Industrial Buildings

Sileby's first factories and workshops were generally small in nature. From the middle of the 19th century until about 1885 local industry developed into organised, multiple machine based manufacturing units. This manifested itself in a number of two storey buildings used for hosiery and boot production. They were superseded by the larger single storey structures brought in by Leicester based companies using Sileby and other county villages for its branch factories.

The mid 20th century saw the zenith of factory production in the village. However, a mixture of foreign competition, lack of investment and tougher economic times ensured a slow demise of this important part of Sileby's social and economic heart. By the turn of the millennium the old factory sites had all but disappeared. Here's a few sites that have survived the destruction.