About Us
Your Trusted Commercial Laundry and Linen Hire Company for Over a Century
Founded in 1899 in the picturesque market town of Petersfield, Hampshire, Petersfield Linen Services has been a cornerstone of the community for over 125 years. As a family-owned and operated commercial laundry offering professional services across the South of England, we pride ourselves on building lasting relationships with our customers, treating each one as a valued member of our extended family.
Community:
Community is at the heart of Petersfield Linen Services. Many of those that work with us both past and present, walk to work or live in surrounding towns and villages. Generations of families have worked together at the laundry some having started straight after leaving school and stayed on to retire many moons later.
Our skilled team today is made up of people who have been with us for less than a year to over 30 years. Our longest standing member of the team, Janice, recently celebrated 45 years of working with us and is still going strong!
Over the years we have built floats to enter the Petersfield Carnival when it was a regular local event, provided a laundry service to the Royal Yacht when it was alongside in Portsmouth, and continue the ongoing tradition of supporting many local charitable organisations and events through gifting and donating textiles.
History
The Start – 15th March 1899:
The Hants and Sussex news reported on March 15th 1899 a ‘steam laundry company is in the course of formation in the town’. A syndicate of local upstanding members of the community came together to set up the first steam laundry in the south offering a local domestic laundry service delivering and collecting directly to their customers using horse and carts. We know ‘Ted’ was one of the trusted horses who would have been housed in one of the stables at the back of the laundry.
History Buff Jane Page (no relation of Edith Page below), dug out the following points of interest about the laundry. Jane joined us in 1998 and continues to be a valued member of the team today.
Hants and Sussex News – 5th June 1907:
On May 25th 1907, Edith Page (who lived just round the corner from the laundry) employee, broke into the laundry to ‘steel one pair of lady’s combinations, value 10s’. She pleaded guilty and agreed to live with Sister Mallandaine of the House of the Good Shepherd in Whitehill to avoid jail.
The Great War 1914 – 1919:
A driver working at the laundry named Edwin Wright served as Lance Corporal of the Hampshire Regiment 14th (Service) Battalion in the Great War and died of his injuries on 19th September 1916 in Flanders. He was laid to rest at the Achiet-le-Grand Communal Cemetery Pas-de-Calais.
Today (2024):
Today the laundry is independently owned by the James family who acquired the business in in 1958. Descended from London launderers, brother and sister duo Robert and Susan work with the team today continuing to deliver professional laundry services to businesses across the south of England.