Report - TB Precision Tooling / Cottage Farmhouse, Froghall, Staffordshire - June 2019

[MotionlessMike]

A couple of bits from a recent trip to the Staffordshire village of Froghall which perhaps didn't warrant a report in their own rights, but I thought I'd mash the two places together and put some pics up.

Firstly the last remnants of the now completely(ish) demolished Thomas Bolton Copperworks. Why the last buildings escaped being flattened I'm not sure - maybe it was used for a short time by another engineering works? Unfortunately the building has suffered quite severe fire damage, but here's what's left.

In case of fire brea... Nevermind.

Toilets and shower room were in decent nick with a bit of peel

And a less burned area at the back of the works

Outside was half a demolished brick building which contained only an old mattress (standard), but the windows looked nice

Next to the industrial building is a large derelict farmhouse and outbuildings marked on OS maps as simply 'The Cottage'. A kind of two-houses-in-one type job, the first side is stripped back to bare bricks for apparent renovation and contained nothing at all. The second part of the house is very derelict and nearly empty but I took a couple of snaps for the record.

The stripped half and its staircase

And the much more derelict half

And the naughty chair!

Thanks for looking.

 

[tigger]

I didn't notice that area last time I was near there. Hope you don't mind me tagging this along with your report

Apt for this week we had an 'Operation Overlord' feel to that day. This is in the main area of the demolished copperworks:

 

[MotionlessMike]

Not at all @tigger nice picture and very apt as you say. This bit is just on the other side of the road from where the main works were. Shame I never got to see them!

 

[Ojay]

Thought it said Bolt Cropper farmhouse, my bad

Still not a bad effort, pics are decent enough

 

[tigger]

There are some images on the Britain From Above site which show the copper works very nicely (EAW024699 and next few in sequence). Interesting historical snapshot but unfortunately they aren't quite so good for the area where you were. The OS maps from the late 1950s show 'your' area had been utilised more before demolition.

Cropped to show the area where you were

 

[MotionlessMike]

Thought it said Bolt Cropper farmhouse, my bad

Still not a bad effort, pics are decent enough

Thanks @Ojay

That'd make a decent codename ay

 

[MotionlessMike]

Cropped to show the area where you were

The half demo'd bit with the windows is the large building surrounded by cars. Surprised not to see the blue & white unit on there.

It'll turn out it's sod all to do with Thomas Bolton and just be some unrelated burned derp haha.

 

[Olkka]

I really miss the days when any kind of dereliction was enjoyable to visit for me, it's nice to see people interacting with the details of places like this

 

[MotionlessMike]

If it gets me out of the house and it's somewhere I'm not meant to be I'll enjoy it

 

[mingerocket]

The site is what's left of TB precision, where they used to manufacture and repair the carbide dies used to draw the copper bar/wire in the main works over road.

 

[mingerocket]

We were over there light painting the other night

 

[MotionlessMike]

@mingerocket i knew someone would know, thanks buddy.

 

[8mm]

This is very much on it's last legs now. The roof of the building with the three tall windows is only holding up by faith and just a single room. Still worth a mooch about I thought as there's a bit of random stuff inside the longer building. I gather the planning application for housing was turned down, so the whole area is in limbo.
Sadly I didn't get a chance to explore the rest of the area as the rest of the party were getting impatient in the car out front!