The Triplex Safety Glass Co. Ltd. - Birmingham.
Dweeb this is less than a mile from your house, no excuses
I seem to be in the business of tying up loose ends at the moment - I've been passing this place on the train for a number of years now, but I've always found it to be one of those that makes you think 'is it / isn't it?' On the one hand peeley paint and enamel shades are clearly visible on the upper floors, but on the other hand it's located in the compound of a very active glass works, and staff can regularly be seen loitering around outside the building. Could the ground floor still be in use maybe..? As it happens, when I actually bothered to check satellite images and it became clear that the roof is in such an appalling state there's no way it's anything other than derelict. Sold!
The factory as it appeared in the 1920s. We explored the building in the foreground with the crazy roof (which is still extant), as well as the building on the right near the chimney.
Some history:
~
The factory no longer falls under the Pilkington brand but rather that of the ubiquitous GKN - I believe aerospace glass continues to be made on site. I suspect that this building fell out of use with the collapse of MG Rover in 2005 (when Pilkingtons downsized its operations), although closure quite possibly predates this.
It also became apparent that a couple more buildings along the railway side are also derelict, and indeed have been for quite some time. It was these that we accessed first, and initially things were looking good - very dated, if perhaps a little trashed for my liking. In the larger building, however, the lack of any effective roof means that the manufacturing floor itself is so fucked as to be beyond interest. I must admit I was a little disappointed when we first entered - no clocks or enamels in sight! Fortunately things soon began to perk up, particularly when we ventured upstairs - I personally left extremely satisfied with what I had seen, though I'm not sure the same can be said for my companions!
I'll start upstairs:
Note the crates of windscreens, still padded with straw
Cont.
Dweeb this is less than a mile from your house, no excuses
I seem to be in the business of tying up loose ends at the moment - I've been passing this place on the train for a number of years now, but I've always found it to be one of those that makes you think 'is it / isn't it?' On the one hand peeley paint and enamel shades are clearly visible on the upper floors, but on the other hand it's located in the compound of a very active glass works, and staff can regularly be seen loitering around outside the building. Could the ground floor still be in use maybe..? As it happens, when I actually bothered to check satellite images and it became clear that the roof is in such an appalling state there's no way it's anything other than derelict. Sold!
The factory as it appeared in the 1920s. We explored the building in the foreground with the crazy roof (which is still extant), as well as the building on the right near the chimney.
Some history:
~
The factory no longer falls under the Pilkington brand but rather that of the ubiquitous GKN - I believe aerospace glass continues to be made on site. I suspect that this building fell out of use with the collapse of MG Rover in 2005 (when Pilkingtons downsized its operations), although closure quite possibly predates this.
It also became apparent that a couple more buildings along the railway side are also derelict, and indeed have been for quite some time. It was these that we accessed first, and initially things were looking good - very dated, if perhaps a little trashed for my liking. In the larger building, however, the lack of any effective roof means that the manufacturing floor itself is so fucked as to be beyond interest. I must admit I was a little disappointed when we first entered - no clocks or enamels in sight! Fortunately things soon began to perk up, particularly when we ventured upstairs - I personally left extremely satisfied with what I had seen, though I'm not sure the same can be said for my companions!
I'll start upstairs:
Note the crates of windscreens, still padded with straw
Cont.
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