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Comet Works

Vivienne14

Kentish Brummie Moderator
Staff member
Comet Works on Princip Street is being converted into apartments (or may even have been completed by now). In the process of conversion acknowledgement of the building's history seems to have been one of the project's priorities.

Features within the building have been retained. And images of the building's features provide us with a useful historical record. Even the hoardings around the site have featured old photos of workers. This is good to see. If only more conversions/refurbishment projects took the time to do this. At least we would have a valuable historical record of a building's former use despite its change to an entirely different purpose.

In the words of the architects their philosophy is "to preserve and enhance the patina in historic buildings, built up over a lifetime. The result is a genuine industrial feel to their developments, often in buildings others deem as being beyond repair. Javelin Block challenge the conventional approach to converting buildings through creative and imaginative use of space and reclaimed materials".

Viv
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One of the large images on the site hoardings.
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formally M A lloyd...did a bit of research on this building in 2015..formed in 1867 although they were not always at this building....will have to find my notes to confirm this..ceased in 1991..noticed the old work buildings in the yard and as i was taking a few photos one of the directors came out..explained my interest and he very kindly said he would take me around the place as they were selling up and moving...i was told i could come back after the holidays to take some more photos but when i phoned up a few weeks later the director who i saw had left the company so i did not pursue it..i thought i had posted the photos but cant seem to find them on the forum....luckily i still have them so i will post them asap..link here with info

https://www.malloyd.com/heritage/
 
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Thanks Lyn. I think parts of the building go back to the early 1800s too. Viv.
 
viv i think the reason i didnt post the photos i took was in anticipation of going back there..thought i could better ones...still never mind at least i have a few...
 
All the same be good to see them Lyn.

For all you motorcycle enthusiasts, this article is of A.H Haden Motorcycles (or Haden Bros) at Comet Works. Nice photo of the office and staff. Viv.
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here are the photo i took in july 2015

frontage and old workshops...they have now been demolished..
 

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when M A LLOYDS left in 1991 they left plenty behind
 

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old orginal machinery was still in use..
 

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on the top floor now which was disused...roof caving in...boxes and draws full of handbag clasps..there was also boxes full of ornate ink wells and other things which i intended to take photos of on my second trip which never happened..i was promised the cabinet you see full of clasps which i intended to try to donate to a museum..alas that didnt not happen either:(never mind..you cant win them all
 

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it was very dodgy walking around the top floor...as you can see by the droppings the only things living up here were the pigeons..thats it folks...all i managed to get in the short time i had there..
 

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Great photos Lyn. Although you didn't get to go back, your photos show us a a lot. I now remember the cabinet and a discussion about what to do with it. Can you remember the name of the thread? If so I'll merge this with the other thread. Viv.
 
hi viv sorry i cant...i am not even sure if these photos have been posted before...yet another senior moment:rolleyes:..must say i was sad to see that the old work shops had been demolished
 
Not to worry Lyn. Shall have a dig around. The cabinet photo looks familiar but not the rest of the photos. Viv.
 
Always fascinated by ghost signs. Its not very often I go to town but on this occasion was making my way on foot to VW commercials and took a picture on passing. I had no idea where it was and had to zoom in on the photo to try and identify the address, which shows Comet Works, so it would be at 44 - 47 Princip street . The second picture is also in Princip Street but off Google Maps street view when I was trying to identify the location of my picture - I recall going past here and that it is now a handbag / purse manufacturers. One of the amazing features of Google street view is that it allows you to view the same location view over time - on this occasion the old sign can be seen before it was painted over!

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Hi all, I've been randomly wondering around this sight for a few days now, trying to find out about the building in the second picture (Dabar Building) Currently Heritage Leathergoods / B&B Handbags.
I work here and the place as always fascinated me. It seems to be a bit of a mismatch inside, bits added here and there and I've tried over the years to find to find old photos etc of the place. I'm sure at one point it was part of the Princip Street Works... but other than that I haven't found out much.
I'd anyone as any more info it would be greatly appreciated, we are moving premises soon and will miss the old, drafty, leaky place.
 
hi Hcias76 and welcome to the forum...am i correct in thinking that you would like to know what the building has been used for in the past? i see the number of it is 22 to 24 princip st and as you said its called the dabar building...hopefully some of our members who has access to the trade directories will kindly do a search for you an provide you with some info about the history of the building...just curious but what will be happening to the place when you move out

lyn
 
Hi Lyn, thanks you.
Yeah we are addressed as 24-32 and yes you are correct, I would love to know what it has been used for in the past. Especially has down one of the cellars it seems to have been partly blocked off and the word Quarantine is stencilled in Red. Probably nothing, but things like that intrigue me.
The factory as been sold on and I'm not sure what the plans are for the place, hopefully they won't knock it down because that would be a terrible shame.
 
thats does sound intriguing :rolleyes: i have asked mike one of our members to take at look at your posts i am sure he will be happy to find out about the building for you..i am interested in it myself now as its my neck o the woods... he will get back to you as soon as he can

all the best...oh before i forget before you leave the building would it be an idea for you to get some inside photos of it and any out buildings there maybe because once they are gone they are gone:( as you may have read on this thread i was lucky enough to take photos of the comet works in princip st before it was gutted

lyn
 
I am not sure how old that actual building is, certainly middle to late 1800s. From the early 1860s nos 26,27 were one of the factories of Nettleford & Chamberlain, manufacturing screws, with numerous small firms, many in the gun trade, and a sawmill taking up the remainder of 24-32. There are various slight changes in name of the firm , and they expanded into no 27 in the mid 1880s and by 1888 were described as steel wire drawers, rather than screw makers. Between 1900 and 1903 Nettlefords left, and the building appears to be unused, though the remainder of 24-32 is still occupied by a large number of small firms. These small firms continue to be there, but by 1915 (possibly incentivised by WW1, the majoroty of the sit eis occupied by Heaton & Dugard, wire manufacturers, who also have a factory in Shadwell St. the firm was taken over by Delta Metals in 1946, but the factory is still there in 1973 , when the last Kellys directory was issued.
 
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