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Estate agents Connells hosts launch event for former Hawkins building

One of Northampton’s historic boot and shoe factories with Royal connections takes a big step nearer being turned from a derelict eyesore into 89 smart new apartments on Saturday (November 5).

The former GT Hawkins factory was built around 1880 and once made riding boots for Queen Victoria. But it has stood empty and falling into disrepair in the Mounts, on the corner of St Michael’s Road and Overstone Road since it shut down in 1995. Developers are finally set to finish work on converting the Grade II listed site into studio, one and two-bedroom accomodation — named Hawkins Court — with the first residents poised to move in during November 2023. Estate agents Connells Northampton will host an off-plan launch event for new homes in its town centre branch on Saturday with prices starting from £145,000.

The factory, once an essential boot supplier for the British Military in WW1, also provided walking and riding boots worn by Queen Victoria and Princess Anne — as well as Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay when they scaled Mount Everest in 1953. It is one of the many historic buildings within the town’s Boot and Shoe Quarter Conservation Area, established in 2011.

An artist's impression of what the former Hawkins factory will look like once restored as home to 89 apartments in Northampton town centre

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Connells’ new homes area manager, Georgia Gill, said: “Hawkins Court occupies a fantastic location in Northampton, immersed in the rich history of the town’s iconic boot and shoe factory quarter. All apartments are a unique design from one another with a wealth of character including high ceilings and large windows. Some apartments also benefit from their own gardens.”

“This is a landmark renovation of an important building entrenched in the town and country’s culture, and we’re pleased to bring to market these new and exciting homes for a wide range of buyers such as first-time buyers, families, and investors. Northampton is a hugely popular town and, with this being one of the most unique collections of new homes in the area for a number of years, we expect to see a lot of interest from buyers.”

For more information and to book an appointment at the launch event please contact Connells Northampton on 01604 622 444 or email [email protected].

Historic Northampton boot factory step nearer transformation to smart town centre apartments