I have visited Nathaniel Corah & Sons in Leicester a few times now, every time i go it seems there is something new i didn't notice last time i visited to photograph. Most of the large rooms are empty and bare with a kit of pigeons flying around constantly, and the smaller rooms are full of dust, rubbish, paper work and old books, dilapidated machinery and very dated computers. Graffiti artists have covered some of the walls with brilliantly colourful pictures and tags, some seem very talented at what they do and i got speaking to one of them last time i went. His layering techniques were brilliant! The other times i have been i have met photographers from the Czech Republic and some photographers from Leicester all exploring this maze of a building.
Nathaniel Corah (1777- 1831) was a trader of hosiery and textiles from Leicester in England. He founded the firm N. Corah & Sons which became one of the most important textile manufacturers in the country. At one time it was the largest knitwear producer in Europe, and its products had a major influence on the development and prosperity of the Marks & Spencer chain of retail stores. The company was founded by Nathaniel Corah at the Globe Inn, Silver Street, in Leicester – a building which still survives, and which at that time was closely associated with the city's stockingers. Corah's business model was to buy completed stockings in Leicester, and to sell them elsewhere at a profit. The majority of Corah's sales were in Birmingham, and he maintained a stock room in another public house there. The business soon grew, and its own premises on Union Street in Leicester were purchased in 1824. The company remained at these premises until 1845. In 1830, Corah's three sons – John, Thomas and William – were taken into partnership. The name of the firm became Nathaniel Corah & Sons. Corah had over a thousand employees in 1900, many of whom were female. The size of the company was such that 330 male employees participated in the First World War. Forty were killed. At the same time, 70 per cent of Corah's output went to the war effort. The Second World War also had an important effect on Corah – it took away the firm's female workers, which led to a skills shortage once peace had resumed. This led the company to introduce specialist training for the first time in the post-war era. In April 2012, the Corah building (no longer in use by Corah) suffered a fire.
Here are some of the photographs i have taken on my last few visits to Corah's.
The old Corah sign... slowly rusting away.
By the canal.
The back of Corah's.
An old keyboard, looked like it was setup to play!?
Notes found on the floor.
More strange notes.
More notes i found on the floor.
The basement.
Far end of the basement, very dark down here!
Old rusty conveyor belt.
The stairwell leading up from the basement.
The Corah's Daimler Conquest
Toilet's about had its day!
Basement 2
One of the rooms destroyed by the fire.
Basement 3
What looked like an old martial arts practice room, connected to the same building as Corah's.
Probably the darkest of all the basements.
The rooftop.
Thank you for looking
Nathaniel Corah (1777- 1831) was a trader of hosiery and textiles from Leicester in England. He founded the firm N. Corah & Sons which became one of the most important textile manufacturers in the country. At one time it was the largest knitwear producer in Europe, and its products had a major influence on the development and prosperity of the Marks & Spencer chain of retail stores. The company was founded by Nathaniel Corah at the Globe Inn, Silver Street, in Leicester – a building which still survives, and which at that time was closely associated with the city's stockingers. Corah's business model was to buy completed stockings in Leicester, and to sell them elsewhere at a profit. The majority of Corah's sales were in Birmingham, and he maintained a stock room in another public house there. The business soon grew, and its own premises on Union Street in Leicester were purchased in 1824. The company remained at these premises until 1845. In 1830, Corah's three sons – John, Thomas and William – were taken into partnership. The name of the firm became Nathaniel Corah & Sons. Corah had over a thousand employees in 1900, many of whom were female. The size of the company was such that 330 male employees participated in the First World War. Forty were killed. At the same time, 70 per cent of Corah's output went to the war effort. The Second World War also had an important effect on Corah – it took away the firm's female workers, which led to a skills shortage once peace had resumed. This led the company to introduce specialist training for the first time in the post-war era. In April 2012, the Corah building (no longer in use by Corah) suffered a fire.
Here are some of the photographs i have taken on my last few visits to Corah's.
The old Corah sign... slowly rusting away.
By the canal.
The back of Corah's.
An old keyboard, looked like it was setup to play!?
Notes found on the floor.
More strange notes.
More notes i found on the floor.
The basement.
Far end of the basement, very dark down here!
Old rusty conveyor belt.
The stairwell leading up from the basement.
The Corah's Daimler Conquest
Toilet's about had its day!
Basement 2
One of the rooms destroyed by the fire.
Basement 3
What looked like an old martial arts practice room, connected to the same building as Corah's.
Probably the darkest of all the basements.
The rooftop.
Thank you for looking
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