Archived Report - Birmingham Battery and Metal Co - Jan 08

[dweeb]

The Birmingham Battery was once a large works, which produced copper and other non ferrous tube, wire and plate. The works has been demolished long ago, but the large and grand offices which served the works still stand.

We have driven past this place more times than I have had hot dinners, and Raddog has always convinced me that it's time had been and gone. But I never got rid of the curiosity. Today I was driving past alone, no Raddog to convince me not to stop, so I did.
The offices were once extremley grand, and other than natural decay have changed little in many many years. I was amazed to find paperwork from over 100 years ago, some of which was simply amazing. I spent over an hour in one room reading through it, expanding my knowledge of how our ancestors did business. Things were so long winded, and E-mail had totally killed the way we once talked to the people we do business with. Another thing that always strikes me is the beauty and attention that was taken in letter heads, some of them were simply beautiful.
In the loft space were the old stores, still scattered with paperwork reminding me what would have been housed in there. I spent 3 hours in the one building, and loved every second of it...

The first floor corridor, with walk in safe on the left




Just one of the beautiful letterheads that had been left on the office floors.




Telephone exchange, I'd guess circa 1960's






Some form of sorting machine, the "Alpha Sorter"


Ledger, dating from the 1930's through to the early 50's. Some of the writing was beautiful.














This little fella seemed right at home


At the back of one of the desks








Locally manufactured toilet