Kettering’s Industrial Past

Peter Perkins (Ed.)

ISBN: 978-0-9576647-6-0

A new booklet entitled Kettering’s Industrial Past has just been published by Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group (NIAG). It contains a range of articles on specific aspects of the history of the shoe, leather, textile and engineering industries in Kettering. Articles are the result of research by members of NIAG.

• Contents
  • Woad to Munitions – A walk through Kettering's industrial history
  • History of Wicksteed Engineering
  • Visit to S. Patrick Ltd., leather dressers in 1981
  • One hundred years of SATRA
  • History of Kettering Boot and Shoe School
  • History of Mobbs Bros., sports shoe manufacturers
  • Industry Walk 2024 – north of town centre including Field Street and Crown Street
  • Origins of the Dolcis shoe factories in Kettering
  • Industry Walk 2025 – East of town centre including Green Lane, Victoria Street and School Lane
  • Silk Factories in the School Lane area in the 19th century

Copies are available from the NIAG TreasurerNIAG Treasurer for £7.50 each plus £2.50 p&p. Cheques to be made out to NIAG.

Availability: copies available from the NIAG TreasurerNIAG Treasurer

Water and Steam Mills of Northamptonshire
…and the birth of a flourishing flour milling industry

Hugh Howes

Publisher: NIAG (2022)

ISBN: 978-0-9576647-4-6

This book details the heritage of more than 150 traditional water and steam mills along the Nene and other county rivers, once used to undertake a variety of processes including corn grinding, fulling of cloth, and producing paper. It explains the evolution of mills and milling technology in Northamptonshire from Victorian times, resulting in a modern flour industry such that today the county produces more than 25% of the flour in the UK.

The county’s lost milling industries, including early cotton spinning at Northampton and the mill that produced the paper for Britain’s first postage stamps, are described. A complete gazetteer of water and steam mills sites in Northamptonshire is also included.

Copies available from the NIAG TreasurerNIAG Treasurer for £10.00 each plus £5.00 p&p. Cheques to be made out to NIAG.

Availability: copies available from the NIAG TreasurerNIAG Treasurer

A Guide to the Industrial Heritage of Northamptonshire

Peter Perkins, Ron Whittaker and Adrian Denton

Publisher: NIAG (2022)

ISBN: 978-0-9576647-5-3

This third edition, fully updated and with colour illustrations, highlights buildings and structures that still exist from the county's industrial past. Produced by Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group, the guide aims to stimulate interest in the county's former industrial sites and where appropriate encourage their preservation and re-use.

Over 450 sites are listed by town/village in an easy to follow format that allows the reader to discover more about Northamptonshire's industrial heritage. The key industries over the past 200 years or more are covered, including boot and shoe production, iron ore extraction and those industries that developed from the rural economy such as mills and breweries. The county's central position in the transport network is reflected by the impact of road, railway and canal features. Among the more unusual examples are a thatched coal barn and the 'Corby Candle' rescued from the demolished steelworks.

Copies available from the NIAG TreasurerNIAG Treasurer for £9.00 each plus £5.00 p&p. Cheques to be made out to NIAG.

Availability: copies available from the NIAG TreasurerNIAG Treasurer

Edward Harrison Barwell: 19th Century Northampton Ironfounder

Peter Perkins

Publisher: NIAG (2019)

ISBN: 978-0-9576647-3-9

From 1823 until his death in 1870, Edward Harrison Barwell was one of the leading ironfounders in Northampton. His Eagle Foundry in Bridge Street manufactured a variety of cast ironwork, both functional and decorative, ranging from fire-grates to heating systems, from railings to bridges, including some for the nobility. This book traces the history of Barwell and his foundry; examples of his ironwork can still be found in a number of locations all over the southern half of England and indeed in a country which was formerly part of the British Empire. A gazetteer indicates where items of Barwell's work can still be found.

Copies available from the NIAG TreasurerNIAG Treasurer for £5.00 each plus £5.00 p&p. Cheques to be made out to NIAG.

Availability: copies available from the NIAG TreasurerNIAG Treasurer

The Industrial Heritage of Northampton's Boot and Shoe Quarter

Peter Perkins

Publisher: NIAG (2015)

ISBN: 978-0-9576647-2-2

Based on a number of NIAG's walks, this monograph describes 108 sites in Northampton that were associated with the town's boot and shoe industry. Each entry is accompanied by a photograph of the site for ease of identification.

Copies available from the NIAG TreasurerNIAG Treasurer for £10.00 each plus £2.53 p&p. Cheques to be made out to NIAG.

Availability: copies available from the NIAG TreasurerNIAG Treasurer

Evolution of the Northamptonshire Ironstone Industry

Peter Perkins and Mick Dix

Publisher: NIAG (2013)

ISBN: 978-0-9576647-1-5

This monograph is based on a talk given by the authors at EMIAC 82 and describes the development of the ironstone industry in the county since the mid-nineteenth century.

Availability: Out of print

Irchester Ironstone Quarries: Key dates and events

David Carr

Publisher: NIAG (2011)

ISBN: 978-0-9576647-0-8

A detailed account, almost year by year, of the affairs of the ironstone quarries at Irchester, opened in 1863 and closed in 1970 with an annual output of 600,000 tons during World War Two.

A good addendum to the Evolution of the Northamptonshire Ironstone Industry cited above.

Copies available from the NIAG TreasurerNIAG Treasurer for £2.00 each plus £2.50 p&p. Cheques to be made out to NIAG.

Availability: copies available from the NIAG TreasurerNIAG Treasurer