The former lace factory is orientated north-west to south-east but for ease of reference within this report it is described as having its long axis orientated north to south. The building comprises seven units of five trusses which rest upon brick and cast iron columns extending north-to south creating six bays per unit. The roof of north light type, also known as a saw-tooth truss, is typical of the period. It is a softwood king post roof with a ridge purlin. Three back purlins are attached to the longer south principal and one to the shorter, steeper pitched north principal. The roof has reinforced glass on the north facing side and a slate covering on the south facing side. This configuration gives the best overhead daylight illumination essential for weaving, without glare from the sun. Further structural integrity for the roof structure is provided by timber beams that extend between the trusses and the piers. The factory is brick built with the phase dating to between 1884 and 1900 comprising Bays 1-3 being laid three stretchers to one header and Bays 4-6 dating to the phase constructed between 1900 and 1919 being laid five stretcher to one header. The bricks used for the exterior walls measure 9 inches x 4 inches x 3 inches and those of the interior wall measure 8½ inches x 4 inches x 2½ inches. The west wall dating to the earliest phase of the
factory partially survives which uses differently fired bricks to create a chequered pattern indicating that the earliest phase of the building was not devoid of exterior decorative detail. The wall that extends down the centre of the building from Unit 1 to Unit 5 dividing Bays 3 and 4 has five openings. Moulded bricks were used on the edges of the two northernmost openings and on the south edge of the southernmost opening suggesting that they could be original with the remaining openings being later alterations dating to when the factory was converted into a depot. The steel lintel that extends along the top of the wall is a later insertion as are the metal ties that extend between the central wall and the east wall. The floor in Bays 4-6 has been raised to enable goods to be loaded and unloaded straight into the back of waggons parked in Bays 1-3. The brick piers supporting the trusses replace the original cast iron columns, an alteration presumably undertaken following the fire in the 1970s that reduced the size of the 1884-1900 phase of the building. In later years the southern part of the lace factory comprising Units 6-7 was renovated for use as a garage complete with inspection pits, new concrete floor and additional doorways and window inserted through original brickwork. The northern wall of the garage extending between Unit 5 and Unit 6 was inserted at this time and the canteen built to the north. The garage was also extended by a single bay to the north. A modern five bay shed and a small electricity station abuts the former factory to the north and modern offices to the south. Though the brick work indicates that the sub-station is a modern building there has always been a structure in that location since the earliest Ordnance Survey map. Immediately east of the sub-station, towards the top of the lace factory wall are two holes in the brickwork. It is tempting to suggest that the original building in the footprint of the sub-station also housed an engine used to power the lace factory via drive shafts, ropes or belts extending through the top of the lace factory wall. The former lace factory has therefore undergone considerable change since its construction. It originated between 1884 and 1900 as a three bay building of seven units that was subsequently extended between 1900 and 1919 by the addition of a further three bays, coinciding with the peak in lace output in England which occurred during the beginning of the 20th century (Jones 2006, 214). Following a fire in the 1970s where much of the first phase of the building was lost it was reconfigured as a depot and garage. However, much early fabric survived, including the roof, with the only major alterations being the raising of the floor throughout much of the building and the insertion of numerous new doorways. (1)

The boiler room associated with the lace factory was exposed and recorded, with a dating range of c1900 – 1919 (2)

Flagstone floor, culvert, and floor surface (truncated) related to conversion of House of Corrections to Lace Factory in 19th c. uncovered during 2016 evaluation (3)

<1> Stroud G, 1999, Extensive Urban Survey: Southwell (Unpublished document). SNT1760.

<2> E. Stammitti, 2016, The Rainbow Depot, The Burgage, Southwell, Archaeological Excavation and Watching Brief (Unpublished document). SNT5275.

<3> Thomas Linington, 2016, The Former Rainbow Depot, Burgage Green, Southwell, Nottinghamshire, p. 10 (Unpublished document). SNT5277.