Adams Building

Why go

T. C. Hine gave a commercial building the presence of an Italian palace. The symmetrical frontage and railed courtyard show how architecture helped present Nottingham lace to buyers. It is a particularly useful stop if the surrounding warehouses have left you wondering how finishing, storage and selling fitted together.

What to look for

• A monumental entrance anchors the Stoney Street frontage.
• Moulded brick and stone details enrich the warehouse walls.
• The railed courtyard sets the symmetrical front back from the street.

The full story

The building grew in stages between 1854 and the 1870s. Its earliest part faces Stoney Street and was designed as a showroom and warehouse: lace brought from outlying factories was finished here before sale. The polished street front therefore served a practical commercial purpose, presenting the business as prosperous and dependable. Hine’s Anglo-Italian design put unusual emphasis on the appearance of the walls. In places he adjusted internal floor levels to preserve the intended arrangement of the windows, even allowing floors to cross window openings. Later extensions along St Mary’s Gate and Warser Gate were plainer and more functional. That progression explains why the complex does not have one uniform architectural character. From outside, the most useful comparison is between the formal public face and the less decorative working parts of a growing lace business.

Useful to know

• View the frontage from Stoney Street as part of a Lace Market walk.
• Plan for an exterior visit; do not rely on entering the college.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.