Nechells 'B', built in the late 1940s, opened in the early 1950s. This was 'Birmingham's power station' sitting just south of Spaghetti Junction it was a familiar landmark until it was demolished in the early 1980s. However as with many stations all was not demolished, a small section of the station remained as it was still required to route the local 11kv supply.
Nechells 'B' Boiler Houses in the 1980s
Cooling Towers Viewed from the M6 Northbound
The site sat derelict for many years after closure but in 2000 it was finally redeveloped into 'Star City', an entertainment complex featuring cinema and bowling alley. The remaining switch house must have still been in use at this time as it was incorporated into the rear of the Star City site and is still visible under advertising hoardings when travelling along the M6 Northbound
Nowerdays 'Star City'..mostly
As many of you probably know by now i have been hunting old power station remains for many years and the remains at Nechells had always made me wonder about what was still left. If im honest being part of the Star City complex i didn't think we would have a hope in hell of getting inside and never really bothered to have a proper look until recently. This was mainly prompted by finally getting hold of a 1950s brochure for the station which contained maps and photos of the building. It turned out that the part they had retained was the former main entrance and more importantly contained the main station control room! Checking the photos against google maps it was clear the room would still be there but there was only one way to find what was left inside..
Control Room in the 1950s
To my surprise my first recce of the building showed a pretty drab, derelict affair. I had imagined it would be well looked after but it appeared to be totally out of use now. Sure enough returning with Dweeb the next day we found our way inside and it was clear straight away it was no longer connected to the grid, merely being used as a storage shed.
Main Entrance Stairs and Lobby
It also became clear after some poking around that not only was the building no longer a substation it actually seemed to be having some sort of restoration work with a log sheet in the foyer showing people working in there only a week previously and a freshly painted ceiling.
The moment of truth
To be honest, by this point was had seem some really good bits and some less good bits but obviously the main event would be the control room so il start there. We cautiously made our way up to it and i stuck my head round the door.
Boo! Its empty..
Unfortunately not so much to see. At first i feared we had been a matter of weeks late (after wondering what was in there for the past 10+ years) but in actual fact i think the panels had been gone for quite a long time judging by the state of the plywood used to board over the holes. Certainly not done recently. You win some you loose some i guess!
Dweeb checks out the best remaining part, the skylight and lighting rig.
Of course there was a bit more too the place than just the control room and i have to say i wasn't too disappointed over all. The main halls downstairs that would once have contained water feed pumps were too dark for good photos but contained some lovely tile work and a whole wall of epic safety posters. The cable basement was also extensive and provided several comedy moments. All in all a great few hours exploring! Roll on the next one. The list is not empty.
Stairwell
Signage
Where the panels once stood
Safety Posters
Many more rooms were nicely labelled
Largely empty now tho
Just a few hints of grandeur
Many fixtures and fittings had been kept
Cable basement was extensive
But also a little damp in places
So lets just have more safety posters
Nechells 'B' Boiler Houses in the 1980s
Cooling Towers Viewed from the M6 Northbound
The site sat derelict for many years after closure but in 2000 it was finally redeveloped into 'Star City', an entertainment complex featuring cinema and bowling alley. The remaining switch house must have still been in use at this time as it was incorporated into the rear of the Star City site and is still visible under advertising hoardings when travelling along the M6 Northbound
Nowerdays 'Star City'..mostly
As many of you probably know by now i have been hunting old power station remains for many years and the remains at Nechells had always made me wonder about what was still left. If im honest being part of the Star City complex i didn't think we would have a hope in hell of getting inside and never really bothered to have a proper look until recently. This was mainly prompted by finally getting hold of a 1950s brochure for the station which contained maps and photos of the building. It turned out that the part they had retained was the former main entrance and more importantly contained the main station control room! Checking the photos against google maps it was clear the room would still be there but there was only one way to find what was left inside..
Control Room in the 1950s
To my surprise my first recce of the building showed a pretty drab, derelict affair. I had imagined it would be well looked after but it appeared to be totally out of use now. Sure enough returning with Dweeb the next day we found our way inside and it was clear straight away it was no longer connected to the grid, merely being used as a storage shed.
Main Entrance Stairs and Lobby
It also became clear after some poking around that not only was the building no longer a substation it actually seemed to be having some sort of restoration work with a log sheet in the foyer showing people working in there only a week previously and a freshly painted ceiling.
The moment of truth
To be honest, by this point was had seem some really good bits and some less good bits but obviously the main event would be the control room so il start there. We cautiously made our way up to it and i stuck my head round the door.
Boo! Its empty..
Unfortunately not so much to see. At first i feared we had been a matter of weeks late (after wondering what was in there for the past 10+ years) but in actual fact i think the panels had been gone for quite a long time judging by the state of the plywood used to board over the holes. Certainly not done recently. You win some you loose some i guess!
Dweeb checks out the best remaining part, the skylight and lighting rig.
Of course there was a bit more too the place than just the control room and i have to say i wasn't too disappointed over all. The main halls downstairs that would once have contained water feed pumps were too dark for good photos but contained some lovely tile work and a whole wall of epic safety posters. The cable basement was also extensive and provided several comedy moments. All in all a great few hours exploring! Roll on the next one. The list is not empty.
Stairwell
Signage
Where the panels once stood
Safety Posters
Many more rooms were nicely labelled
Largely empty now tho
Just a few hints of grandeur
Many fixtures and fittings had been kept
Cable basement was extensive
But also a little damp in places
So lets just have more safety posters
Last edited:
