Historical Chesterfield leather tanning firm at risk of dissolution, records show

Information held by Companies House shows Spire Leather Company annual accounts are overdue and should have been submitted in July.

Filing accounts with the government’s Companies House is a requirement by law in the UK - with failure to do so resulting in fines of up to £5,000 and ultimately being struck off the register and dissolution.

Other records for the firm - which bought Chesterfield’s Clayton Street tannery in 2018 - show a charge registered on its account by business lender Ultimate Finance Limited remains “outstanding”.

Derbyshire Times has approached the Spire Leather for comment - however the firm has yet to respond.

On its website Spire Leather says it took over the historical Clayton Street tannery in 2018 and “continues its excellence in all aspects of leather production”.

The website reads: “We are traditional tanners' and manufacturers of high quality products.

“Our leathers are well received for their quality by well-known cricket ball producers, distinguished shoemakers, top bridle and saddle makers and leather goods manufacturers worldwide.”

The firm posted offers and product details regularly on Facebook throughout the later summer and autumn - however its last activity on the platform was October 12.

Other records on Companies House show Spire Leather is also nearly three weeks late providing its confirmation statement.

The statement - also required by law - is a guarantee from company directors that all information held by the government regarding a business is up-to-date and correct.

Failure to provide it can similarly result in fines and a company being dissolved.

Chesterfield’s Clayton Street tannery was one of two built by Joseph Clayton in the mid-1800s.

The Clayton Street tannery is the last still operating in this area and its success was firmly established during the industrial revolution - with over 420 pits for tanning and 100 employees.

On its website Spire states: “When you purchase leather from Spire Leather you know that it has been meticulously manufactured at our tannery at Clayton Street, Chesterfield, by our devoted team of craftspeople.”