time, friends and acquaintances asked him why he would rebuild the business rather than collect the insurance money to provide a different life for himself and his family. And speaking of family he said, 

‘I have never let anyone down. It’s not about money anyway but continuing the family business and sticking with the standards of my grandfather. What would I do with the rest of my life?’

One year later, almost to the day on Saturday 14^th May 2022, the first shift on the brand new Royal Jersey site began.

James Lincoln and the Royal Jersey Laundry team continue to uphold those stalwart standards of the business today, embracing sustainability and technology,  with that auspicious photograph watching over them, and a brand new epoxy resin floor beneath.