Long Eaton - Notable Architecture

Notable Architecture

A notable building in the town is the Palladian Long Eaton Hall, now part of the larger Long Eaton Town Hall complex of the late 1980s.

Another notable building is the Parish Church of St. Laurence. Local tradition dates the church to the 11th century, possibly built under King Cnut. However, it is more likely that it dates to after the Norman Conquest, possibly into the 12th century. It was originally a daughter church of All Saints, Sawley, but gained its independence in the 19th century. Nowadays the church is overlooked by a large Tesco Extra store, but originally it would have been surrounded by small cottages.

There are several fine examples of industrial architecture left in Long Eaton. Most are connected with the town's development as a lace-making centre. By 1907, the town housed almost 1,400 lace machines and the industry employed over 4,000 people (a quarter of the population). One of the largest lace-making mills, Harrington Mill, was built in 1885. It took one and a quarter million bricks to build the 167 metre long factory and it has 224 cast-iron windows down one side. Harrington Mill is a traditional, four-storey, red lace mill, built by a consortium of lace manufacturers. The turrets on the sides of the building house the original staircases.

A glance above the shops on High Street and the Market Place can reveal some surprisingly interesting architecture. There is also some bland and disappointing 1960s and 1970s styling but in general Long Eaton's main shopping streets have retained more character than those of most towns of its size.

In mid-2010 work began to enhance and improve the layout and paving of Long Eaton town centre and Taxi rank.