Commemorative plaque 11529

This green commemorative plaque records: Tanner's Yard. This yard connecting Highgate and the River Kent took its present form in the 1780's when Lowther Street was built. There were then 17 tanyards in Kendal with over 200 tanpits, about 80 of them on the riverside between Miller Bridge and the Parish Church. They provided leather for the curriers, glovers, saddlers, and especially the shoemakers whose guild hall formed part of the New Biggin, a building opposite the present Town Hall which filled the middle of Highgate until its demolition in 1803. Shoemaking has now replaced the textile trade as Kendal's leading manufacturing industry. The yard was resurfaced by South Lakeland District Council in 1990. Recorded plaque organisation: Kendal Civic Society.

Tanner's Yard reflects Kendal’s historical significance in leather production, particularly shoemaking, which dominated the local economy from the late 18th century until the early 19th century.