Raddog and I were driving to Chesterfield about a year ago when we spotted an imposing office building sat in the middle of a huge site strewn with rubble and twisted iron. Like any fan of industry we made a sharp turn and went to investigate.
The buildings were a small portion of the Devonshire works, which had mostly been flattened a year before. Some great old buildings were left though, remnents of the Staveley Coal and Iron Co. The office building was beautiful, with mosaic floors and paneled rooms. Sadly there was no access to the offices, but we vowed to return, assming it was only a matter of time before demolition, or neglect would create a way in.
In another part of the site the contents of the chem works library were dumped, along with full suits and crazy 'space man' helmets!!
As with so many things, we never did get back. We made Staveley the end of yesterday's boat journey, and the whole site, including that lavish administration building is gone
Some pics from last year... Not to todays standard I'm afraid.
Bmped into an old pal
The buildings were a small portion of the Devonshire works, which had mostly been flattened a year before. Some great old buildings were left though, remnents of the Staveley Coal and Iron Co. The office building was beautiful, with mosaic floors and paneled rooms. Sadly there was no access to the offices, but we vowed to return, assming it was only a matter of time before demolition, or neglect would create a way in.
In another part of the site the contents of the chem works library were dumped, along with full suits and crazy 'space man' helmets!!
As with so many things, we never did get back. We made Staveley the end of yesterday's boat journey, and the whole site, including that lavish administration building is gone
Some pics from last year... Not to todays standard I'm afraid.
Bmped into an old pal
