Long-serving NHBF Member shuts doors after nearly a century of business

There aren’t many hairdressing businesses with as much history as Burley’s. The family business based in Malvern, Worcestershire, is sadly shutting its doors after nearly a century in the game and will be sorely missed.

The business was originally opened in 1920 by Harry Burley and operated in the same premises right until the end, retaining much of its original period fixtures and fittings such as mirrors and Formica work surfaces. Many of these items are set to find a new home at a hairdressing museum in Leicester for all to see.

Over its 99 years as a business, it was passed down through three generations of Burley’s, with Harry’s grandson David being the sole proprietor for the last 25 years. Throughout the years, many a famous face has passed through its doors including the playwright George Bernard Shaw; Speaker of the House of Commons, Bernard Weatherill; Najib Razak, the former prime minister of Malaysia; journalist Jeremy Paxman; and the writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his first two children.

Although it has been an emotional decision to close the business, David isn’t quite calling it a day yet. Along with fulfilling his ambition of seeing the world in his campervan, he is still going to continue to make home visits to some of his long-standing clients, keeping hairdressing in the family for a little longer yet.