Visited with Speed
It's been a while since I've mooched in this neck of the woods. Years ago Raddog and I used to meet up, jump in the car and drive an unusual route from Birmingham to the black country seeing what we could find... it almost always paid dividends.
Driving around this part of Birmingham is interesting. Largely Victorian streets lie in a state of virtual dereliction, occupied by shops and businesses run by people from all countries, nationalities and creeds. There is always something to look at, be it interesting signs, shops selling fruit and veg the likes of which I have never sampled in my whole life, CRAZY driving techniques, and amazing industrial architecture slowly crumbling due to lack of interest, money or both.
The Excelda works was built by W H Collins, a typical Birmingham firm manufacturing "toys", not toys in the way we know them today, but the old meaning such as thimbles, propelling pencils, fancy spoons and the like. I do not know when Collins vacated the building, but it has since been turned to asian textile manufacture, and currently lies empty awaiting demolition. A care home will replace it. I do not know if the fine late 20's frontage is to be retained, lets hope so!
Inside was largely unchanged. The offices were still as they would have been in the late 50's, and the shop floor very much as it would have been upon construction. Many little items, such as chairs, clocks etc were obviously left over from it's days as a metal working firm.
We need to get back out there and keep looking, theres still stuff to see!
It's been a while since I've mooched in this neck of the woods. Years ago Raddog and I used to meet up, jump in the car and drive an unusual route from Birmingham to the black country seeing what we could find... it almost always paid dividends.
Driving around this part of Birmingham is interesting. Largely Victorian streets lie in a state of virtual dereliction, occupied by shops and businesses run by people from all countries, nationalities and creeds. There is always something to look at, be it interesting signs, shops selling fruit and veg the likes of which I have never sampled in my whole life, CRAZY driving techniques, and amazing industrial architecture slowly crumbling due to lack of interest, money or both.
The Excelda works was built by W H Collins, a typical Birmingham firm manufacturing "toys", not toys in the way we know them today, but the old meaning such as thimbles, propelling pencils, fancy spoons and the like. I do not know when Collins vacated the building, but it has since been turned to asian textile manufacture, and currently lies empty awaiting demolition. A care home will replace it. I do not know if the fine late 20's frontage is to be retained, lets hope so!
Inside was largely unchanged. The offices were still as they would have been in the late 50's, and the shop floor very much as it would have been upon construction. Many little items, such as chairs, clocks etc were obviously left over from it's days as a metal working firm.
We need to get back out there and keep looking, theres still stuff to see!
