Upper Conduit, 1871 Lei. / El. Web Factories

[GymJim]

Hello -

I am trying to locate Upper Conduit Street in Leicester. My G GF, along with his mother and two sibs, are listed as living at 163 on the '71 census. By using information in deskhermit's posts, I think I have the general vicinity ( somewhere on near Maidstone, north of Sparkenhoe and below Hutchinson? ). It gets difficult to determine as that area seems to have gone through a major reorganization.

I am also wondering if during that time there were factories in the area. I a trying to determine if there is a connection of the close proximities of residence and workplace between my G GF and William Rapp, both in the UK and US. I have a suspicion that he worked for him, and he was one of the first to come to the US, even preceding Rapp, to perhaps ready the plant in Brockton, MA. I am searching for Rapp's business locations. If any one might know where I might focus, it would be great. I do have Rapp's, bio, names of some of his businesses there (Preston, Tatlow) and basic info on the elastic web industry. I find it more than coincidental that among the pictures my G GF left behind, two of the three factory pictures where owned by Rapp and they lived less than ten blocks away from each other both here and in Leicester!

Thank you.

[Coromandel]

Hello GymJim and welcome to the forum

The Old Maps website may help you find your way around:

1. Go to old-maps.co.uk (put www. in front)
2. Put in the co-ordinates 459800,304340 and press 'Go'
3. Then you can switch to various old maps using the menu on the right. There's a nice detailed one (1:2500) from 1888 which shows Upper Conduit Street quite clearly. The dominant features in the area are the railway and the workhouse. The only factories I can see in the immediate vicinity of Upper Conduit Street are marked 'Boot & Shoe Facty' but there could be others just off the map.

For some old photographs of this part of Leicester, see

http://
highfields.dmu.ac.uk/street/conduit.html

[helachau]

Historical Directories - see

http://www.historicaldirectories.org...dbykeyword.asp

Plenty of references to "Upper Conduit Street" and "Rapp" in Leicestershire

[tony vines]

Hi GymJim

Leicester was a major centre of the hosiery industry during the 19th and 20th centuries as well as the boot and shoe trade. Upper Conduit Street is behind the main station serving the line from London to the city and as such had the usual sprinkling of inner city factories in Victorian times. You've probably seen from the map sites you've been referred to and the historical directories site run by Leicester University that the area was full of small terraced houses and cottages often in so-called "yards" (meaning several around a courtyard) which were built to house the workers of the local factories. Their replacements built between the 1880s and 1920s are still much in evidence although you are correct that quite a bit has been redeveloped since the 1960s.

I have no knowledge of the elastic webbing industry but the industries referred to earlier were changing from cottage based to factory based and I imagine that the lines of machines would probably have been powered by motors to pulleys turning on webbing. I've certainly seen nylon stocking machines that were probably 30 - 40 yards long comprising multiple "stations" each turning out hundreds of pairs and all running at the same speed and tensions. I can only imagine that they had some form of webbing to turn pulleys to synchronise them. The noise was deafening!

[GymJim]

Yes Coro, thank you. In looking at the map I must be missing something. I see Conduit Street right behind the train station. However, I don't see "Upper Conduit". I saw it on the map mentioned in deskhermits post but for some reason I do not see it on 1888 map you suggested. I will look again....and at the pictures you mentioned. Thank you!

[GymJim]

Thank you Hela! I have been through these directories...going through the front door. However, for some reason, there seems to be more directories for Leicestershire through the link you provided...and quite a few more hits! Thank you!!!

[GymJim]

I GOT IT! The map never refreshed and I was looking at different map!

[GymJim]

Thank you Tony. Interesting. I am learning more that I thought I would about the footwear industry. My GGF came to Brockton, Massachusetts just as the SHoe business was to take off in 1880 just as it had done in the '70s in Leicester. As I was growing up in the 1950's Brockton was still a huge boot and shoe city...but on it's down slide. Elastic webbing, which was used in boots, so they could be slipped on rather than laced (and also used for braces, glove, socks, suspenders, etc) was not such a big industry here in New England as it had been in England so when the demand here began to rise, entrepreneurs and experienced workers from England either were recruited or came over to fill the demand. All very interesting and really had no idea why, or how my G GF came here until I questioned what his occupation was on the 1900 US census...and that set a huge chain reaction off

[ellyjane70]

so interesting to read this (I'm a Newbie) about this part of Leicester which has changed so much in the last couple of decades. I had a friend who lived quite close to the address you give and I walked this way back and forth for 14 years. I now feel like an antique LOL. My Grandpa went to Leicester for the boot and shoe trade, he hailed from Bedfordshire, my mother came to Leicester from Scotland for the hosiery trade and I feel I have that rich heritage as a result.