History of 16 Pilcher Gate
Did you know our building was originally built as a lace warehouse?
What is the history of Pilcher Gate? Before Lace Market Apartments came to be, the building was used for many different purposes. Read on more to find out more of what our building once was and why the area was named ‘Pilcher’!
A building with history
16 Pilcher Gate is where our fabulous building is based, did you know that it was originally built as a lace warehouse in 1856 by TC Hine of Nottingham? It was converted in the late C20 into offices and in the early C21 into a block of apartments. The building was constructed of Ashlar and red brick, with ashlar dressings and a hipped slate roof with 2 side wall stacks.
To the ground floor, there is an Ashlar plinth and painted, ground floor and eaves cornices, with a second floor sill band. It stands proud as a corner block, with 4 storeys plus basement; 5 x 6 windows. The windows are mainly original cast-iron glazing bar casements, with those to the ground floor segment-headed, those above round-headed and with linked hood moulds.
The top floor has a similar fenestration with smaller wooden framed windows. The rounded corner entrance bay has a moulded segment-arched opening containing a framed panelled door with blank fanlight, flanked by granite columns. Above is a triple window on each floor.
The front of Pilcher Gate has an off-centre recessed bay with a tall 3-light traceried window, flanked by 3 windows to left and one to right. You can see similar fenestration above and below. The basement has 7 blank openings. The right return frontage, on Halifax Place, has regular fenestration on the upper floors. On the ground floor, to right, there are 2 altered windows, one now converted into a door.
What was a 'Pilcher'?
A Pilcher was a fur dealer/fur coat maker. Pilcher Gate was one of the original 35 streets of Nottingham. You can see it here in John Speed’s map of Nottingham in 1610.