Letchworth Rewind: The Spirella corset building hosts fashion show back in the 1960s

This week we're focussing on an evocative black and white photograph taken from inside our town's iconic Spirella Building.

We all know that the Spirella Building was built between 1912 and 1920. And that it was a former corset factory which fell into a derelict state.

Thankfully it was saved and restored in 1996 and is now a thriving business hub home to many dynamic local companies.

But did you know it once housed a fashion event?

The Spirella Building was a busy corset making factory.

Our lead photo (courtesy of the brilliant North Herts Museum) was taken at one of their fashion shows in the 60s.

Spirella products were made-to-measure and, instead of being sold in shops, female 'corsetières' were sent to customers' homes for fittings.

It was referred to as the 'factory of beauty' and offered generous employee amenities including 'baths, showers, gymnastics classes, a library, free eye tests and bicycle repairs'.

Not bad for the building with an outstanding facade, with the lost-lost event from the 1960s taking place in the evocative Spirella Ballroom, the centrepiece of magnificent restored building with its near-symmetrical four-storey factory structure.

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