Monument record MDR5612 - Harrington Mills lace factory, Leopold Street, Long Eaton

SK 488336 Leopold Street, Harrington Mills. A large four storey brick-built tenement lace factory built in two stages in 1885-1887 for the Harrington Factory Company Ltd. It originally had a pitched slate roof, now concrete tiles. Most of the cast iron window frames remain - 224 on one side. On the east side are four semicircular-ended staircase turrets and across the yard is a detached boiler house with a fine circular brick-built chimney having a bulbous cast iron head. The factory is 550ft long and at one time had 26 lacemaking tenants. Now [c. 1986] in multiple light industrial occupation, including Duresta Upholstery and Krarrup & Gill, lace manufacturers. (1) This multi-storey, multi-building, tenement factory was incorporated as the Harrington Factory Company Limited on 16 February 1885. Costing £9,000, the main block, backing on to the Long Eaton cemetery, and containing 255 standings, was the largest lace tenement building to be constructed, being 520 feet long, and 40 feet wide. It was divided into six sections, with Levers lace machines on four floors and card stores on the fifth. The Harrington Electric Light Company was formed in August 1895 to light the factory, as well as part of Long Eaton, although lace machines continued to be driven by steam power until the installation of electric motors in about 1937. By the 1920s many of the standings were empty or used for machine storage. Only three pre-1900 tenants survived until the Second World War. In 1899, listed tenants included 20 lace makers and 3 other lace tenants; tenants in 1959 included 11 lace makers, 1 warper & winder and 2 hosiery manufacturers. (2) A tenement lace factory, completed in 1887. Designed by John Sheldon for the Harrington Factory Company. It is built of red brick beneath a concrete tile roof. The elevation to the cemetery is four storeys tall. It is arranged in six unequal sections with the windows arranged 10:10:6:11:10:10. The windows are cast iron casements. The elevation to Leopold Street features semi circular stair turrets. (4) Now occupied by Long Eaton Plumbers Merchants, Nottingham Narrow Fabrics and David Grundy Upholstery. (5)