The Spirella Building, associated fountain, lamp standards and steps

This former factory building was designed by Cecil Horace Hignett (1879–1960) and built in the Arts and Crafts style in 1912, with extensions in 1913–14 and 1919–20. It is now in use as commercial offices.

Plan and Construction

The building has a U-shaped plan comprising three rectangular wings arranged symmetrically around a central courtyard, with four corner pavilions. A reinforced concrete frame is encased with brick walls laid in English bond. Each corner pavilion has a hipped gablet roof with a clay-tile covering. The top floor of the west wing (the Ballroom) has a felt roof covering. The flat roofs of the workshop ranges in the north and south wings are paved, these surfaces having been replaced around 1997.

Exterior

The Spirella Building is a near-symmetrical four-storey factory executed in the Arts and Crafts style, built in three stages between 1912 and 1920. The south, west and north wings (built in 1912, 1913–14 and 1919–20 respectively) are arranged in a U-plan around a central courtyard and face east towards Bridge Road.

The south and north wings each comprise a six-bay four-storey workshop range over a basement, flanked to the east by a three-bay, four-storey pavilion and to the west by a three-bay four-storey pavilion over a raised basement (exposed due to the sloping topography of the site). The west wing comprises a seven-bay, three-storey block over a raised basement.

Roofs

Each corner pavilion has a hipped gablet roof with a clay-tile covering and a central half-dormer to each slope. The dormer on the south slope of the north-east pavilion has a flat roof, and the north-west pavilion has a brick stack on its north slope. The workshop ranges of the north and south wings each have a flat roof which functioned as a paved terrace, accessed by a door from the top floor of the pavilions. The west wing has a barrel-vaulted roof to the second-floor assembly room, with two hemispherical glass domes topped with cast-iron finials. Some cast-iron downpipes and decorative hoppers survive.

Elevations

The reinforced concrete structure has brown brick walls laid in English bond, articulated by plain cast-concrete panels. The pavilions each have a plain concrete cornice under the eaves, supported on concrete brackets with engaged brick pilasters. The east elevation of the north-east and south-east pavilions (facing Bridge Road) bear the painted words 'THE SPIRELLA COMPANY OF GREAT BRITAIN LTD.' to the centre of their cornice. The north-east and south-east pavilions each have three bays of cast-concrete mullioned and transomed window openings containing leaded lights. The central bay of these pavilions is canted and contains an original timber-panelled door.

The workshop ranges of the north and south wings each have a concrete parapet and engaged brick buttresses, articulated by plain concrete lintel and sill courses. The south elevation of the south wing (facing the train line) bears the painted text 'THE SPIRELLA COMPANY OF GREAT BRITAIN LTD. HIGH GRADE CORSETS' to the centre of its parapet. The former workshops have large sections of industrial glazing (replaced around 1997), facilitated by the strong reinforced concrete structure. The upper floors have segmental-arched window openings, and the basement has flat-arched window openings. An L-shaped set of steps to both the north-west and south-west corners of the south workshop range originally provided access to the factory for workers but now function as emergency exits.

The west wing is a seven-bay, three-storey block over a raised basement that projects west of the north and south wings. The top (second) floor has three oeil-de-boeuf windows separated by pairs of cast-concrete mullioned and transomed windows. The basement, ground and first floors each have large bays of industrial glazing (replaced around 1997), with segmental arches to the ground and first-floor windows, and flat-arched openings to the basement windows. Two modern entrances were added to the basement of the west wing around 1997: the central entrance on the east elevation grants access from Bridge Road, and the central entrance on the west elevation grants access from the car park.

Interior

Throughout the interior the reinforced concrete frame is evident as regularly spaced rectangular-plan pillars supporting cast-concrete cross beams and spine beams.

North-East and South-East Pavilions

The north-east and south-east pavilions each have four floors: a ground floor, a first floor, a second floor (formerly a mezzanine overlooking the first floor), and a third floor which provides access to each of the north and south roof terraces. The ground floor of the north-east and south-east pavilions each has a canted entrance lobby from Bridge Road. The north-east pavilion contains an original canted inner porch and door, with timber panelling to the adjoining rooms, indicating that this entrance was most probably the public interface, used by guests and clients.

The third floor of the north-east pavilion retains an ornately-panelled corridor leading to a suite of four meeting rooms, each of the meeting rooms having original timber-panelled walls. The east and west walls of the corridor have original timber-panelled partition walls, comprising rectangular panels with glazed partitions over, providing borrowed light to the corridor from the meeting rooms. The doors are crafted in the same style as the timber partitions, having two rectangular panels. The west side of the corridor has a central opening comprising an elliptical arch on engaged pilasters, leading to a panelled lobby with a central door to the roof terrace of the north wing.

North-West and South-West Pavilions and Workshop Ranges

The north-west and south-west pavilions each have five floors: a raised basement, ground floor, first floor, second floor (formerly a mezzanine overlooking the first floor), and a third floor providing access to the roof terraces. The north and south workshop ranges linking the pavilions each have four floors: a raised basement, ground floor, first floor, and second floor (formerly a mezzanine overlooking the first floor). The second floor mezzanines were extended to create a full second floor around 1997 (no longer overlooking the first floor) and the original timber railings which once bounded the central bay of the mezzanine level were moved to guard the windows.

West Wing

The west wing has four floors to the interior: a raised basement (now a reception and café), ground floor, first floor, and second-floor assembly room (now the Ballroom). The basement reception area does not contain any features of note, and has a modern entrance to the centre of its east and west walls (introduced around 1997).

The second floor retains its original auditorium, with a reinforced-concrete barrel-vaulted ceiling having original Art Nouveau plasterwork to the ribs, and replacement light fixtures. The ceiling has two glazed domes, each having stained glass (replaced around 1997) and plaster rosettes to the soffit. A canted timber-panelled stage is positioned to the centre of the north wall, flanked by ornate engaged pilasters and panels of Art Nouveau plasterwork over timber panelling. The Ballroom is overlooked by an original balcony on the centre of the south wall, which has tiered concrete steps and is accessed from a plain metal stair from the third floor of the south-west pavilion.

Later Alterations

The interior of the building was subdivided into smaller office spaces around 1997, and modern partition walls and doors were introduced at this time. The former mezzanine levels of the north and south workshops were entirely floored to create a second floor office space around 1997. Reinforced ventilation shafts were inserted around 1997 to the centre of each floor of the former workshops in the north, south and west wings.

Subsidiary Features

A quatrefoil-plan fountain was installed in the central courtyard around 1920 and comprises a coursed limestone plinth wall with limestone coping. The fountain formerly held a central sculpture of a putto on a plinth, but this was removed in the late 20th century. Much of the surrounding landscaping and hardscaping was redesigned around 1997 and is not of special interest or included in the listing, but the fountain is included in the listing.

Four original lamp standards stand to the east of the north-east and south-east pavilions and can be identified in historic photographs from around 1920. These are included in the listing.

A flight of steps, handrail and associated brick piers survive to the east of the south-east pavilion, providing access from Bridge Road. These features are included in the listing. It is likely that an ornate Art Nouveau style lamp associated with these features was introduced around 1997, as the lamp does not appear on historic photographs and is not included in the listing.