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;

{5} The building originated as a rectangular six‑bay block aligned with Queen Street, constructed as a factory and representing the earliest identified phase of development. This phase included a large front doorway for the movement of materials and finished goods, probable window openings in the south‑east gable end, and no evidence for openings in the north‑west wall. Although the rear wall has been heavily altered at ground‑floor level, a centrally positioned door with a segmental arch and chamfered surround with jewelled stops is likely to be original and may have served as the principal access for workers. A corresponding first‑floor doorway, now blocked, with flanking tall narrow windows suggests external stair access and compensatory lighting. Map and structural evidence indicate the addition of a small two‑storey rear extension prior to 1900, involving alterations to these openings, followed by further integration with a larger block to the north‑west by 1900. A two‑storey structure approximately corresponding to the footprint of the present kitchen is considered likely to have existed in the early development of the site, possibly accommodating a staircase or ancillary functions, although its precise use remains uncertain. Later phases included a rear extension at the south‑east end constructed between 1958 and 1970, subsequent demolition and replacement of earlier annexes, and incorporation of surviving earlier fabric into new two‑storey structures. No significant evidence for corset manufacturing processes was identified, and in its later history the building appears to have functioned primarily as a warehouse or store.

<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.

<5> R Trimble, 2018, FORMER FACTORY BUILDING AT, 60 QUEEN STREET, DESBOROUGH, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE: Historic Building Recording (Report). SNN117053.

Record last edited

Apr 21 2026 10:21AM