Factory Building, Formerly Of Gifford Fox And Company Limited

The former factory building of Gifford Fox and Company Limited, located on Holyrood Street in Chard, is a lace factory dating from around 1820 to 1830. It is constructed of red brick and features ball finials atop stepped copings on a gabled slate roof. The building has a rectangular plan, stands five storeys tall, and has a ten-window range. The windows are modern, set beneath flat gauged brick arches. A large brick external stack with moulded cornicing is located on the east elevation, and there is an entry in a mid-20th century block to the south.

Inside, the factory showcases fireproof construction, with cast-iron columns supporting vaulted brick ceilings and arched iron roof trusses featuring circular compression members. The lace or plain net trade was established here after 1820, as manufacturers relocated from the Midlands to escape Luddite resistance.

Notably, in 1848, John Stringfellow achieved the first sustained powered flight with a model aeroplane on the fourth floor of this mill, although there is some debate about whether the flight actually took place here or at another site. Stringfellow, a bobbin and carriage maker from Nottingham, designed and built the model aeroplane and steam engine in his workshops at No. 121 High Street, which is also a listed building.