Last week saw the chimney of Bally shoe factory toppled, marking the final chapter of this iconic company's role in the once-thriving Norwich shoe industry.

Eastern Daily Press: Bally shoe factory. Photo: T QuadlingBally shoe factory. Photo: T Quadling (Image: T Quadling)

The memories of the hundreds of people who worked there over the years do, however, live on.

Linda Quadling, known as Linda Thompson when she worked at Bally, has shared these photos from her time there in the 1980s.

Mrs Quadling, who lives on Bowman Road and had many roles in her time at the factory between 1951 and 1989, said: 'It was always a pleasure working there, whether it was on the shop floor, as a supervisor, or in personnel.

'The men would sing 'here we go, here we go' when Norwich did well in the football and the girls sang 'ten green bottles' in waves. It was such fun.'

The former supervisor recounts how the factory was a hub for the community, with children from the nearby Hewett School coming in during the evenings and making things out of the scraps of leather, which they used to be able to sell on.

'Everyone there had a real sense of humour. I remember when two girls were in a car that got bumped by another driver. The driver behind got out and started shouting, so the girl who was in the passenger side got out as well. She had a glass eye and she popped it out into her hand and showed the man, saying: 'Well look what you've done now' and the man fainted,' 82-year-old Mrs Quadling added.

The factory closed its doors for the last time in 1999 and the site has remained empty ever since.

Demolition work at the Hall Road site started in February, making way for a new £122m development, including a new Asda store.

The factory shoemaking process

Design office: designer decided on a style.

The pattern cutter: produced a master pattern for each size for leather and other materials. A pattern grading machine than produced in cardboard and edged in metal a series of patterns for each size and fitting of shoe.

Clicking room: clickers cut the leather uppers.

Closing room: work on the uppers.

1. Skivers: pared the leather where it is to be folded.

2. Cementers: put on adhesive.

3. Folders: fold over and fasten raw edges.

4. Perforators: punch out any decorations in upper.

5. Machinists then sewed uppers and lining together, using a machine similar to a domestic sewing machine.

?Press and Preparing Room: Worked on the 'bottom stock' i.e preparing sole/insole/ heel – included reducing soles to their exact shape and attaching heels.

?Making Room: Attached soles to uppers.

1. Each upper was fitted with stiffeners and put with an insole on an appropriate last.

2. Puller-over: pulled upper tightly over the last and tacked it securely to the insole in five places.

3. Whole upper was then firmly tacked all around in a sequence of operations called lasting.

4. Bottoming team: trimmed surplus leather and smoothed the bottom.

5. Soles were then attached either by cementing or sewing.

6. Heel was then attached.

Finishing Room: Tidied sole and waterproofed.

Shoe Room: Socks, buckles and ornaments attached. Shoes cleaned and boxed.

Do you recognise anyone in these picture or memories of Bally? Email george.ryan@archant.co.uk