Miller Last Works (Rushton Ablett Ltd And Park Lane Windows)

Miller Last Works

This is a factory, now converted to other commercial uses, built in 1896 for Oliver Ammi Miller, an American entrepreneur from Brockton, Massachusetts. The building was extended in 1903 by A. E. Anderson and again in 1923.

The structure is constructed of red brick with buff brick and stone dressings, and has a slate roof. It comprises two storeys with a basement and attic, plus a distinctive five-storey water tower.

The front elevation to Arthur Street displays a 14-window range, predominantly paired timber-framed windows set beneath segmental arches with stone sills. Between each pair of windows are stepped buttresses. The basement has cast-iron framed small-paned windows. At the far left is a projecting entrance gable containing a door beneath a bracketed stone hood and a window above flanked by pilasters. A shaped gable bears a stone plaque inscribed 'The Miller Last Works'. The left end facing Bunting Road features further three-light windows.

The far right of the front elevation contains another entrance and forms part of the 1903 extension. Beyond this stands the impressive water tower, dated 1903, which served the sprinkler system. The ground floor houses the main entrance, a double door with overlight and narrow side lights all set within a moulded stone frame. Above are paired sash windows to the front, with the top floor windows having arched heads. A circular plaque above the entrance is inscribed 'AD 1903', and on the left side is a similar circular window in a matching frame. Beyond the tower is a range of two and single storeys added in 1923 (marked with a datestone), featuring large multi-paned windows and a parapeted roof. The two-storey section includes a carriage entrance, and the single-storey range probably served as a large workshop.

Historical Development

Oliver Ammi Miller built this works in 1896 to manufacture shoe lasts from imported North American maple, along with fibre fillers and treeing machines. The machinery was largely of American origin. In 1902, Miller sold his majority holding to the British United Shoe Machinery Company Limited, a subsidiary of the United Shoe Machinery Corporation of Boston, Massachusetts.

The 1903 extension westwards included the water tower to supply the sprinkler system, essential protection given the valuable stocks of wooden blanks and finished lasts. The 1920s extension accommodated production of wooden heels. During the 1950s the firm diversified into plastic heel production, and by 1962 was also manufacturing plastic lasts. Production ceased in the late 1960s.

Significance

This is the only virtually complete surviving last works in Northamptonshire. Last making was essential to the nineteenth-century boot and shoe industry, as all footwear was constructed on lasts with limited lifespans requiring regular replacement. The building exemplifies American investment and expansion into Northamptonshire's boot and shoe manufacturing sector around 1900, reflecting the changing patterns of international trade in that period. The water tower remains a characteristic and rare feature, reflecting the industrial requirements of the trade.