Drawing on his long career in lace-making that lasted from 1936 until 1984, with a break of just four and a half years during World War Two, Ashfield tells the story with humour, affection, and an eye for the details that characterised life in Nottingham. He tells of company excursions by train to the seaside, which were a highlight of the year for the hard-working employees, and remembers such moments as the day the boss lost the keys to the safe and had to call a locksmith to break into it. But most of all the book is a tribute to the remarkable people, from the office boy to the company owner, who laboured in the lace trade and added to the reputation of the once-great industry. This delightful book is a fascinating memoir of an industry that was once at the heart of life in Nottingham.