Foundry House

Details

YEOVIL

73/0/10021 SUMMER HOUSE TERRACE/OLD STATION WAY 08-MAR-06 FOUNDRY HOUSE

II Factory, formerly glove manufacturing works [vacant at the time of survey - 2006]. Built between 1872 and 1875 for Ewens and Johnson Ltd. It is of red brick, which is rendered at ground floor level, with Hamstone and brick dressings and a slate roof. It comprises a three-storeyed building of seven bays with end stacks and a two-storeyed lean-to extension of seven bays to the rear. EXTERIOR: The principal façade faces east onto Stars Lane and its seven bays are divided by pilaster strips. Fenestration comprises flat-headed windows to the ground and second floors, and segmental arched windows to the first floor. The right hand end bay at first floor and the fifth bay on the second floor have loading doors. At ground floor the central bay has a doorway with original double doors and hinges bearing company initials "E" and "J" the external cast-iron tie plates to the main floor joists also bear these initials. The gable ends are of two bays, divided by broad pilasters. On the upper floor these pilasters are joined at their tops by cambered arches forming recessed panels in which flat-headed windows are set. The rear elevation has been extended with the addition of a two storey lean-to in the early C20. Three phases of construction are visible: the central brick projection at ground floor and the upper floor of the 1870s building; the central part of the extension which is thought to pre-date 1927 and housed the office accommodation; and the two bays either side of this which were built at a slightly later date. Above the extension, the second floor windows are similarly arranged to the front façade. The flat-roofed single storey extension attached to the left end gable was built after the building ceased to be a glove making factory. It dates from the late C20 and is not of special interest. INTERIOR: The roof is of king-post construction with angled struts. and the floors are of conventional joisted construction. At ground floor the timber beams are supported by single rows of cast iron columns in the north half of the building and by a brick dividing wall in the north half, by columns at first floor, and by columns in only the northern half on the second floor. A staircase with plain timber balustrade and balusters leads to the first floor where a further staircase provides access to the upper floor. Several of the windows retain decorative latches to allow the pivoting windows to be opened, and the former office has timber panelling. HISTORY: From the early C19 Yeovil developed into one of the country's main centres for glove production. Documentary sources indicate that by 1840 approximately 75% of the town's population were employed in glove making. It remained Yeovil's principal industry throughout the C19 and continued to thrive until the mid-C20. Foundry House was constructed in the early 1870s as a purpose-built factory for the glove manufacturers Ewens and Johnson Ltd. Sources indicate that the upper floor contained the cutting room and stock rooms; the first floor was for the sorting and stamping of the hides, and the office suite was also on this floor; whilst the ground floor contained the machine room, ironing room and packing room. SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: This 1870s former glove factory building is a finely preserved example of a medium-sized glove making factory that has not suffered from large-scale internal or external alteration. It has nicely-judged architectural ornament which gives the building a definite presence within the streetscape of Yeovil and it is a rare survival of what was once a common building type in many parts of the town. SOURCES: "The Glovers of Yeovil" (1996) P. Lawson-Clarke "Glove-making in Yeovil and District" (1993) Museum of South Somerset Historical Monograph No.4

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

495424

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Lawson Clarke, P, The Glovers of Yeovil, (1996)

End of official list entry

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