William A. Smith Lace Factory Dandenong

Lace Street in Eumemmerring, is the only reminder of the William A. Smith (Vic) Pty Ltd Lace Factory which operated there from 1951 until the 1970s. The name of the suburb where the factory was located has changed over the years and has been known as Dandenong, Doveton and Eumemmerring (1)

The Company had a presence in Melbourne from 1931 operating in Flinders Lane (2), but this factory considerably expanded its operations in Australia. The move may have been prompted by the conditions the factory endured in England during the Second World War - 

Lace Firm Carried On Under difficulties During War. The Dandenong lace factory of William A. Smith (Vic.) Pty. Ltd., which is to commence operations near the Eumemmering Creek on the Princes Highway, is an off-shoot of an old-established Nottingham firm. In company with many other English industries the firm had its war-time troubles, but showed enterprise in over-coming them. In 1941 Mr. Smith's Nottingham factory was completely destroyed in an air raid and his house - Montroyal - at Castle Donington, became temporary headquarters of the firm. Almost every room was used for business. The garage and a shed became “factories”. Later Mr. Smith obtained premises in Long Eaton, from which lace goods are shipped all over the world. The establishment of the Dandenong factory is not to alter the status of either of the Long Eaton or Castle Donnington works where it will be “business as usual.” (3)

The first report of the establishment of the new factory in rural surroundings... just outside of Dandenong was in The Herald who reported in March 1948 that - 

First lace-producing factory in Australia will be built in Victoria this year by one of England's largest lace manufacturers.  He is Mr William A. Smith, owner of three lace factories in northern England and managing director of William A. Smith Ltd. (Nottingham), manufacturers and exporters of laces, nets, veilings and fancy lines. Mr Smith arrived in Australia last month on a tour of agencies in Australia and New Zealand. He said today that he had bought five acres of land for the factory at Dandenong. He will spend £20,000 to open the factory, which will process unbleached laces from his English factories. He explained that it would be impracticable for some years to start a factory actually manufacturing lace from raw materials, which he said would cost at least £250,000. (4).

Later reports said that the site was actually seven acres in size. It was located  on the Princes Highway, surrounded on the west and north sides by the Eumemmering Creek, at the bottom end of Power Road. At the time of the construction of the factory, Power Road was a dead-end road because its southern end is cut by a bad wash, and also by the Eumemmering creek. (5) The Berwick Shire constructed Power Road to the Princes Highway in, I believe, 1954. (6)

This is a 1963 aerial of Doveton / Eumemmerring. Click on photo to enlarge it. The tree-lined Eumemmerring Creek, snakes through from top right to bottom left and just to the right of the Creek, at the bottom, you can see Lace Street (effectively a straight continuation of Power Road) and the two factories on the western (left) side, along with the three Manager's houses. Further north, the two ovals are Robinson Reserve and L.S. Reid oval. The intersection middle top is that of Frawley Road/Paperbark Street with Power Road. Follow Power Road to the bottom of the photo and it intersects with the Princes Highway.

Image: Casey Cardinia Libraries

In December 1950 the Dandenong Journal  had the following report on the impending opening of the factory - 

The new lace factory erected by William A. Smith (Vic.) Pty. Ltd., a subsidiary of William A. Smith (Aust.) Pty. Ltd., of Flinders Lane, Melbourne, just over the Eumemmering Creek, on the Princes Highway, Dandenong, hopes to be in production early in January. Eventually a staff of from 50 to 100 will be employed finishing laces, nets, veilings, lace and linen handkerchiefs and lace and linen napery. Skilled staff from the firm’s head quarters in Nottingham (Eng.) is on the way and the firm will be seeking local labor to train to supplement this. 

For 22 years Mr. W. A. Smith, of Castle Donington (Eng.) has been exporting lace to Australia, where they have had their local headquarters in Flinders Lane. Lace will be exported from England to Dandenong, where the new factory will make it into finished lace goods. Mr. Alan Smith, managing director of the firm, will stay in Australia for two years. Mr. Smith, snr., has had a house built at Dandenong and in tends to divide his time between here and Castle Donington. Mr. John W. Pegg, works manager at Castle Donington, is coming out to take over the position of Works Manager at Dandenong, but the English works will be still carried on. Mr. Smith, snr., was for some time a member of Castle Donington Parish and Rural Councils. His Montroyal herd of Ayrshire cattle is well-known throughout England. (7)

Advertisement for staff at the Lace Factory, April 1951.

Not the way that we would advertise for staff these days.

Dandenong Journal, April 18, 1951 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/222351819

Advertisement for staff at the Lace Factory, June 1951.

Dandenong Journal, June 20, 1951 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/222353060

I don't have an exact date of the factory opening but as noted in the Dandenong Journal in June 1951 the factory was now producing. A staff of 25 is at present operating the new, modern machines with which the factory has been equipped, and more experienced machinists are needed.  (8). Two Managers houses were also built at this time and a third house erected was when the factory expanded in 1954. (9)

The employees of the lace factory in 1951.

Image: Casey Cardinia Libraries

In January 1954, the factory began expanding, as once again the Dandenong Journal reported -

That clean, neat-looking lace factory which William A. Smith (Vic.) Pty. Ltd. established in the attractive setting beside the Eumemmerring Creek, has been so successful that increased accommodation has become necessary. Work has commenced on the erection of a new factory on the creek side of the present building. This will be a separate unit, which will greatly extend the local output of this progressive local firm. (10)

In June 1954, the same paper provided an update on the progress - 

Shortly lace-manufacturing will be added to Dandenong’s achievements. In an interesting address to Dandenong Rotarians last Friday night Mr. W. A. Smith, of the Dandenong lace firm, of William A Smith (Vic.) Pty Ltd., revealed that in the new extensions being erected by the company... it is proposed to install a circular lace-making machine which will manufacture lace for table use. The machine should be installed by the end of the year. So far the factory has confined itself to making up articles from lace made by the company overseas but Mr. Smith said from his experience he knew we could make lace here as good as in any country on the Continent. They looked forward to being able to export a lot of their products. There was not another country in the world that used as much lace per person as Australia and New Zealand, he added. (11) 

Advertisement for staff, 1953.

Dandenong Journal March 4, 1953 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/215817660

We have three reports of visits to the factory - in 1953 the members of the Dandenong Country Women's Association visited -

A very pleasant and instructive afternoon was spent by members on Thursday, April 9th, when, by courtesy of Mr. Smith (of W. A. Smith Pty. Ltd.), we were shown over the Lace and Linen Factory on the Princes Highway. In this very modern and beautifully lit workroom, the girls were as “busy as bees.” We were all most impressed by the confident way the machines were handled. Squares of linen were edged with lace, then passed on to the presser, who used a cute spray to damp them. After being pressed, they were folded, then on to be boxed and tied into bundles. All kinds of napery were being made up ready to send off to all parts of Australia. We inspected the locker rooms, etc., and the canteen, where Mr. Smith acted as host whilst we had tea. Each member was presented with a handkerchief with Mr. Smith’s compliments. Mrs. Reid, our president, thanked Mr. Smith and his assistants for their kindness in showing us just what is being done in yet another industry which will help us to be proud of “Made in Australia.” (12)

In April 1959 the Australian Women's Weekly visited Dandenong and presented an interesting snapshot of the City -

Dandenong - a symbol of industrial strength.

Dandenong, gateway to Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley, is Australia's youngest city - and one of its most prosperous and virile. Since 1948 Dandenong has grown from a sleepy rural market township to a thriving industrial centre with more than 200 factories. Its resident population has swelled in this time from 6000 to nearly 30,000. Plans are being made to accommodate a population of more than 80,000 by 1970. Millions of pounds have been invested in the spectacular development of Dandenong, created a city in March this year. In the past few years more than 130 major industries have established big plants in the area. They include manufacturers of such international- repute as General Motors, Chesebrough's, Rootes, Heinz, International Harvester, and Volkswagen. (13)

The reporter visited the Lace Factory and wrote - 

Mr. W. A. Smith, who with his sons Alan and Terry transferred his lace-making and napery firm from England to Dandenong in 1947, claims that his was the city's first factory. At his 300-year-old walnut desk, brought from England. Mr. Smith sighed "for the old days at Dandenong (1947) when not a light could be seen for miles at night." "Look at the bustle now," he said. A heavy stream of traffic packed the four-lane highway in front of the factory. An estimated 20,000 people are on Dandenong's roads in morning and evening peak hours, many of them commuters from nearby towns. (14)

This picture accompanied the Australian Women's Weekly article about Dandenong and 

shows some of the Lace Factory employees.
Australian Women's Weekly, April 22, 1959 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48077502

In 1964 the City of Dandenong  produced a booklet promoting Dandenong. It looked at demographics, education, social and cultural life and businesses including the Lace Factory. This is the text -

Happy the Bride in the Dandenong veil - 

Here comes the bride, radiant, happy and more than likely wearing a veil made at the Dandenong factory of William A. Smith (Vic.) Pty Ltd...

This firm of lace and linen manufacturers came out to Australia after World War II, after its factory in Nottinghamshire was destroyed by Nazi bombs. Although the company had a branch in Melbourne to distribute its products, it took a war to transplant the company entirely to Victoria - and Dandenong was selected.

Success breeds success, and now the firm has a SECOND factory operating on its eight-acres site, one plant concentrating on bridal wear, and the other purely on lace manufacture for ladies' handkerchiefs, napery and tablecloths.

Now the Smiths are as Australian as the gum trees. The plant at Dandenong employs more than 70 people and is growing all the time. 

It takes more than bombs to break the British spirit... (15)

The William A. Smith Lace Factory

Image: From the booklet - Dandenong produced by the City of Dandenong in 1964. You can see the full booklet here  https://victoriaspast.blogspot.com/2024/01/work-live-and-play-in-dandenong-booklet.html

Advertisement for staff, 1971.

The Age August 14, 1971, page 71, from newspapers.com

What happened to the Lace Factory? It closed in the 1970s presumably as it could no longer compete with cheaper imports. On September 28, 1977 at 3.00pm the W. A. Smith Pty. Ltd. Lace Factory site was put up for auction. Later, all the buildings were demolished. (16) The Company moved to Collingwood and operated as an importer, although they still had premises at 187 Flinders Lane in the early 1980s. (17)

The Lace Factory site for auction

The Age September 20, 1977 page 13 from newspapers.com

Acknowledgement: This is a much expanded and updated version of a post I wrote in 2013 on my work blog, Casey Cardinia Links to our Past The basis of that research was Doveton: a brief history by Maria Harding (Friends of Doveton Library, 1993).

Trove list - I have created a short list of articles on the Lace Factory on Trove, access it here.

Footnotes

(1) Dandenong was the original name for the area when the Lace Factory was established. In October 1954 the area became Doveton. On May 20, 1981 that part of Doveton became Eumemmerring. See my place names list here https://victoriaspast.blogspot.com/2022/02/place-names-and-their-meanings-from-old.html and my post on the Grassmere / Doveton name here   https://victoriaspast.blogspot.com/2022/02/grassmere-becomes-doveton.htm

(2) Establishment date in Melbourne - Dandenong Journal, February 21, 1951, see here. Location of William A. Smith in Flinders Lane: Sands and McDougall Directory for 1935, 1940 and 1945 list them at  301-311 Flinders Lane. In 1947 an advertisement lists them at 318-324 Flinders Lane and they are still at this location in the 1965 Sands and McDougall Directory. In the 1970 Sands and McDougall the firm is at 187 Flinders Lane. (see also footnote 17)

(3) Dandenong Journal, December 13, 1950, see here.

(4) The Herald, March 27, 1948, see here.

(5) Dandenong Journal, April 30, 1952, see here.

(6) Dandenong Journal, March 24, 1954, see here.

(7) Dandenong Journal, December 6, 1950, see here.

(8) Dandenong Journal, June 20, 1951, see here.

(9) Harding, Maria Doveton: a brief history (Friends of Doveton Library, 1993). p. 7

(10) Dandenong Journal, January 27, 1954, see here.

(11) Dandenong Journal, June 2, 1954, see here.

(12) Dandenong Journal, April 15, 1953, see here.

(13) Australian Women's Weekly, April 22, 1959, see here.

(14) Ibid

(15) Dandenong produced by the City of Dandenong in 1964. You can see the full booklet here  https://victoriaspast.blogspot.com/2024/01/work-live-and-play-in-dandenong-booklet.html

(16) The Age September 20, 1977 p. 13 from newspapers.com

(17) Harding, op. cit., p.7. Mrs Harding writes that they moved to Collingwood however into the 1980s they still had premises at 187 Flinders Lane (see also footnote 2)

William A. Smith advertisement, 1982

The Age, January 2, 1982 p. 46, from newspapers.com

Work, Live and Play in Dandenong booklet 1964

This booklet was produced by the City of Dandenong in 1964 extolling the virtues of  the bustling manufacturing centre that still retains the charm of its rural setting. The publication covers the history, demographics, social and cultural life, businesses and factories. It was indeed a young city with an assured future...a fine place for people to live and for youngsters to grow up in.