Creative Midlands Heritage

Creative Midlands Heritage

Rutland County College

Posted: 09 Jun 2013 11:29 PM PDT

Only just got round to posting this :oops:, great place, left pretty much as it was when the last people closed the door

Closed sept 2012

The (former) Boulton and Paul aircraft factory, Wolverhampton

Posted: 09 Jun 2013 04:24 AM PDT

Sneakily took these over a few visits...

History

Quote:
The company's origins date back to an ironmonger's shop founded in 1797 in Norwich by William Moore. William Staples Boulton joined the ironworks firm of Moore & Barnard in 1844. By 1870 Boulton had been elevated to a partner alongside of John Barnard and the firm was renamed to Barnard & Boulton. A later partner in the firm was Joseph Paul, and the firm was again renamed to Boulton & Paul Ltd, which started its construction engineering division in 1905. By the early 1900s, Boulton & Paul Ltd had become a successful general manufacturing firm.

During the Second World War it was a major producer of prefabricated buildings, wire netting and wooden sub-assemblies of aircraft. In 1942 the Midland Woodworking Company of Melton Mowbray became a subsidiary. Richard Jewson of the Jewson timber merchants and former Lord Mayor of Norwich was a member of the board until retiring in 1947.

In a depressed market in 1934, the aircraft division being its weakest, Boulton & Paul Ltd sold its aircraft manufacturing component from the main construction business to create Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd. This moved to Wolverhampton in 1936 as the area had a surplus of skilled labour and the council was able to provide an incentive in the form of a greenfield site and flying rights. In 1961 Boulton Paul Aircraft, by now a producer of aircraft equipment rather than complete aircraft, merged with the Dowty Group to form first Dowty Boulton Paul Ltd and then Dowty Aerospace.
from (and more)- Boulton & Paul Ltd - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Quote:
In 1961 the company was acquired by Dowty Group and was renamed Dowty Boulton Paul Ltd and then Dowty Aerospace.

Following the acquisition of Dowty Aerospace by TI Group in 1992, and the subsequent merger of Smiths Industries and the TI group in 2000, to form Smiths Group, the Wolverhampton factory site was sold again in May 2007 to GE Aviation Systems. Yet again in August 2009 the factory was sold to Moog Inc. but was to move to new premises at the nearby I54 business park. The factory also had an on-site Boulton Paul Museum dedicated to Boulton Paul aircraft and the traditional methods used to manufacture aircraft. The important collection was scheduled to move to RAF Cosford in Spring 2013.
from (and more)- Boulton Paul Aircraft - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

interesting fact that I didn't know...

Quote:
Boulton & Paul provided most of the structure for the R101 airship; the completed sections being transported to Cardington for assembly there. The R101 subsequently flew over Norwich in return.
Outside









first original buildings



Foundry












Inside






























:)

Enterprise Pharmaceuticals wholesalers Talke

Posted: 17 Apr 2013 02:18 PM PDT

Enterprise is the leading wholesaler of Health and Beauty products to independent pharmacies in the UK
This place has been abandoned for quite a few years now and thought was about time to see what was going on
The most interesting parts were well and truly sealed so was a little disappointed but still was a little to see and explore :D

GEC Castle Engineering, Stafford.

Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:55 AM PDT

The last time i had visited the site in 2009 it was already in decline. The buildings used by landon engineering being the only visable signs of life.Time for a brief history of the site, that started life back in 1875.

Quote:
W. G. Bagnall was a locomotive manufacturer from Stafford, England. It was founded in 1875 by William Gordon Bagnall and ceased trading in 1962 when it was taken over by English Electric Co Ltd. The company was located at the Castle Engine Works, in Castle Town, Stafford. The majority of their products were small four- and six-coupled steam locomotives for industrial use, and many were narrow gauge. They were noted for building steam and diesel locomotives in standard and narrow gauges.

Bagnalls introduced several novel type of locomotive valve gear including the Bagnall-Price and the Baguley. They also used marine (circular) fireboxes on narrow gauge engines, a design that was cheap but needed a different firing technique.

Some of Kerr Stuart's designs were brought to Bagnalls when they employed Kerr Stuart's chief Draughtsman.
Quote:
W. G. Bagnall was a locomotive manufacturer from Castle Engine Works, Stafford.

1875 It was founded by William Gordon Bagnall who took over the millwright business of Massey and Hill.

1876 Produced the first railway locomotive. The majority of their products were small four and six-coupled steam locomotives for industrial use, and many were narrow gauge. They were noted for building steam and diesel locomotives in standard and narrow gauges.

1876 Exhibitor at the Royal Agricultural Show at Birmingham with a brick press capable of producing 20,000 per day.

1887 The firm became W. G. Bagnall Ltd.

1887 Private company.

1889 Steel sleepers. [2]

1889 Showed light railway plant suitable for farms and contractors at the RASE at Windsor.

1891 E. E. Baguley joined the company and left in 1902 to start his own business.

1892 Around 140 locomotives had been built up to this time.

1894 Narrow gauge locomotive for 2ft gauge. Illustration in The Engineer.

1914 Listed as locomotive builders and railway engineers. Specialities: narrow gauge locomotives; sugar cane, tipping and other special wagons.

Bagnalls introduced several novel type of locomotive valve gear including the Bagnall-Price and the Baguley. They also used marine (circular) fireboxes on narrow gauge engines, a design that was cheap but needed a different firing technique.

Some of the designs of Kerr, Stuart and Co were brought to Bagnalls when they employed the chief Draughtsman of Kerr Stuart and Co. Examples of such locomotives can be seen on the Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway.

1937 Produced the 5-hp Bagnall Demon engine but only a batch of 25 were built

1948 Heenan and Froude acquired W. G. Bagnall Ltd.

1951 Association formed with Brush: Brush-Bagnall Traction Ltd.

1959 W. G. Bagnall was sold to W. H. Dorman and Co, a neighbouring Stafford diesel engine maker, by Heenans in exchange for Dorman 'A' shares .

1961 Locomotive builders and railway engineers. 600 employees.

1961 English Electric Co acquired W. H. Dorman and Co.

1962 New wholly-owned subsidiary formed: English Electric Traction to bring all railway-related activities under one management. These included The Vulcan Foundry, Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns and W. G. Bagnall[10].

From 1876 to 1957 the company produced 1,660 locomotives.
Post take over of English Electric by GEC, the site was GEC Alsthom Ceramics at the Castle Works.
But after closure it was an industrial estate used by Stafford college, landon engineering (moved out 2009)and other smaller firms.Now the site is sitting empty and awaiting demolition.

Two period pictures of the factory in use via the links.
Staffordshire Past Track -Pattern Shop, W.G. Bagnall's Engineering Works, Stafford,

Staffordshire Past Track -Foundry, W.G. Bagnall's Engineering Works, Stafford,














Landon Engineering offices.

Drakelow Tunnels

Posted: 18 Jun 2013 05:46 PM PDT

Visited here in April on a trip organised by SB
Huge place and we got free run of the whole site for over 5 hrs
Visited with MD, Goldie87 and Pom.

A bit of history (copied from the official Drakelow tunnels website)

Drakelow Tunnels are spread over 285,000 square feet. Originally constructed for use by Rover in WWII under the Ministry of Aircraft Production's Shadow Factory Scheme, the tunnels were mainly used for machine workshops and additional storage for Rover.

After WWII the tunnels got a second lease of life during the Cold War where the Government took control of the site as a Regional Seat of Government (RSG) in case of a nuclear attack. Less than a half of the site was converted for use during the Cold War period, where new rooms and equipment were installed.

Mansfield Road tunnel, Nottingham

Posted: 27 May 2013 12:11 PM PDT

1189 yards long. Despite being under a busy city, it was surprisingly silent in there. The roof has a brick arch throughout, but the sides are sandstone rock. The northern approach cutting is infilled, and the portal bricked up.
Opened in 1898, and closed in 1968, it was on the Great Central railway. The southern cutting was home to Nottingham Victoria station. All that remains of the station now is the clock tower, and the deep cutting has been filled with a giant concrete multi story car park. A sign of the times.



















thanks for looking

Ingarsby / Thurnby tunnel, Leicester

Posted: 23 Mar 2013 09:41 AM PDT

Ingarsby Tunnel, also known as Thurnby tunnel or sometimes Square Spinney tunnel lies to the east of Leicester. Opened in 1882, and closed in 1964.

It has been backfilled at the eastern portal, but the western end is still accessible. An enourmous sheet of steel has been installed over the portal to create a bat refuge, and the the local painters have left their mark both inside and out. There was allegedly 2 airshafts (?), but only one still stands today.

I've thrown in a few photos from last summer, but most are from our recent night visit. Had an unpleasant experience at the end of the visit when my Main torch finally died, plunging us into darkness, leaving us with my backup torch to find our way back out.












the surviving airshaft






backfilled at the eastern portal






thanks for looking
If anyone has any info on this place, then please feel free to post it up :)

Father Hudsons, Coleshill on fire

Posted: 02 Jun 2013 02:18 PM PDT

Dropped the missus is and saw plumes of smoke come from the Coleshill direction. Thought it would be rude not to have a look. I thought it was Father Hudsons and when I got there it was confirmed.

When I arrived only one engine was there so I was almost parked outside. Then about another 7 engines turned up and I was ushered away. From talking to people at the fire they told me the building had just been bought but was refused planning permission.

I only had my phone on me so its the best I could of done.

















---------- updated ----------

Forgot this one

Saxon Cross Motel (Sandbach)

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 09:59 AM PDT

Saxon Crosses Motel built in the 1970s, has been empty since 2008 has become a target for vandalism and is regarded as an eyesore not much remains now apart from a shell sop i thought id pay a visit and see whats been happening
The site was bought in 2010 by Bolshaw Industrial Powders with the intention of moving production from Macclesfield 'to enable a more sustainable and economical distribution of their bagged lime products mainly to agricultural customers'.
Not much progress has been made except it has been stripped bare but most of that was down to the gypsies when it first closed also there was also an article about bats on the site so i think the work was halted..




























Was evident that there had been other explorers off other sites who felt contempt at signing there signatures...

Fletcher Convalescent Hospital, Norfolk

Posted: 14 May 2013 09:14 AM PDT

The Fletcher Convalescent Home opened on 25 April 1893. The hospital was administered by the Governors of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. The building was designed by E Boardman & Son and is unlisted. It was, however, in the Victorian Society's 2008 top-10 list of endangered buildings. Absorbed into the NHS during the 20th century, the home was converted into a geriatric unit which closed in 1998. In 1999 the complex was sold for development.
Apologies for a few of the photos,i was using my usual camera but some came out a bit blurred :wtf:

The Cannock Chase Panther

Posted: 28 May 2013 05:52 PM PDT


Quote:
Since the 1970's literally hundreds (if not, thousands) of big cat sightings have been reported from within the Chase's mysterious plantation, often by seemingly rational and trustworthy witnesses. In truth, these accounts have received more publicity within the national and international press than any other phenomena reported in the area, so predictably this is a very hot topic that creates a whole load of controversy – something I'm a huge fan of.

In 1976 the Dangerous Animals Act came into force in England, which made it illegal to keep fierce and predatory creatures as pets without a licence. The problem was though, many people already had these animals, and thanks to parliament, they were now breaking the law. Without having much choice in the matter, pet owners far and wide began releasing their ferocious, wild beasts into secluded countryside locations. Unfortunately, many of these animals would have struggled to survive unaided in England, however, is it possible that some species were more suited to our climate than others? Have exotic cats been breeding secretly for the last 40 years? Some journalists and researchers would argue that the evidence suggests they have.
Full Article Here:

Norton motorcycles

Posted: 21 Apr 2013 12:55 PM PDT

Plaque at the National Motorcycle Museum, which is built on the site of the Norton motorcycles factory




:)

BSA motorcycles

Posted: 21 Apr 2013 12:51 PM PDT

Clock from the factory boardroom, Armoury road, Birmingham, now located in the foyer of the National Motorcycle Museum




:goodjob:

William 'Roy' Richards

Posted: 21 Apr 2013 12:48 PM PDT

Tribute to the owner/ founder of the National Motorcycle Museum 1931 - 2008




:)

Old boat house

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 05:01 AM PDT

First time out with the camera stuff after this bitter weather we have been having but the weather seemed settled this weekend so decided have a wander and came across an old and badly in need of repair Old boat house spotted on one of my walks not far from Madeley Heath shame its been left to decay it also looked like there once used be a concrete slope up to the second floor of the building where people probably spent pleasant afternoons sipping tea and looking out across the lake..












hopefully be out again soon :thumbsup:

Aston Hall Mental asylum, Aston, Derbyshire

Posted: 27 May 2013 12:08 PM PDT

Aston Mental Asylum was built around the Aston Hall estate. It is built in blocks dotted around a 3.2 acre site. Serving Derby, it was bought 1924 and was developed into an asylum opening in the early 1930's. Was open for 70ish years and closed in 2004. A few years back there was a fire in the swimming pool block which totally destroyed the building.

Another place that has seen better days, this place has been stripped, smashed, trashed and tagged, but there still some interesting things to see. We came across no less than three different groups of kids around the site, some of which were up to no good. :mad:













the remains of the hydrotherapy pool, after the fire









thanks for looking
comments welcomed

Bradgate nursing home / Zachary Merton home, Leicestershire

Posted: 23 Apr 2013 01:43 PM PDT

Its been known by a few names, including Zachary Merton home, and Bradgate care home. It is rumoured to be demolished soon.

A lot bigger than we expected, its set in some woodland, with pleasant views over rolling hills out the back. As we approached the building, we quickly spotted 4 teenage lads inside, who may have been up to no good :mad:
But they did show us how they got in on the plus side.

It's been sadly stripped, tagged and pretty trashed, but there was plenty to see across it's 3 floors, and 2 areas, especially the hoist bath chairs.












whats left of the pool table



















and finally we saw this...

thanks for looking

Longdon-on-Tern aqueduct

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 05:26 AM PDT

While searching for some of the visible remains of the Shrewsbury Canal, we came across the remains of Thomas Telford's aqueduct which carried the canal over the River Tern. It's a grade 1 listed structure and is on private land, but I've managed to find the contact details of the owner and hopefully will get access on our next visit to Shrewsbury.

More about the canal can be found here: Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust

Cold Overton ROC post, Leicestershire

Posted: 21 Apr 2013 09:34 AM PDT

This post used to be locked years ago, but the top has rusted away, making it accessible. Unfortunately this means that some of the contents have now gone, but there's still more in here than most I've visted, which are normally stripped / robbed blind / trashed & burnt out. Quite eerie is to have the lid shut whilst inside the post.
Opened in 1959, it was a master post, and one of the latter ones to close in 1991.



















thanks for looking

RAF Tatenhill

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 09:41 AM PDT

RAF Tatenhill was a Royal Air Force airfield located 5.0 miles (8.0 km) west of Burton on Trent. It was originally known as RAF Crossplains.
The field was built in 1941 as a satellite for No. 27 Operational Training Unit (OTU) at RAF Lichfield. The design was the wartime RAF standard of three co-intersecting runways, east-west, north-south diagonal. It was used as a bomber crew training field, which continued in varied training functions until 1944 with Vickers Wellington and Airspeed Oxford aircraft for RAF Bomber Command. Then it was used by The RAF School of Explosives after the disastrous explosion at nearby RAF Fauld, from October 1945 until January 1947.
The airfield had a bomb dump on the south-east side and a number of frying pan dispersals were built on land to the north of the B5234 road, with hangars in this area too.
The airfield remains in use as Tatenhill Airfield. A wartime Bellman hangar remains in use as of 2012.

I'd scoped this site out a bit on GE beforehand and found a nice little side lane to park up in. First stop is this unusual warehouse type building. Not sure if its part of Tatenhill but deserved a quick explore anyway...



















And I was all ready to climb up a level for some 1st floor shots, but was then rudely accosted by some local bint ordering me to "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE" LOL

TBC....
Posted by Creative Midlands at 6/29/2013 12:02:00 pm

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)