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Report - - Yorkshire Chemical Company, a celebration of the company | Industrial Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Yorkshire Chemical Company, a celebration of the company

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dweeb

28DL Regular User
Regular User
Yorkshire Chemical was a huge company. Many people from this site have had the pleasure of exploring it's mammoth sites. With demolition starting at the Hunslet Road site, I have really concentrated on documenting this fantastic industrial site. This thread is a potted history of the company, with not only my own photographs but also some of the historical stuff I have discovered while exploring. Once again I have found that the history that took so many years and hard work to create is readily forgotten, and photos and archives are left in the decaying factory destined for the landfill... a shame.

So, Yorkshire chemical and Dyeware co was an amalgamation of 5 companies. The founder was a noted chemest and invented a unique yellow and purple dye. The comapny expanded rapidly in the 10's and 20's.

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The company founder.
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Kirkstall Road site in the 1930's
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By the 1930's the company was huge, creating natural and synthetic dyes for a huge range of markets. The works was extended greatly at this time. The comapny's "Fast blue" , and an organic yellow dye were best sellers. More and more synthetic products were being invented to replace organic dyes used previously.

The first batch of "fast blue" being mixed, 1942
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Yourshire Dye and Chem's Home Guard Unit, 1942.
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The 1950's and 60's saw more growth, with the factory expanding again. The works was one of the most efficient and modern in Europe. All was good for the company.

In the 1970's the company ceased trading under "Yorkshire Chemical and Dyeware Ltd" and went to "Yorkshire Chemical PLC". A nice touch was to modify rather than scrap the old company symbol.

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But this did not last. The 1970's through to the 2000's were all plain sailing. But by 2006 the profits had dropped substantialy. The works were closed for good, leaving them empty. They were vandalised and pillaged, to leave the huge looming derelict industry we see today. Soon these will be demolished, and little trace of the company will remain.

HUNSLET ROAD SITE. Like Kirkstall road was the site of one of the original amalgamated comapny's premesis. The works was flattened and rebuilt more tahn once, to leave it with the huge and looming building we see today. The site was purley manufacture, with testing labs in the portacabin style buildings at it's base.


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dweeb

28DL Regular User
Regular User
Re: Yorkshire Chemical Company, a celebration of the company.

KIRKSTALL ROAD SITE. Is a mix of very very old, 1940's, 50's 60's and 80's architecture. It was the company's main labs, works and offices. The site has been developed many times, with old parts remaining. It is by no means a beautiful building, but will be of interest to anyone with an eye for architecture. The offices have deteriated terribly in the short time left empty.

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Interesting stone, obv removed from a demolished building and re-instated. Anyone know what it may mean?
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Some old pics of the bridge In the above shot, and a 20,000 year old boar scull found during construction!!

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I hope you enjoyed the pics.
 
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