worldoflace: The Demise of Nottingham's Lace Market

THE DEMISE OF NOTTINGHAM’S LACE MARKET

The Lace Market district was developed during the nineteenth century. Essentially what

had been a domestic trade became industrialised with the development of machinery for

mass producing lace. This in turn led to the need for large buildings to house the machinery

and workers. There was also a need for extensive warehousing. The architecture and

streetscaping of the Lace Market was a responses to these needs. Nottingham became one

of the leading centres of Lace production in the nineteenth century. The major producers vied

with each other to build the grandest factories. Often the owners copied the front elevations

of stately homes on the frontages their factories. The factories themselves were showplaces

of industrial pride. Most of these structures are remain although the industry itself has

virtually disappeared. The built environment remains as a reminder of a historic industrial

legacy.

The physical core of the Lace Market built environment was and is represented by a

number of large & distinctive industrial buildings that had been developed in the nineteenth

century for the purposes of producing and distributing Lace for national and international

markets. The industrial wealth of nineteenth century Nottingham had been closely linked to

the lace industry. The lace industry in Nottingham suffered a rapid decline in the early

twentieth century. There was no obvious use for these large buildings. By the nineteen fifties

many had fallen into disuse or multi - occupancy

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