The Morris factory was in operation manufacturing vans up until 1926. From this point I'm a little hazy as to who actually used what when the works was split up. There was a cycle crank manufacturer, a Williams and co, X Ray, a rivet manufacturer, and in later years textile firms.
X Ray occupied what had been Morris's main office. They manufactured Non Destructive Test equipment, as well as offering a service to come to your factory and do it for you. The company is still in existence, moving from Smethwick in the 1990's.
The building is very grand, you can tell that it was once the flagship part of something much larger. I think the main room with an arched ceiling was the drawing office. It may or may not be coincidence that there are hundreds of drawings, dating from 1880 to 1920, of cranks, cotter pins and pedals drawn for the William's cycle crank co. Every old bike you can think of, Rover, Sunbeam, AJS, Raleigh, Enfield! I dont get why they are in what seems to have been part of X Ray's bit of the building, it's all very confusing. Perhaps the pine furniture land pirates that occupied the building last played swap round.
The work's manager's office is a wood paneled leaded windowed masterpiece! Lovely fireplace too, with beveled glass mirrors. As usual now all virtually destroyed...
There seems to be a huge arson problem in Smethwick atm. Wellman Furnaces, the building next door to X Ray, and another couple. I would not doubt X Ray will share the same fate. It is an very historic building, but lost in a sea of scrap yards, back street garages and derelict buildings
Cracking explore, I would recommend it to anyone in the W.M.
The site in 1926. The large factory buildings at the back were explored by myself and Raddog last year. They ended up as a shoe sweat shop before being demolished.
Here is the part of the site we are concerned about now anyway, the offices and sheds to the back of the offices.
Letter from Fairfield Shipbuilders. If you want to know more about them, Ben Cooper is your man
Bored of those pesky weeds? Use this baby and make it so nothing can ever grow in the soil ever again!
X Ray occupied what had been Morris's main office. They manufactured Non Destructive Test equipment, as well as offering a service to come to your factory and do it for you. The company is still in existence, moving from Smethwick in the 1990's.
The building is very grand, you can tell that it was once the flagship part of something much larger. I think the main room with an arched ceiling was the drawing office. It may or may not be coincidence that there are hundreds of drawings, dating from 1880 to 1920, of cranks, cotter pins and pedals drawn for the William's cycle crank co. Every old bike you can think of, Rover, Sunbeam, AJS, Raleigh, Enfield! I dont get why they are in what seems to have been part of X Ray's bit of the building, it's all very confusing. Perhaps the pine furniture land pirates that occupied the building last played swap round.
The work's manager's office is a wood paneled leaded windowed masterpiece! Lovely fireplace too, with beveled glass mirrors. As usual now all virtually destroyed...
There seems to be a huge arson problem in Smethwick atm. Wellman Furnaces, the building next door to X Ray, and another couple. I would not doubt X Ray will share the same fate. It is an very historic building, but lost in a sea of scrap yards, back street garages and derelict buildings
Cracking explore, I would recommend it to anyone in the W.M.
The site in 1926. The large factory buildings at the back were explored by myself and Raddog last year. They ended up as a shoe sweat shop before being demolished.
Here is the part of the site we are concerned about now anyway, the offices and sheds to the back of the offices.
Letter from Fairfield Shipbuilders. If you want to know more about them, Ben Cooper is your man
Bored of those pesky weeds? Use this baby and make it so nothing can ever grow in the soil ever again!
