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Barker and Allen

I seem to remember that B & A was part of the Delta Metal Group of companies.
My mother was the works nurse on site during the middle sixties. It was there she met the man who later became my stepfather, Vic Lines. Vic was the works manager during the sixties and seventies. They married in the early seventies.
From memory, there were 2 gates to the factory site. One at the side of the Birmingham Arms and the second at the side of the Windmill pub which sat right opposite the main entrance to Dudley Road hospital.
 
What became the EIP Metals site was quite extensive. Much of the canal side part of that extensive factory has now been flattened.

This was the entrance before the demolition began.

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Thanks Ivor for the above updates,that wall seems to lead a charmed life.
Roger,that Windmill entrance was never used during my time there,76-83,everything went through the BA side.
I remember one Summer lunchtime about ten of us were sitting on the decking along the canal,where the acid treatment plant for the cleaners sat.A young lad and his girlfriend were walking on the other side of the water and lets just say,decided to get friendly.We couldn't resist letting our presence be known as they hadn't seen us,well before it went too far,and I would like to take this opportunity to say sorry on behalf of us all for spoiling their afternoon.
 
Great pic Heartland - the works entrance and the Birmingham Arms.
Davesd1 - I think the Windmill entrance must have been for office staff? I remember driving in that way with Vic on the odd occasion that I went into the offices with him.
Great story by the way!! :D
 
Thanks for the pic from me too Heartland.Roger,if you do get a chance to look up the EIP metals photo's on derelict places,they have some of the offices and the surgery entrance.
 
During the two years I worked at Barker and Allen's I was once asked to work a Saturday morning when all the rest of the workforce were on holiday. The reason for doing so was that I was small enough to get inside the boiler that faced the two furnaces in the big shop on Dudley Road. I had lots of people tell me what an important job it was. The foreman was called Albert. I would get paid twenty five pounds for four hours work. This was 1962. I was 20. I wasn't keen on doing it but the prospect f such a huge payment persuaded me to do it. The catch was that the work couldn't be done until the end of the first week of the two week break. The boiler would then be cold enough for me to enter. In the final week before the holiday even more people told me how great I was at doing such an important task. On the actual boiler cleaning day I met a couple of men from the maintenance department who donned me out with overalls and gloves and hat and scarf and goggles and nose and mouth guard. I could hardly move, let alone crawl inside the narrow opening. Nevertheless, I got inside the thing and did as I had been instructed it was pitch black inside and got murkier the more dust I pulled from the ceiling. Some time later I was told to get out and was given a cup of tea and two buttered toast from the cafe next to the Birmingham Arms. Then I was told to get back in and shovel the fallen dust and soot through the gap where the men would cart it away. At five to midday I was told to get out. Job accomplished! I had to wait an extra week to get my money because, of course, wages staff were on holiday. After stoppages I picked up £17/14/6d. Not only was I conned but I never saw any of the people whe had so eagerly urged me to carry out the work.
 
Ivor,you'd have expected them to have covered your stoppages,talk about mean.Obviously because of the type of work the place was thick with dust,inside and out.
I noticed the extractor fans on Metcast have ductings fitted on the photos.Whenever the furnaces were pouring, all the dust and fumes were extracted straight onto the driveway before these were installed.The fan blades would make a chopping noise it was that thick, and you couldn't see from one end to the other in the foundry during this time.
Another boiler that was a barrel of laughs,was the one that supplied the Mill side.Brilliant if it started first time,but grief when it didn't,which was quite regular.By the third attempt or so,you would get a blow-back and if you didn't run quick enough,you ended up looking like a black and white Minstrel.
 
Thanks Lyn.I thought the derelict site pictures were bad enough,but this takes it to the next level.The aerial view showing the foundry.And it looks like Charles Harbage who used to be next to the boiler house has been totally demolished.
When you think of the hive of activity that once took place on this site,i remember the board in the transport dept. saying we were Europes largest manufacturer in our field.
 
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From the Birmingham Daily Post 1970...The small print reads "The Chemical Catechism" by
Samuel Parkes, Tenth Edition, 1822.

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davesd1 said:
The original archway,was that the one you went through to get onto the car park?I never asked what that section did during my time at B&A,be interesting to know.
Worked there '76-'83,good times.
Click to expand...
I did my Apprenticeship around that time 77-81 Good times
 
With Mick mcgill ,Eroll, Ron Foster,Wiggy etc cant remember anymore ,i`m at Land Rover now where Mick has just finished and moved over to Ireland to be close to Spike :):) who left Land Rover about 6-8 years ago and moved over to Ireland also. Going to try and get over to see them soon
 
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That's a few of the gang Ben.Des Hicks,Paul Manku,Pete Lee.
Who can't forget Ronnie Banner in the stores and Les,Trevor Davies project and garage,Jack the hammer who used to regularly chop through electric cables,Little Sammy cleaning.
I'd found out recently that the place had been demolished after shutting down a few years back.
 
Yes,i have seen them.How many times I must have gone up those wooden staircases.You must have been in the old garage then with metal contours,wasn't the bloke who moved the stuff up from London called Geoff?
I can't remember who was still in the dept. when i left.I last saw Errol when i nearly knocked him down by the Mackadown pub.I shouted something like "Be careful where you're going young man" and he said sorry Dave,couldn't believe it was him.
John Mcgonagle,think that's right,was also an electrical apprentice,younger than Mick and Errol,used to be in a band playing UB40 stuff.
Do you remember going to Rhyl with Lol and Johnny Wright around '85 with Sutton Reds?
Lyn,wouldn't that bottle have been worth a few pennies if taken back?
 
Hi Richard,They certainly are.I remember dropping a fork lift truck battery plate on my foot and Trevor Davies from the garage carried me piggy-back through that surgery door,then hobbling over to Dudley Rd hospital.
 
davesd1 said:
Yes,i have seen them.How many times I must have gone up those wooden staircases.You must have been in the old garage then with metal contours,wasn't the bloke who moved the stuff up from London called Geoff?
I can't remember who was still in the dept. when i left.I last saw Errol when i nearly knocked him down by the Mackadown pub.I shouted something like "Be careful where you're going young man" and he said sorry Dave,couldn't believe it was him.
John Mcgonagle,think that's right,was also an electrical apprentice,younger than Mick and Errol,used to be in a band playing UB40 stuff.
Do you remember going to Rhyl with Lol and Johnny Wright around '85 with Sutton Reds?
Lyn,wouldn't that bottle have been worth a few pennies if taken back?
Click to expand...

God its all coming back now ,did you play darts with lol and john .I`ve got some pics somewhere from that trip.
yes the guy from London was called Geoff Bagg ??
 
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