Springfield Mill Factory And Chimney

A lace factory with an attached chimney, built in 1888 and subject to minor later alterations. It was commissioned by the local industrialist Terah Hooley and designed by John Sheldon of Long Eaton. The factory is constructed of red and yellow brick, with red, yellow, and blue brick and stone dressings. It has hipped slate roofs, with some sections replaced by corrugated asbestos, and features a red and yellow corbelled and dentilled eaves cornice.

The building is four stories high and 41 bays wide, with five central bays distinguished by a pediment and contrasting yellow brickwork. Stepped pilaster buttresses are present in all bays, between which are shaped iron tie heads inscribed 'TH' on each floor. The buttresses flanking the central bays are topped with stone capitals. Ground floor windows have segment heads, with decorative brickwork surrounding small-pane iron windows with opening casements. The central bays have red brick window heads, differing slightly as their central bay is narrower. Some ground floor windows have been replaced with 20th-century doors. First and second-floor windows are similar, while the top floor has flat-headed iron windows with moulded stone lintels; the five central top-floor windows are now bricked in. Above this is a large shaped gable with moulded stone copings, ridge, and eaves ball finials, and a central crowstepped panel of red brick. This gable contains a large clockface set in a stone surround with ogee-headed cable moulding and inscribed 'A 1888 D' on a bracketed stone plinth.

The rear elevation is similar except the central bays are constructed of red brick. It also features four full-height staircase towers with rounded ends, small segment-headed windows along the stairs, and large segment-headed hoist doorcases. A central gable on the rear elevation has a yellow brick crowstepped panel, also featuring a clockface.

A lower wing is attached to the centre of the factory, connecting to an engine house with semi-circular headed windows, a central circular window in the gable, and a louvred ridge vent. A large pipe extends from the engine house to a tall brick chimney. This chimney has a deep square brick base with a large moulded stone plinth, a tall tapering octagonal stack with a moulded band near the top, and a richly corbelled crown.

The factory’s interior features wooden floors supported by cast iron columns. The original engine with rope drive to all floors was removed around 1940. The factory originally housed a capacity of 160 machines.