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Urban exploring buildings in & around Brum

Virusman26

Virusman26

master brummie
Hey all,

Just as a quick post, I'm an urban explorer who is trying to document our buildings before they are demolished. There are far too many amazing old places that are being knocked down for no reason other than they are no longer "trendy". The following are links to my Flickr account, and some of the hundreds of buildings in and around Brum that are being lost forever!!!

J.N. Miller flour mill, Wolverhampton
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157603886388623/

West Heath TB sanatorium
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157603929047621/

Corngreave Hall, Dudley
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157604017376316/

Former Foster, Rosterick and Co foundry that built the first steam angine to run in the USA
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157604383753646/

Pearce and Cutler glass
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157604070648306/

Progressive Engineering, Legge Lane
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157604228667898/

Bewdley Servern Valley Railway graveyard
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157605993536492/

Water pumping station, Halesowen
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157606397043735/

Sloane House, Sloane Street Birmingham
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157606398142577/

Lallians Mill, Cato Street North
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157607039742722/

Dudley Road Workhouse
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157608768768002/

Wordsley Hospital
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157609212114898/

Birmingham Battery and Metal Company, Selly Oak
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157612024268442/

Edit. Related link https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/birmingham-battery-and-metal-company-selly-oak-01-03-2009.t38355


G.S Smart and Company, Moesley Road
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157611971801925/

RDB Interiors, Dudley
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157612395507147/

R.S.A Birmingham Limited, Porchester Street
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157612443291218/
Thats just a few of the places I've tried to document. Hope that is of some help to anyone trying to find something about these places!

Neil
 
Hi Virusman26:

Thanks for posting those links in reference to buildings that can be demolished before too long. From what I have read about Urban Explorers, it is a very dangerous pursuit in most cases. However, if people like yourself didn't take notice of these buildings being threatened with demolition there would be no record of how their demise came about.
 
Thanks for the reply jennyann!

To be honest, you would be suprised at how well kept some of these buildings actually are!! We are regarded quite low on the table of living objects, so to be accepted is quite a gift!!! We just want to save these places from the wrecking ball by capturing what is or was in a certain place. If the counrty carries on the way it is, we won't have any historically important economic or social buildings left. Just a load of stuffy museums that teach nothing about our social past to the next generation.
 
Something very sad - but also intriguing about these deserted buildings.

Did you ever find any objects worth saving?

I have heard stories in the past whereby people have just walked away and abandoned old company documents, photographs etc. etc.

T
 
re Smarts,
thank you very much for that, i used to work there doing welding garden furniture in about 1962.

shardeen
 
Virusman26: Your efforts are very much appreciated and your photos are excellent. An insight into these aspects of local history will stand as a digital archive for future generations.
Stay safe!
 
Thanks for the kind comments all!!

Tacitus, there are generally quite a lot of artifacts worth saving, but the risk of being branded a petty criminal and arrested for theft is not something we could live with. Smarts was full of brand new Argos type furniture, and was a gold mine to prospective theives. Such a shame. There have been a couple of small items like pen nib boxes from the jewellery quarter and letter heads that are mainly worthless to anyone else that may have found a way into a pocket here and there..........

shardeen, I'm glad you liked the shots. I'm going back to shoot the office section to the building, the white frontage. Did you ever go in there during your time there? It looked like a hospital in that part, but we got no photo's as it was pitch black, and an alarm kept tweeting at us!!!

shavedfish49, Thanks for that. I'm glad to see more people appreciate what we do. You can get a bad press doing this, but to people who care about our history, they can be like a time machine!!!
 
I think sometimes the risks are worth it when you see the results. There are many here who have done things not quite PC to preserve some history that otherwise would be lost. No Names! I am sure you have a lot of support may it be anonymous as people do get worried about these pursuits. I just hope you take great care and don't hurt yourselves while in these often dangerous buildings. For the sake of history well done we do appreciate it! This bit of history would be lost forever and not seen.
 
LOL! We are VERY careful where-ever we go, but Exploring the old Battery and Metal company, my exploring partner went through a rotten section of floor, then in G.S.Smart(on the same day) I split my head open on a huge part of the sprinkler system that had collapsed!!! OOOPS, but So worth it when you get out in one piece!!!
 
Oh dear now I am worried. My friend is a co ordinator for the Birmingham British Red Cross, should I ask her to be on standby.....lol
 
If you want to see more Google 28dl It is an urbex forum. A very interesting site with some wonderful photograhy. Their motto is " Take only photographs, Leave only footprints". The senior members push safety very hard. Taking anything from a building is a very big NoNo. You will find lots of photos of the Midlands and can freely browse their reports. Some of the site is restricted, they need to be a little secretive, but it does not affect your enjoyment of the reports and photos. Not everyone wants to forget our history.
 
I am sorry I have not mastered the art of putting direct links into messages. This box of tricks spends most of its time baffling me.
 
Thank you mikejee for getting me out of a hole. Must learn to do that. Virusman posts his stuff on there. I am to old to go urbexing.
 
No problem Arkrite.... Great to have you and Mike has filled in for the link. Thanks Mike...star as always.
We are not computer wizards or witches for that matter.
 
Sad to see the Birmingham Battery like that remember working there when it was still a viable company I pass by most days and still am reminded
icon9.gif
 
Hello Virusman ,seen your posts and have been Armchair Urbexing for quite a while. Thanks to people like you we see sights and scenes not normaly available to the general public. Someone climbed a high crane at the Q.E at the early stages of construction. I was visiting my mrs that night. Great photos. Keep up the great work and dont let the alsatians bite.
 
Arkrite said:
Hello Virusman ,seen your posts and have been Armchair Urbexing for quite a while. Thanks to people like you we see sights and scenes not normaly available to the general public. Someone climbed a high crane at the Q.E at the early stages of construction. I was visiting my mrs that night. Great photos. Keep up the great work and dont let the alsatians bite.
Click to expand...
Do you know what, when my wife was in the QE having our gorgeous little girl last September, all I could think when looking out the window at the new hospital was"Ibet the view is amazing from up there!" But I'm not into the tall stuff. Unless it's really old!!! LOL
You should get out and give it a try. Honestly, most places are just left open and you can stroll in off the street!!!!
 
Virusman26 said:
Hey all,

Just as a quick post, I'm an urban explorer who is trying to document our buildings before they are demolished. There are far too many amazing old places that are being knocked down for no reason other than they are no longer "trendy". The following are links to my Flickr account, and some of the hundreds of buildings in and around Brum that are being lost forever!!!

J.N. Miller flour mill, Wolverhampton
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157603886388623/

West Heath TB sanatorium
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157603929047621/

Corngreave Hall, Dudley
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157604017376316/

Former Foster, Rosterick and Co foundry that built the first steam angine to run in the USA
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157604383753646/

Pearce and Cutler glass
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157604070648306/

Progressive Engineering, Legge Lane
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157604228667898/

Bewdley Servern Valley Railway graveyard
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157605993536492/

Water pumping station, Halesowen
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157606397043735/

Sloane House, Sloane Street Birmingham
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157606398142577/

Lallians Mill, Cato Street North
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157607039742722/

Dudley Road Workhouse
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157608768768002/

Wordsley Hospital
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157609212114898/

Birmingham Battery and Metal Company, Selly Oak
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157612024268442/

G.S Smart and Company, Moesley Road
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157611971801925/

RDB Interiors, Dudley
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157612395507147/

R.S.A Birmingham Limited, Porchester Street
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157612443291218/
Thats just a few of the places I've tried to document. Hope that is of some help to anyone trying to find something about these places!

Neil
Click to expand...

Neil, I have nothing but the utmost respect for what you and your colleagues are doing. The pictures and reminders would never be available without the input of you and yours.
Go safely, be sure of your escape route and grin broadly, young man.
RESPECT!

Ian
 
welder said:
Neil, I have nothing but the utmost respect for what you and your colleagues are doing. The pictures and reminders would never be available without the input of you and yours.
Go safely, be sure of your escape route and grin broadly, young man.
RESPECT!

Ian
Click to expand...

Thanks for the warm comment Ian. I'm actually quite shocked at the general positive reponse to what we do. I must admit, that my old man has been great with pointing out possible explores around Brum. He worked for the old Bullpitts/Swan company that is now an NHS site, and was involved with the Saint George works, and Crocodile works too. I've only seen a little bit of the latter factory, as it's mostly been pulled down. Such a shame.

All this history is being demolished for no apparent reason(West Heath hospital was demolished over a year ago, and is still wasteland) and I want to capture it for those of us that actually think it's disappearance is a BAD thing :(
 
Oh, and just out of interest, I appeared on the BBC's inside out last year, doing what we do. It's a bit lame, and they edited in a way so we didn't really get the message across about why we do it. Anyway, here's the video............

[ame="https://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AdrxdnGDAPg&feature=channel_page"]YouTube - Urban Exploration on Inside out[/ame]
 
I'm afraid I can only give a lukewarm comment on your activities, because I used to work with people who were actually paid to survey derelict buildings and try to find a future use for them. Sadly our society has changed, and in the case of industrial buildings, nobody could sell, let alone make, the products which were were being manufactured in the past. The same goes for most shops, because the older buildings are no longer suitable for their original purpose. Even the pubs are having a hard time, although most of the Birmingham ones were well updated around 1900, thank Heavens.
I hate to see good buildings pulled down to be replaced by rubbish (or - even worse - by nothing), and I love to look at and enjoy the workmanship, knowledge and dedication that went into some of the older buildings, BUT we can't live in a museum land of derelict fossils.
I don't think the picture isw all that grim - just look at what the Victorian Society is doing, for example. There is still room for action, but it mustn't be negative. We have to find a use for all our resources.
Peter
 
Peter Walker said:
we can't live in a museum land of derelict fossils.
I don't think the picture isw all that grim
Click to expand...

I totally agree that change should and will happen, but when you see most of the well know Jewellry Quarter in Brum falling apart, and nothing being done about it, that makes you wonder who actually cares about our future, and our past. The way the current economic climate is going, there will be many more derelict, but modern buildings, that can be used for other types of work. Agreed.
The Victorian buildings that were specialised are abundant, and very fragile at this point. If they can be saved and re-used, great. If not, then redevelopment is the only answer. Agreed.
The fact that so many of these amazing, and in many cases hugley important buildings are being lost through ignorance of our history is quite disgusting.
 
I know it's not a building but I am glad to say the magnificent gate posts at Key Hill cemetery on Ickneild Street are in the process of being restored.
 
Thanks for the video.
I was in that Legge lane building a couple weeks ago, I really enjoyed myself.
I wished I'd got in to doing this when I was younger.
 
I'm looking for several buildings if they still exist. I'm certain some do not.
1841: 99 Aston
1851: 77 Constitution Hill
1861/1871 : 77 & 78 Constitution Hill
1881: 86(?) Barber St off Lozell's Rd
1881: 69 Burbury St
1891: 202 Lozell's Rd
1891: 6 South Rd
 
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