Building record 1160/0/292 - 52 Henry Street, Northampton

The three-storeyed Queen Boot Factory was built on the south side of Henry Street probably in 1890. Between 1905 and 1912 the factory was extended westwards

{1} The three-storeyed Queen Boot Factory was built on the south side of Henry Street probably in 1890. It has a six-bay north front, the end bays narrower and containing a single opening per floor, the remainder having paired openings. The second bay from each end has pilasters corbelled out at second-floor level and rising to a gable bearing the date ‘1890’ and the words ‘WHOLESALE’ on one and ‘EXPORT’ on the other. Limestone is employed for sill and lintel bands, the eaves cornice and the two gables. The principal entrance also has a limestone surround incorporating a semicircular head, and is positioned in the easternmost bay beneath loading doorways on the first and second floors. The windows have moulded stone sills and retain their original sashes and top hopper windows, apart from those on the second floor which have been renewed. Two large ground-floor openings appear to be later insertions or enlargements. To the rear of the three-storeyed range the 1899 Goad plan shows a full-height stair or privy tower at the west end, while most of the remainder of the plot is occupied by single-storeyed north-lit ranges. These were not seen. The same source indicates the following distribution of processes within the building: lasting and finishing on the ground floor of the street range; clicking and offices on the first; stock and machines on the second (where a large roof-light is shown); and machines in the north-lit shed.
Between 1905 and 1912 the factory was extended westwards onto a plot formerly marked ‘Vacant land, timber scattered’. The addition, on a deep plan, is of three storeys and a basement and appears to be of steel-framed construction. The north front is articulated by pilasters to give two wide bays, rising to a parapet. The pattern of sill and lintel bands is repeated and each bay incorporates three large windows per floor. The ground floor has been modernised. Probably contemporary single-storeyed additions to the rear largely infilled the remaining yard space.

<1> ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2000, Northamptonshire Boot and Shoe Survey, Northampton Site 98 (Catalogue). SNN105075.

<2> Historic England, Undated, 54 Henry Street (formerly 52 Henry Street), Northampton, BF103616 (Archive). SNN113825.

<3> Perkins, P, Whittaker, R and Denton, A, 2022, A Guide to the Industrial Heritage of Northamptonshire, p. 61/ Site 268 (Book). SNN113793.

Record last edited

Feb 17 2025 6:57PM