Kirks Factory With Chimney And Boilerhouse

Kirk's Factory, also known as Kirk's Factory with chimney and boilerhouse, is a tenement lace factory that has been converted into a warehouse. It was built in 1872, with additions made in 1879 and 1894, and underwent restoration in the late 20th century. The factory is constructed from red brick, featuring blue brick, moulded brick, and ashlar dressings, topped with slate roofs.

The building has a plinth, polychrome bands, and elaborate dentillated eaves. Most of the windows are original cast-iron glazing bar casements, with moulded brick segmental heads and keystones. The ground and first floor windows are boarded up. The structure has four storeys plus attics and measures 17 by 10 bays, situated on a corner site with a rounded corner entrance bay. This entrance bay features a round-arched doorway with voussoirs and a keystone, double doors, and a fanlight above. Each floor has single windows, and the bay is topped with a moulded round-arched gable and finial that contains a clock in a dated surround. Behind the gable, there is a wooden enclosure housing a bell.

Both returns of the building exhibit regular fenestration. The left return, facing Russell Street, includes a moulded round-arched cart opening with a keystone and double doors. The attics feature a clerestory with continuous glazing bar windows. The range facing Newdigate Street has rounded stair turrets at each end, with an additional buttressed stair turret adjoining to the right. The third bay includes hoist and loft doors.

At the rear, there is a two-storey boiler house with three bays, which has two blocked segment-arched first-floor windows on the left. Between the boiler house and the factory stands an octagonal chimney stack with a recessed top, approximately 25 meters high. Like many lace factories, this building transitioned to a tobacco factory around 1900.