The Factory Club

The Factory Club is a Grade II listed Victorian building located on Northfleet High Street in Northfleet, Kent.^[2] Commissioned by Thomas Bevan of the Knight, Bevan and Sturge cement works, the building was constructed over three years and opened on 31 July 1878. In its later years, it transitioned into a nightclub known as Portlands Spectrums before finally closing its doors in 2007.

The Factory Club, then known as Portlands,^[3] was built for Thomas Bevan, a partner in the Knight, Bevan and Sturge cement works. Construction lasted three years and cost about £11,000. The building opened on 31 July 1878 to celebrate the coming of age of Bevan’s eldest son, Robert.^[4]

The building was designed by the firm Parr and Strong and is an early example of decorative use of Portland cement. It has a brick basement, a tall ground floor, and an attic with steep slate roofs and dormer windows. The front of the building has a central section with five tall rounded windows, with tower-like sections at each end decorated with classical columns. The main entrance is reached by small bridges that cross a light well from the pavement. After local cement companies merged into Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers (later Blue Circle Industries), the venue became known as the Blue Circle Club. In its later years it operated as a nightclub called Portlands Spectrums before closing in 2007.^[5]

The building was given Grade II listed status in 1983 but has stood empty for many years. Its condition has worsened due to neglect and several serious fires. Major fires happened on July 2023,^[6] September 2024,^[7] March 2025,^[8] and again on 26 October 2025, when eight fire engines were needed to control the blaze.^[9] After the October 2025 fire, asbestos was found in the debris,^[10] and Gravesham Borough Council closed part of the High Street for safety and clean-up work.^[11] Kent Police launched an investigation into the cause of the blaze.^[12]