Photograph album and printed leaflet relating to Stevens and Pedley, Basford, Nottingham; 1954

The firm produced this printed leaflet in 1954 promoting the company's products and brands by showing the processes involved behind the scenes at their Steppo Works in Basford, Nottingham. The leaflet mostly consists of photographs of staff operating the specialist machinery used to produce a wide range of garments, but there are also photos of the exterior of the factory and the garden. The male and female staff are shown involved in processes such as linking half-hose, handpressing, flatlocking, cop-to-cone winding, and calendaring. The leaflet is also illustrated by stylised drawings of figures wearing the clothing to illustrate the types of products (underwear, footwear, sportswear and outerwear).

The album, containing large (25cm by 20cm) black and white prints of some of the photographs taken for the leaflet, was one of several presented to staff as a souvenir.

The firm of Stevens & Pedley were based at 'Steppo Works' on Lortas Road, Basford. The Steppo Works had a large garden area for relaxation and for cultivating food for the canteen. Alterations to form a new entrance to Lortas Road were applied for in 1969. A number of hosiery firms opened modern knitwear factories in the Basford area, such as J.B. Lewis and Sons' Meridian Works on Haydn Road, Bairnswear on Perry Road, and Vedonis on Bar Lane. Much of the housing in the New Basford area was built from the 1820s for workers in the hosiery and lace industries. Related businesses were also located in the surrounding area, such as the Vernon Road Bleaching and Dyeing Company, machine makers John Jardines, printers such as Howitt, and even the wickerwork hampers (such as those pictured in the leaflet and album) were produced by Morris Wilkinson and Co. of Radford Road.

According to the promotional leaflet, Stevens & Pedley "make most garments for most people". The firm specialised in mock-fashioned stockings, socks, underwear, nightwear, sportswear and childrenswear but also made outerwear. It operated under the brands 'Steppo', 'Tynit' and 'Steppola', making clothing for wholesale and export. They exported to countries including British East Africa, Syria, Barbados and Belgium, and described themselves as contractors to the British Government.

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The album was donated to Manuscripts and Special Collections in 2019 at an event organised as part of the Weston Gallery exhibition 'Fully Fashioned: archival remnants of the textile trade', by the daughter of a female worker featured in the album.