The old Bootle Tanning Co building stands at the junction of Well lane and Waterworks streets. It was built around 1900 (see picture below) but I have so far been unable to find out when it closed. Apparently this factory and several others were built in this area due the local water supply, as the street names suggest, and the smell from the tanning plant “could be sensed hundreds of yards away”. The original buildings have been extended at some later date and a new block ‘Alsol House’ added to the north. This block houses a company that distributes Halloween costumes, Christmas ornaments and the like. Part of the ground floor of the old site is also used for packaging and storage of this type of stuff, and the odd item has migrated to other parts of the building. The area explored is outlined in red.
I was initially hoping there may be some remnants of the tanning process left, but in fact all that remains is a large, rather oddly shaped warehouse. The older parts are what one would expect - cast iron pillars, wooden floors and brickwork with rounded corners. The place is heavily fortified, with many of the windows bricked up or covered in corrugated sheeting, and apart from some ground floor storage, does not appear to have been used for decades. Dereliction is slowly setting in - parts of one of the courtyard roofs has collapsed, the lift shaft tower has a large crack near the top and there are plenty of pigeons. Pictures start in the half-basement and unoccupied part of the ground floor and move up to the top floors, which are the most attractive spaces.
Old petrol pump in the courtyard outside.
Half-basement in the old part - pitch black down here.
Many sets of stairs and conveyor belts connect the floors.
Strangely wedge-shaped corridors producing the odd roof plan.
Some excellent 1950’s wall paper. Not sure what one would call the black and white number below - neoclassically-inspired indian restaurant (1980’s)?
Some nice metal-faced wooden fire doors in this place.
Attic rooms on the top floors.
I was initially hoping there may be some remnants of the tanning process left, but in fact all that remains is a large, rather oddly shaped warehouse. The older parts are what one would expect - cast iron pillars, wooden floors and brickwork with rounded corners. The place is heavily fortified, with many of the windows bricked up or covered in corrugated sheeting, and apart from some ground floor storage, does not appear to have been used for decades. Dereliction is slowly setting in - parts of one of the courtyard roofs has collapsed, the lift shaft tower has a large crack near the top and there are plenty of pigeons. Pictures start in the half-basement and unoccupied part of the ground floor and move up to the top floors, which are the most attractive spaces.
Old petrol pump in the courtyard outside.
Half-basement in the old part - pitch black down here.
Many sets of stairs and conveyor belts connect the floors.
Strangely wedge-shaped corridors producing the odd roof plan.
Some excellent 1950’s wall paper. Not sure what one would call the black and white number below - neoclassically-inspired indian restaurant (1980’s)?
Some nice metal-faced wooden fire doors in this place.
Attic rooms on the top floors.
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