In 1910, Nottingham was the world capital of the lace industry. There were around 40,000 people working in the industry, a third of the city’s working population. One-by-one the factories have closed down and in 2011 the last of Nottingham’s lace manufacturers switched the machines off for the last time. Within weeks, the factory had been demolished.
That factory was on Morley Avenue in Mapperley and the company was Fewkes Lace Embroidery Company.
The directors at that time were Edward Povey and Nick Povey, both from Mapperley.
Here they are in 2011 threading one of their 10-yard embroidery machines.
Picture credit Nottingham Post
Fewkes Lace was formerly trading as Charles Farmer and had been operating from their Mapperley factory for 100 years.
It was the end of an era for Nottingham’s heritage and industry. The site of the factory on Morley Avenue (a residential street) seems unusual at first, until you realise that it was once one of the earliest clay pits and brick yards. It has since been developed as a residential area, opening in 2021 under the (slightly inaccurate) name of Tapestry Close.
Keeping The Name Alive
However, since 2007, Debbie Bryan has kept the name of Nottingham Lace in the public eye.
Debbie Bryan began her venture after graduating from The School of Art & Design at Nottingham Trent University with a Masters in Fashion & Textiles and a Degree in Textile Design. Setting up home in Nottingham, Debbie first expanded her design studio in 2009, opening a gallery and shop at St. Mary’s Gate in the Lace Market.
Debbie states that the opportunity to meet Nick Povey was a catalyst for the creation of her design studio’s heritage archive in 2009.
She cited that in 1981, Fewkes, the makers of intricate pencil drawings and punch cards also created the Nottingham Lace for Lady Diana Spencer’s Wedding Dress.
In an article for the Nottingham Post, Nick Povey made this point.
“Nottingham had the reputation for being the centre of lace, it was built on lace, but that’s all gone now. We’re the last one.”