Description:The corner of Cross Street and Oulton Road, looking along Cross Street towards Longton Road. This was originally the ‘old’ Bostock’s shoe factory, dating from the 1850s and founded by Thomas Bostock. In 1871 Thomas died and his brother Edwin, who owned the Stafford factory, took on the Stone factory too. In 1919 the company was renamed Lotus Ltd. after its most popular brand. When the new factory building on Longton Road was opened in 1950 the old factory was converted to be a shoe repairing factory, and later still it was the 'Crown factory' where Lotus Ltd.'s highest quality and most fashionable women's shoes were made.
Shoe production at the Stone Lotus site ceased in 1975 and the whole factory was purchased by G.E.C. Meters in 1978. It is now the home of ABB Ltd. The old factory buildings pictured here were demolished in 1999 and new housing built.
At the time this photograph was taken the buildings were unused and occupied by ABB Meters.