Report - Sunbeamland, Wolverhampton - 7/10/2009

[Adders]

Visited with Locash. Many thanks to Raddog & Dweeb for the heads up.

Like most other Midlands explorers we've recced this place on a number of occasions, and despite seeing an opening a couple of months ago didn't have the cah00ns to go for it. Wish I had though, as this place is great on such a grand scale, despite it being majorly stripped out the entire building with its' central courtyard is an amazing piece of architecture. It's sad to think that the local council (?) don't agree with us and refuse to list the building.

But still, it was a nice walk around, apart from having to make a slight abrupt exit when we saw contractors walking around the courtyard below us

Sunbeam was founded by John Marston, who was born in Ludlow, Shropshire, U.K. in 1836 of a minor landowning family. In 1851 at age 15, he was sent to Wolverhampton to be apprenticed to Edward Perry as a japanware manufacturer. At the age of 23 he left and set up his own japanning business, John Marston Ltd, making any and every sort of domestic article. He did so well that when Perry died in 1871, Marston took over his company and incorporated it in his own.

The company began making bicycles, and on the suggestion of his wife Ellen, Marston adopted the trademark brand "Sunbeam". Consequently, the Paul Street works were called Sunbeamland.

Anyway, enough blabber.