Towles Hosiery - Nottingham Road - Loughborough, Leicestershire - Flatirons on Waymarking.com

Formerly the Towles Hosiery Manufacturers which closed in 1997. Now SOFA, a charity that provide used furniture cheaply to those in need.

Hosiery manufacture had been a major industry in and around Loughborough since the early 19th century.

"CARTWRIGHT AND WARNER in LOUGHBOROUGH were employing over a thousand people. Increasing numbers of these were now women and as the century ended, hosiery changed from being a male dominated to a female dominated industry. By 1931 in LOUGHBOROUGH there were three women in the industry to every man.

Three of the other most significant firms in LOUGHBOROUGH were PAGET AND WHITE in Beehive Lane; HINE AND PARKER (later BRAUND) in WOODGATE and HANDFORD AND MILLER in Derby Road. CARTWRIGHT AND WARNER themselves ran three mills in the QUEENS ROAD area but were taken over by TP TOWLE in 1929. TOWLES survived as a going concern until 1997 when they finally closed. Ironically, this was about the same time that the SOCK MAN statue was erected in the Market Place to celebrate the town's hosiery heritage!"

SOURCE - (visit link)

A locally listed building:
"Hosiery Factory. Late C19 with C20 addition (on Clarence St). Red/brown brick with piers and terra-cotta cornice surmounting stone string course. Quite plain. Substantial stone dressed neoclassical entrance set within rounded corner ?tower? linking workshops. Flat roof with upstanding parapet and shaped gable to corner tower. 3 storeys. 10 bays fronting Nottingham Road, 6 bays fronting Clarence St (excluding extension). Prominent square boiler stack with corbelled head. Original small paned metal windows largely preserved"

SOURCE - (visit link)

A satellite view of the building shows the angle at this street corner to be less than 90 degrees. My calculations make it around 70.

Current use of the building.: Sofa Recycle Web Address: Not listed Date of construction.: Not listed

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