Globe Works

Globe Works is a boot and shoe factory built in 1891 for Thomas Bird, with an extension added in 1895. The building features red brick with stone dressings and a blue brick plinth, topped with slate roofs and ornamental stacks. It has an L-shaped plan with a rear wing and stands three storeys tall. The façade facing Bath Road has nine window bays, while the side facing Digby Street has four. Most of the windows are original iron-framed and sit under brick segmental arches. The corner windows are stone mullion and transom types, with a stone oriel above the entrance, which features a carved and moulded stone doorcase inscribed "18-TB-91." The street fronts are marked by alternating projecting bays, stone-banded stone-coped gables, and central projecting shafts with finials, although only the smaller corner gables have finials. The rear wing, dated 1895, also has similar iron-framed windows. The factory was operational under Thomas Bird until at least 1940, and by 1967, Tailbys 'Heel Factory' occupied part of the premises, which remains partially let. Globe Works is a well-preserved example of a late 19th-century boot and shoe factory, with most of its windows intact and detailed front façades highlighting the corner management offices. Note that the single-storey buildings to the northwest of the 1895 rear wing are in separate ownership and are not included in this listing.