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Report - - Leatherworks, Walsall, 19/02/08 - | Industrial Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Leatherworks, Walsall, 19/02/08 -

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Raddog

...
28DL Full Member
Me & dweeb found ourselves in Walsall yesterday after following some leads which for various reasons couldn't be done. On the way to one of these, other stuff was literally everywhere, and so many flattened areas of crushed brick that it pains me to think what we've missed.

The dereliction radar was working well, and spotting some broken windows we eventually stumbled into this timecapsule through a nondescript door on a city street.

Walsall became a centre of leather working and saddlemaking in the 1800's after the local coalfields were exhausted, the town today has pretty much lost this industry but the workshops can be seen, converted to other uses. It would have been like the jewellery quarter in Birmingham, lots of tiny workshops with rows of people cutting and making up the leather goods.

This place was ridiculously needle ridden on the groundfloor, but a time capsule all the same. Where floorboards were missing there were thousands of leather offcuts in the space below. Three tiny stories, but amazingly atmospheric, if a bit stripped out.

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This was actually 1970's Miners Strikes:
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Amazing to see, behind the stripped plaster, a sign that would have been on the end of the pub next door before this building was built.
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Brick_Man

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Re: Leatherworks, Walsall, 19/02/08 - REPORT

haha, really enjoy seeing classic signwritten stuff like that appear from behind old render & plaster, its often not around for long before the weather gets it, or its replastered/rendered back over again.

Did that door really say 'walk in'? mega.
 

A man called Martyn

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Re: Leatherworks, Walsall, 19/02/08 - REPORT

Great stuff.the last bit of coal mining in walsall was on the site of the former corporation of Walsall power station at Reedswood.which ceased work in the late 1990s
 

Lurk

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Re: Leatherworks, Walsall, 19/02/08 - REPORT

I'm from Walsall, and like you say a lot of rubble everywhere...there has been a lot of demo going on for the new ring road, and a lot of old building and pubs have been demoed.

Walsall College is shutting soon, when I find the exact date I'll put it on leads and Rumours.

Good report and thanx for sharing.
 

Alley

Conspicuous Loiterer
Regular User
Re: Leatherworks, Walsall, 19/02/08 - REPORT

I like the newspaper juxtaposition. Nice find
:)
 
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