The Spirella Bulding

The Spirella Company was once one of Letchworth Garden City's biggest and best employers.

The company made corsets, made to measure and sold by agents known as corsetieres.

The company's unique product was the 'Spirella Stay', a flexible sprung-wire alternative to the traditional 'whalebone' stays of older corsets.

Spirella moved to Lechworth in 1910, its American owner William Kincaid having corresponded with Ebenezer Howard about the Garden City. Letchworth's philosophy coincided neatly with the company's own, with their motto, "Healthy happy workers are the world's best".

Between 1912 and 1920 they built a huge magnificent Arts & Crafts factory in the centre of the town.

We are currently working on a major year-long special exhibition to celebrate the 2012 centenary of the Spirella Building, opening next March. Watch this space for more information.

In the meantime, you can enjoy our online exhibition about the company here:  http://www.gardencitymuseum.org/exhibitions/life_and_times_spirella