Building record 1160/457/1 - 41 & 43 Colwyn Road (Colwyn House & Lime Bank Respectively)

This boot and shoe workshop consists of two terraced houses including their rear ranges, located on Colwyn Road. Each range is of two storeys and is constructed of brick with slate roofs. Constructed during 1880. The terraced workshops were built around 1890.

{1} c.1885 comprising two substantial houses occupying long plots with rear workshop ranges.

{2} Pair of terrace houses with attached rear workshops. C.1885. Red brick, whitewashed to front of No.43 to right, with slate roofs and brick ridge and side stacks. 2 storeys and cellar to front, 3 storeys to sides and rear with 2-storey rear wings. Each house has a 3-window range at first floor of a pair of 8/1 sashes to left and a 4/1 sash to right. Ground floor has 3 sashes arranged as a triple window 4/1:8/1:4/1, and an ornamental doorcase to right with part-glazed door and overlight. Arched heads and hoodmoulds to windows with projecting keystones. To far right of No.43 is a narrow doorway leading to passage access, probably to the rear workshop range. Skylights on roofs. Side elevation to No.41 has similar 8/1 sashes on 3 floors and, to the lower rear wing mainly 8/8 sashes and 2 doorways. Rears of houses have 8/8 sashes and iron-framed windows. Rear wings of both have iron-framed factory style windows to inner sides. No.43 has a first-floor open pentice porch to the rear gable end with windows and part-glazed door under. Further rear wing to No.41 has 2 3/3 sashes to inner side and 2 wide casements reaching across the whole of rear gable end over single-storey extension.
These are particularly fine and little altered examples of houses with rear workshops associated with the boot and shoe industry. The houses are not shown on the 1883 OS map but the 1890 Kelly’s Directory names the occupiers and the 1899 map shows the houses and rear ranges. In the late C19th and early C20th they were mainly occupied by boot closers or boot closed upper manufacturers.

<1> ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2000, Northamptonshire Boot and Shoe Survey, Site 76 (Catalogue). SNN105075.

<2> DCMS, 2003, Listing Schedule, 725/0/10038 (checked) (Schedule). SNN105168.

<3> Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group, 1996-2013, Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group Newsletter, Issue 125 p.4 (unchecked) (Newsletter). SNN55360.

<4> Morrison K.A.; Bond A., 2004, Built To Last? The Buildings of The Northamptonshire Boot and Shoe Industry (Book). SNN104903.

<5> Undated, 41-43 Colwyn Road, Northampton, BF103601 (Archive). SNN113723.

<6> Perkins, P, Whittaker, R and Denton, A, 2022, A Guide to the Industrial Heritage of Northamptonshire, p. 61/ Site 267 (Book). SNN113793.

Record last edited

Feb 17 2025 7:21PM