Former Hosiery Workshop, London Road, Kegworth, Leicestershire

Photograph taken 19 August 2004 © Mr Rodney Cousins. Source Historic England Archive ref: 358171

This workshop was built for framework knitting. It was built in the early to mid 1800s. It is the best surviving example in Leicestershire of the intermediate stage of the hosiery industry. It shows the change from framework knitters working in their own homes to large scale factories with framework knitting machines. This medium sized workshop represents the stage in between. It was owned by Nahum Gretton in 1860, and by the Branson family from 1880. The hosiery (socks and stockings) was reputed to be of high quality, royal orders including socks for George V in 1911. It continued to produce hosiery until 1942.

Location

Leicestershire Kegworth

Period

Victorian (1837 - 1901)

Themes

The machines to the right of this picture are carding machines. These used spiked drums in which the cotton was rotated. This process aligned the fibres, which were then placed in buckets as lengths or 'slivers'. The slivers were combined on a doubling frame, which is the machine that most of these women are working on.

Former Hosiery Workshop, London Road, Kegworth, Leicestershire

Location

Period

Themes

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