Description:An aerial view of GEC Measurements, Stone, originally built as the Lotus shoe factory. The main building in the centre of this aerial view was built in 1950 for Lotus Ltd. In the foreground is Longton Road, with Cross Street to the left. Top left is Oulton Road. The football pitch area is now occupied by factory buildings.
Lotus was originally named Bostock's and was founded in the eighteenth century by Thomas Bostock, a cobbler. His three sons started their own factories in Stafford, Stone and Northampton. The original Stone factory can still be seen behind Granville Terrace.
In 1919 the three factories amalgamated to become Lotus.
Lotus remained in Stone until the 1970s. The building was purchased by G.E.C. Meters in 1978 and is now (2004) the home of ABB Meters. The old factory buildings on Cross Street and Oulton Road (which can just be seen to the left of this photograph) were demolished in 1999 and new housing built.