Former High Cross hosiery factory, Hinckley

Image: © A J Paxton Taken: 20 Oct 2018

Factory for making men's underwear, built 1932-3 for Atkins Brothers of Hinckley. The architects were H. L. Goddard, and Symington, Prince and Pike of Leicester. The original plan was for a building of three storeys over a ground floor with an open arcade and shops recessed behind it, occupying the whole triangular site bounded by Regent Street, George Street and Lancaster Road. In the event, only the arcaded ground floor and a first storey were built, occupying part of the site, with a second storey added in the 1950s. http://www.hinckleypastpresent.org/hinckleybuildings-r.html#regent%20street%20industrial The firm of Atkins Brothers was founded in Hinckley in 1722 by Robert Atkins, and remained under Atkins family ownership and management until 1994. It was sold the following year to Coates Viyella plc. https://www.knittingtogether.org.uk/behind-the-scenes/the-companies/atkins-of-hinckley/ The factory has since closed and has been converted into retail and office space. The photo was taken from the junction of Regent Street, onto which the long frontage faces, and Lancaster Road.

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