Address: 15 Church St, YO1 8BE (now above Yo Sushi)
Description
A long, weathered paint-on-brick sign with a red background, bearing the faded inscription ‘W. Mackinder’, possibly once stating ‘Tailor to the War Department.
History
This sign commemorates a tailor shop run by Wingate Mackinder, born in 1881. Mackinder was skilled in crafting a variety of garments including breeches, dresses, and lounge suits.
He specialized in making mourning clothes, a significant social obligation in the early 20th century, with prescribed mourning periods based on the deceased’s relation.
From the 1924 Official city of York Guide Book
During World War I, Mackinder’s expertise extended to war clothing, earning him the designation “Tailor to the War Dept.”
Mackinder passed away in 1941. Despite his death, the company persisted, transitioning to sell more contemporary clothing.
Mackinder’s on Church Street remained in operation until 1981.
1981 – Just before closure Source: York Press
Tailoring has a long history in York, with tailors appearing in the city’s freemen records from as early as 1273.
The guild organization, documented since 1387, was notably linked with the religious and charitable confraternity of St. John the Baptist.
In medieval York, tailors enjoyed a golden age, significantly contributing to both the social and economic fabric of the city.
The Merchant Taylors’ crest
Up until the 1830s, the Merchant Taylors’ Company functioned as a body of master tailors. These members were substantial freemen of York, though they were not typically of high status or wealth.
This historical context underscores the depth of the tailoring tradition that Mackinder was a part of, reflecting a craft that shaped York’s cultural and social landscape.
Got thoughts or a story to share about this iconic sign? We’re all ears—drop your comments below and join the conversation!
Wingate came from Alford in Lincolnshire and married Lydia Precious, whose brother Ernest owned the still remembered toyshop Precious’s in Petergate.
Wingate’ opened his first clothing shop in 1910 in Goodramgate, later moving to Church Street.
When Wingate died his son Peter was called up, not returning from the RAF until 1946, just in time for him, his mother and his new wife to be flooded out of the family house in Marygate in the infamous winter of 1946/47.
On Peter’s return wartime restrictions meant that the shop had virtually no stock, and was only able to continue through the generosity of a Leeds manufacturer who stocked it and allowed Peter to pay when the clothing sold.
Peter it was whose advertising boasted “66 sizes in slacks”, and sold them in an area in the shop signed as “The Slack Bar” (for those too young to remember, this was an pun on “snack bar” ).
Peter closed the business and sold the premises on his retirement in 1981.