After spending the day doing some nearby drains with @MotionlessMike it was time to head to some other underground site with slightly less poop.
This turned out to be quite the gem and a lot better than i was expecting.
After spending some time wondering around the wrong building and attracting the eyes of neighboring security we managed to find the way in.
Commonly refereed to as 'shadow tunnels', the place is more of an over rated storage area.
It seems that over the years a lot of the site has been demo'd but still worth a good wander.
history
In 1854. J.S. Nettlefold, a local screw manufacturer, modernized his business by incorporating American machinery and established the Heath Street Works in Smethwick with his brother-in-law, Joseph Chamberlain. The factory quickly became a market leader, expanding significantly as Nettlefolds Ltd.
Joseph Chamberlain contributed to the firm's success before departing in 1874 to enter politics. In 1880, the company became a limited entity and grew by acquiring the Birmingham Screw Co., which nearly matched the scale of Heath Street Works and led to further expansion in manufacturing diverse hardware products.
By the end of the 19th century, despite profit fluctuations, Nettlefolds merged with Guest, Keen & Co in 1902, forming Guest Keen & Nettlefolds Ltd. By World War I, the company produced over half the screws and a quarter of the nuts and bolts in the country, becoming Smethwick's largest employer and an industrial giant.
The headquarters at the 50-acre Heath Street Works managed by G.K.N. Screws and Fasteners Ltd in the late 1960s, along with several subsidiaries, marked the peak of its industrial influence.
This turned out to be quite the gem and a lot better than i was expecting.
After spending some time wondering around the wrong building and attracting the eyes of neighboring security we managed to find the way in.
Commonly refereed to as 'shadow tunnels', the place is more of an over rated storage area.
It seems that over the years a lot of the site has been demo'd but still worth a good wander.
history
In 1854. J.S. Nettlefold, a local screw manufacturer, modernized his business by incorporating American machinery and established the Heath Street Works in Smethwick with his brother-in-law, Joseph Chamberlain. The factory quickly became a market leader, expanding significantly as Nettlefolds Ltd.
Joseph Chamberlain contributed to the firm's success before departing in 1874 to enter politics. In 1880, the company became a limited entity and grew by acquiring the Birmingham Screw Co., which nearly matched the scale of Heath Street Works and led to further expansion in manufacturing diverse hardware products.
By the end of the 19th century, despite profit fluctuations, Nettlefolds merged with Guest, Keen & Co in 1902, forming Guest Keen & Nettlefolds Ltd. By World War I, the company produced over half the screws and a quarter of the nuts and bolts in the country, becoming Smethwick's largest employer and an industrial giant.
The headquarters at the 50-acre Heath Street Works managed by G.K.N. Screws and Fasteners Ltd in the late 1960s, along with several subsidiaries, marked the peak of its industrial influence.
