Oh, and I realised I forgot to post my first report on here, so here goes:!
The Corah family had lived in Leicestershire since before 1600 and like many villagers, by 1800 the family in Bagworth in the north-west of the county had combined framework knitting with their farming enterprises. Nathaniel Corah was born in 1777. He had trained as a framesmith and whilst still in his twenties, had established a small textile business in the nearby village of Barlestone.
The deterioration in the country's economy forced Nathaniel into debt. Although he sought to negotiate, and promised to pay back all the monies he owed, one of his creditors demanded his money. Nathaniel faced legal action and was imprisoned. On his release, anxious to pay his way, he became a worker in a gun factory in Birmingham.
Two years later, when finding himself once again unemployed, Corah saw the potential for a new business. Whilst he had been in doing bird, his wife and children had lived in Leicester. He saw there the growth in small stockingers and at the same time, the dramatic growth in the working class population of Birmingham. If you want to wonder what happened to him in prison involving stockings, that’s up to you.
He began buying items of clothing from the Leicester manufacturers, conveying them for sale to markets in Birmingham. By personally selecting each item he was able to establish a high level of quality control which became recognised by his customers. On Saturday mornings, he would purchase goods offered to him at the Globe Inn in Leicester's Silver Street which he would then transport to a small warehouse in Birmingham's Edgbaston Street.
The project was a success and by 1824 Corah was able to acquire a block of buildings in Leicester's Union Street which were extended in 1827. This factory unit pioneered in the city the concept of organised production management.
In 1830, Corah's sons, John, William and Thomas joined the business which was then trading as Nathaniel Corah and Sons. This far-sighted move ensured the firm's future development because just two years later, Nathaniel Corah died at the age of fifty-one.
In his later and more prosperous years, Nathaniel Corah had been able to pay all the debts that had led to his imprisonment as a young man. However, he refused to make good just one debt - to the man who in 1815 had refused to listen to Corah's pleas and had demanded his arrest.
The next twenty years saw continued success for the company, its expansion requiring a move to a purpose-built factory in Granby Street (next to the present empty HSBC bank) and then to the famous St Margaret's works on a four-acre site near the ancient St Margaret's church. The foundation stone for this factory was laid by Edwin Corah, Thomas's son, on 13 July 1865, heralding the start of Corah's greatest years. I’m annoyed I couldn’t find this while I was there.
One year later, Edwin's sister, Jennie Corah started the massive beam engine that provided the factory's power, the first textile factory in Leicester to be designed for integral steam-driven power.
By 1866, over one thousand people were working at St Margaret's, and the buildings had been extended twice. Here’s a ‘stafff pic’ from 1911, with some 2,500 staff!
The architect of the first part of the St Margaret's complex was William Jackson of Lowesby Lane in Leicester. Originally, a factory yard stretched north as far as the canal but by 1941 there had been no less than nineteen extensions to the original building taking up all available land.
The final decline of the textile industry in Leicester probably began with the dramatic changes in British society of the 1960s. After the drabness and austerity of the post-war years, the 1960s saw an explosion of new ideas and philosophies and a greater sense of freedom. Freedom of expression, as exemplified by the new popular music forms of the Beatles, led to a desire for less conformity in dress. Whilst this was welcomed by some areas of the textile business, others were caught unawares. Whilst many British manufacturers and retailers were still offering good quality but conventional attire.
A lot of the original buildings remain still in use by other businesses, however as these are still linked there are complications, which caused us to end this explore slightly early, namely us walking straight into a live PIR, ah well, next time…
Thanks for looking.