Adams Building (Nottingham)

 college of further education / higher education, Grade II* Listed (UK)

Adams Building is the largest building in Nottingham’s Lace Market, and a well-known landmark. Historically, it is probably the largest and finest Victorian lace warehouse to survive in Nottingham and is listed as a building of architectural or historical interest (Grade II*). The building is named after its original owner Thomas Adams of the firm Adams and Page (whose monogram survives in fretted iron on the front doors). Adams was a Victorian industrialist with strong Quaker views and a deep social conscience. He selected local Nottingham architect Thomas Chambers Hine – who was drawn equally to history and technical innovation. Between them they created a building which, for a variety of social and architectural reasons, is quite unique.It was designed as a lace warehouse and salesroom, in which lace products brought in from outlying factories were finished and sold. The main display area seems to have been a spectacular two-storey lightwell in the centre of the building (now closed up), lit by decorative gas lamps and approached by a grand staircase. Secondary areas were used for mending and dispatch, the power source being a steam engine to the rear, with hydraulic engines for the hoists and packing machines.

For many years, the Adams Building was in a serious state of decline, due to the rising
repair costs, outdated standards of workspace, and under-occupation. Many floors were structurally weak and had sagged or failed under the weight of heavy machinery. In 1996, the building was acquired by the Lace Market Heritage Trust, and has since been restored and converted to new use as a college of further and higher education for New College
Nottingham (ncn).

The above source came from : www.nottinghamenglishschool.com/pdf/Adams%20History%20l...