Building record 953/30/1 - Factory building and shop, High Street

Boot and Shoe Factory (possibly JW Willoughby and Sons). This single-storeyed shoe factory occupies a plot which was developed before 1884 and a pre-1884 building or buildings may survive. The present street range is lightly built of timber with a corrugated iron roof concealed by a large signboard, and corresponds to the range shown in 1884.

{1} This single-storyed shoe factory occupies a plot which was developed before 1884 and a pre-1884 building or buildings may survive. The present street range is lightly built of timber with a corrugated iron roof concealed by a large signboard, and corresponds to the range shown in 1884. The north front incorporates (from east to west) a wide yard entrance, a shop front, a second yard entrance, and a pedestrian passage entrance. The last leads to a two-storeyed workshop-like building, which appear to be the outbuilding shown on the 1884 map and still distinguishable on the 1972 map.

{2} The site comprises a block of land leading back from the High Street in Long Buckby. There were three separate buildings which have evolved together over time and have all been considerably altered. The structure has most recently been used as a shoe shop ‘Distinctive Footwear Ltd’, but would appear to have been a boot and shoe factory prior to this as there are a substantial number of sewing machines and other machinery stored at the rear of the building. The three main buildings have been joined together by a series of corrugated tin roofs and walls of each of these buildings have been knocked down to create an internally integrated space.
The oldest remaining building on the site is located behind the main frontage and is at right angles to the brick terraces 64-78 High Street. The building is a two storey brick construction with a chimney. The current owner informs that the ground floor (which was divided into several stores) was owned by some of the brick terraces. The Ordnance Survey map of 1900 indicates that the building was located at right angles to the back access to the terraces, although there does not appear to have been any direct access. The upper storey has recently been used as a flat. It would appear likely that the lower floor was used as storage for the individual houses and the upper floor (with a fire place) was used for industrial processing. The original building was 8.6m long on the exterior and 8.2m on the interior, although a brick lean-to (containing further storage areas and a toilet) had been added at a later date. There were three irregularly spaced doors to separate storage areas and a further door on the north west corner of the building with stairs providing access to the upper floor. One of the doors to the storage area had been blocked up and replaced with a window; otherwise there were no natural light sources to these areas. On the upper floor there were two large windows on the west wall (one with three panes and the other with two panes) which were probably original and an original window and an inserted window on the south face. The chimney was located 2.45m from the north of the building. In the interior there was an inserted ceiling and beams to support the roof structure. The east wall of the original building has been removed.

The building on the frontage of High Street is an eclectic development possibly constructed over a number of years. The frontage consists of a late 19th/ early 20th century shop frontage flanked by two large timber garage (?) doors with a 1930s style boarding above. There is no structural building behind the frontage and the frontage merely occupies a space between two brick terraced houses, the area is roofed over with corrugated sheeting. A building is shown in this location on early ordnance survey maps and it is possible that parts of the frontage remain from this era, but that the remainder of the building was knocked down to provide access to the cinema behind. The alternative is that the original building has been entirely demolished and that the frontage is a 20th century construction from re-used materials. The current owner claims that the building was used as a garage before it became a shoe shop.

<1> ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2000, Northamptonshire Boot and Shoe Survey, Site 13 (checked) (Catalogue). SNN105075.

<2> Ballinger J., 2000, Industrial And Modern Buildings, Long Buckby, (checked) (Notes). SNN101320.

<3> Ballinger J., 2000, Industrial And Modern Buildings, Long Buckby, (checked) (Photographic prints (COL)). SNN101321.

<4> 2000, Plans as Existing: 76-80 High Street, Long Buckby, (checked) (Plan). SNN109661.

<5> Historic England, Undated, Northampton Boot and Shoe Industry Project, EHC01/044 (Archive). SNN113277.

<6> Historic England, Undated, 76-78 High Street, Long Buckby, BF103874 (Archive). SNN113465.

Record last edited

Feb 17 2025 7:12PM