Sturgess and Best was founded by W. H. Sturgess in 1863.
They specialized in boots and shoes for ladies, boys and girls.
Mostly they made them from kid (soft leather from young goats) and glace (glossy leather).
Sturgess and Best became J. W. Woolloff and Son in 1913.
Their advert from The Shoe and Leather and Allied Trades News Supplement of December 14th, 1916 says,
“The brand ‘Dauntless’ is associated with goods of a reliable, sound, selling character.â€
The company employed 65 people in 1920 making boots for the Russian Army.
The company later closed and the building was used as a wallpaper factory and then Argee hosiery company took it over, making underwear for Marks and Spencers.
Argee moved to bigger premises in the early 80s and the building was taken over by Plastique visual packaging company.
Plastique moved on and the Abbey Packaging Co. moved in. They moved out around 2008. Since then the building seems to have been used for a bit of storage.
The front building had 2 floors of fairly disappointing this.
But at the back there was this.
And a couple of smaller rooms.
Then downstairs was an assortment of machines and other stuff, mostly carrying auction tags and mostly missing their copper.
A machine for sharpening big saw blades.
Looks like some conversion work was started and stopped. I can’t find any relevant planning applications (just one about car parking from 96)
It would have good views if it was converted.
They specialized in boots and shoes for ladies, boys and girls.
Mostly they made them from kid (soft leather from young goats) and glace (glossy leather).
Sturgess and Best became J. W. Woolloff and Son in 1913.
Their advert from The Shoe and Leather and Allied Trades News Supplement of December 14th, 1916 says,
“The brand ‘Dauntless’ is associated with goods of a reliable, sound, selling character.â€
The company employed 65 people in 1920 making boots for the Russian Army.
The company later closed and the building was used as a wallpaper factory and then Argee hosiery company took it over, making underwear for Marks and Spencers.
Argee moved to bigger premises in the early 80s and the building was taken over by Plastique visual packaging company.
Plastique moved on and the Abbey Packaging Co. moved in. They moved out around 2008. Since then the building seems to have been used for a bit of storage.
The front building had 2 floors of fairly disappointing this.
But at the back there was this.
And a couple of smaller rooms.
Then downstairs was an assortment of machines and other stuff, mostly carrying auction tags and mostly missing their copper.
A machine for sharpening big saw blades.
Looks like some conversion work was started and stopped. I can’t find any relevant planning applications (just one about car parking from 96)
It would have good views if it was converted.
