Description:A view of the stylish Longton Road frontage of the Lotus Ltd. shoe factory in Stone, pictured when newly built in 1950. It was built next to the ‘old’ Bostock’s shoe factory on Cross Street, 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. 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.
Photographer: Logan, Birmingham.