Glemsford: the former Horsehair Factory
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Glemsford: the former Horsehair Factory by John Sutton as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Image: © John Sutton Taken: 13 Aug 2021
In the 19th and 20th centuries Glemsford was a centre for linen, silk, coconut matting and horsehair manufacture. The factory complex on Bells Lane dates from the 1820s and was built as a silk mill. According to the Shell Guide, 500 employees were grading and processing horsehair by 1855. Horsehair was much used in uphostery in the Victorian period, and production continued until late in the twentieth century. Glemsford's finest white horsehair was used in the production of such things as cavalrymen's helmet plumes and in the Scottish sporran trade. The factory buildings are now housing, with the fine and unusual postal address "Former Horsehair Factory, Bells Lane, Glemsford".