Samuel Gratrix Junior & Brother were makers and merchants of glass, leaded lights, windows and other metal and ceramic fittings. Samuel Gratrix established a business at Alport Town, Deansgate and Bradford (Manchester) in 1819-1821, initially as a lead merchant. In 1891 the MEN declared Gratrix to be perhaps the oldest business in Manchester and the company boasted of its longevity in the city. As the business became national in scope, with offices and warehouses across Britain, Gratrix traded on its Mancunian origins, later becoming known as ‘Gratrix Manchester’ and selling a product branded as the ‘Manchester Closet.’ The National Archives holds material relating to legal proceedings in the 1890s when the construction of GNR’s Great Northern Warehouse forced Gratrix’s relocation to Alport Works, Quay Street. In the 1930s the company was sometimes known by the name S. Gratrix Ltd. The company is known to have operated until at least 1954.