Monument record 10070 - Lawton's Carriage Works, Northgate Street

A coach factory – for the making of horse drawn stage coaches – was located to the west of Northgate Street in the centre of Chester. Originally open in the 18th century the factory continued to operate into the mid 20th century and was eventually demolished as part of the second phase of the central redevelopment programme in the 1980s. (1-2)

Lawton's Coach Works was apparently burnt down in 1910 and subsequently replaced by the Westminster Coach and Motor Car Works. The site was primarily used as a showroom and comprised an elaborate terracotta facade built in 1914 that is reported to reflect the earlier Lawtons coach works. The Westminster Works was two storeys high and continued to operate until the 1970s as a car showroom. The facade of the Westminster Works survives as the facade to the modern Chester Library (3)

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1872-1875, Metric Ten Foot Scale Town Plan of Chester (Maps and Plans). SCH6780.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1872-1875, Metric Ten Foot Scale Town Plan of Chester (Maps and Plans). SCH6780.

<3> Lewis C.P & Thacker A.T. (eds), 2005, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume Vii, The City of Chester - The City of Chester, Culture, Buildings, Institutions (Book). SCH6522.