Exploring - rw93

G Yorke and Sons, Broom Street Works, Stoke-on-Trent - September 2020

10 September 2020 - Posted in Exploring by tomr - Comments

There's already been a few reports on this place and I know a lot have visited, so nothing particularly new or exciting here. Just my take on it. Naturally I've spent a fair bit of time poking around this particular bit of Stoke, it's just around the corner from the Falcon Works and also neighbours Read more

Hudson & Middleton (Sutherland Works), Stoke on Trent - July 2020

07 August 2020 - Posted in Exploring by tomr - Comments

I'll start off by saying that this is a semi-permission visit, despite Hudson & Middleton having gone bust in 2017 the buildings have never been entirely derelict with parts being used by various other companies. One of the guys who is now using/living in some of the place allowed us to go for Read more

GEC/Alstom/GE High Voltage DC Testing Facility (Former Bull Hill Electricity Works), Stafford - July 2020

28 July 2020 - Posted in Exploring by tomr - Comments

The electrical industry has played a key part in the history of Stafford since the turn of the 20th century, when Siemens Bros. constructed a new factory for the heavy-current side of the business in 1903. The Stafford works were taken over by English Electric in 1919 becoming their main base of Read more

Tunstall Baths, Stoke-on-Trent - June 2020

24 June 2020 - Posted in Exploring by tomr - Comments

Another item ticked off on the long list of things to get around to looking at in Stoke. This one perhaps having been on the list for the longest, basically since it closed in 2011. The baths were opened in 1890, forming a part of the wider Victoria Institute complex, and still retained many of the Read more

Standon Hall Hospital/Beeches Care Home, Staffordshire - June 2020

23 June 2020 - Posted in Exploring by tomr - Comments

I tend to avoid residential/care homey stuff, they're not really up my street usually but after seeing the report the other week from this local one it seemed like it would be worth a look. The aforementioned report was lacking any sort of history which was a shame because after doing a bit of Read more

Bailey's Factory/Mill, Ilkeston - June 2020

16 June 2020 - Posted in Exploring by tomr - Comments

A bit of history courtesy of Heritage England: Lace and hosiery factory, now plastics factory. Possibly 1830s, and 1855. Red brick with gritstone dressings and quoins. Hipped tile roof. Four storeys. South elevation of 5-3-5 bays, the centre three advanced, with quoins and a dentilled pediment. Read more

Heanor Grammar School, Derbyshire - June 2020

08 June 2020 - Posted in Exploring by tomr - Comments

Quite an interesting building (the old parts at least), more recently used by Derby College it was originally constructed as the Heanor Grammar School in 1912, it ceased to be a school in 1976 and became an annex of South East Derbyshire College which was taken over by Derby College in 2010. The Read more

Springfield University Hospital, Tooting - January 2020

24 January 2020 - Posted in Exploring by tomr - Comments

The Asylum Act of 1808 encouraged the building of public hospitals. In the 1830s, Surrey magistrates decided to establish a county asylum. Building began in 1838 on Springfield Park, originally the site of an 18th Century mansion. The hospital opened on 15 June 1841 as the Surrey County Pauper Read more

Newcastle-under-Lyme Police Station - January 2020

12 January 2020 - Posted in Exploring by tomr - Comments

Newcastle-under-Lyme has had a number of police stations throughout it's history, this could probably be described as it's third. The first still stands on Water Street a little way out of the town centre, the second was on the High Street, demolished in the 1930's. This building on Merrial Street Read more

Bretby Brick & Stoneware Company (Klondyke Works), Swadlincote - October 2019

24 October 2019 - Posted in Exploring by tomr - Comments

All credit to _motionlessinmike for this one, I've not seen it crop up on here before so props to him and his local knowledge. Obviously being from the Potteries I just can't help but love pot banks, that being said I've never really ventured to Derby which also has an extensive pottery history, Read more