Building record 2878/11/1 - Corset factory, Queen Street

This corset factory is located on the west side of Queen Street and was built in 1895. The building is of brick with a slate roof.

{1} 'Corset Factory' with datestone of 1895 still survives on Queen Street. In use as small-scale industrial / commercial works owned by Metro Merchandising Ltd. Building would appear to be in good condition.

{2} History:
1877 R. and W.H. Symington, stay and corset makers, Rothwell and Desborough
1883 Not depicted (OS 1:2500, XXIV.3)
1895 Factory built (datestone)
1898 L-plan factory shown (OS 1:2500)
1906 W. Reynolds, stay and corset mfrs, main and branch factories
1924 'Corset factory'; plan unchanged since 1898 (OS 1:2500)
1966 Not listed
1999 Metro Ltd
This factory was built in 1895 according to a datestone on the street elevation. The two storey factory is brick-built and gabled roughly north-south. Although it resembles the surrounding shoe factories, with pier and panel construction and large windows on both floors, it is unusual in having no loading doorway on the upper floor - the doorway in the south gable is an insertion. The two storey extension west of the south end is a modern addition. At the oppoiste end a rear range shown on the 1898 map may be original but was not seen.

{3} Accompanying note suggests it was operational in 1982 and manufacturing handbags and slippers;

<1> Ballinger, J, 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Desborough (Industrial), (unchecked) (Digital archive). SNN100502.

<2> ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2000, Northamptonshire Boot and Shoe Survey, Site 2 (checked) (Catalogue). SNN105075.

<3> Mountfield, P, 1982, Photographs of shoe factories in Desborough, Photo D4 (Photographic prints (B&W)). SNN111526.

<4> Historic England, Former Reynolds Corset Factory, Queen Street, Desborough, BF103810 (Archive). SNN115414.

Record last edited

Sep 1 2023 2:46PM