Castle Factory

Castle Factory is a five-storey industrial building located on Court Street, constructed in 1828 by the Gane brothers. The principal block features eleven bays and is made of red brick, with the ground floor painted. It has a stone plinth, a band over the ground floor, and cill bands on the second, third, and fourth floors. The windows are standard mill windows set in raised stone surrounds, with segmental heads and a central mullion. The ground, third, and fourth floors retain their original glazing bar casements, while the other windows have been altered. Notably, the round-headed window on the first floor, third from the left, was originally for a steam engine. There is a wide segmental-headed entrance to the right and two large modern double doors to the left. The attic features 6-10-6 light casements and wide segmental-headed gable end windows. The roof is a quarter hipped design with double Roman tiles and slightly stepped coped verges, topped with a stunted chimney at the southeast corner.

Adjacent to the principal block is a parallel block, built around the 1820s to 1830s, which is four storeys high with a gable-lit loft. This block is also constructed of red brick and features stone bands over the ground floor and cill bands on the second and third floors, with stone brackets supporting the gutter. The windows are square with segmental upper inner edges and consist of glazing bar sash windows, with five on the third floor and four on the second, plus two additional windows. The ground floor has various openings, and the roof is similarly covered with double Roman tiles, originally featuring three domestic-type chimneys and coped verges.

A linking block connects the river and street blocks, built between 1826 and 1836. This brick structure has stone dressings that attempt to match the other two blocks. It includes two single-light windows facing the river, eight standard two-light windows on the southeast side, and a lunette window on the river side that indicates the site of the former boiler house. The top floor was originally only lit from the southwest and served as a stove rack for drying cloth.

Castle Factory is part of an industrial group that includes Home Mill Buildings, Castle Factory itself, and The Chapel, which houses the offices of Samuel Salter and Co Ltd.