• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

Lucas Factory, Shaftmoor Lane Site, Demolition Pics...

D

Derelict-UK

master brummie
Thanks goes out to Jackie Hill for organising this visit (I shall get a CD of images out to you ASAP)

The last time I was here it was nearly 2 months ago, and it was a complete (though stripped and bare) factory and all walls standing.

When I was walking around, I asked the site manager if he had found any underground factories as I heard that there was a shadow factory and he said the place was littered with bunkers and the shadow factory with a warren of tunnels. This said, he also told me that when moving their heavy machinery into the site, they had to break through and fill them in as otherwise their vehicles would have fallen through!!

As it was an official visit, I could not go some places I would of liked to do as Health and Safety got in the way, but tbh I'm not complaining and respect the time the site manager took to take me round.

Pics...

dsc8562.jpg


dsc8565.jpg


dsc8567.jpg


One of the underground rooms still visible...

dsc8568.jpg


dsc8617.jpg


dsc8572.jpg


This was apparently the deepest basement they found (now filled in) but there are still tunnels and small rooms you can see that join on to it just at the sides of the rubble...

dsc8573.jpg


dsc8576.jpg


Stairs up to the cafe...

dsc8578.jpg


The cafe...

dsc8580m.jpg


dsc8581z.jpg


dsc8582.jpg


dsc8586.jpg


View back on to the site...

dsc8587.jpg


dsc8588y.jpg


dsc8594.jpg


dsc8597.jpg


dsc8599.jpg


dsc8601.jpg


dsc8603a.jpg


The pile of rubble in the distance is another underground room...

dsc8605.jpg


dsc8607.jpg


dsc8609.jpg


dsc8613.jpg


dsc8636.jpg


dsc8729.jpg



D-UK
 
When i looked at this thread this morning i was absolutely shocked and saddened for the the workers whose hard work & skills helped make Joseph Lucas, Shaftsmoor Lane a success story. RIP Joseph Lucas, Shaftsmoor Lane. Len.
 
lencops said:
When i looked at this thread this morning i was absolutely shocked and saddened for the the workers whose hard work & skills helped make Joseph Lucas, Shaftsmoor Lane a success story. RIP Joseph Lucas, Shaftsmoor Lane. Len.
Click to expand...
Yes a lot of us thought the same about G.K.S. What a wast of a good building. G.K.S. was in the right place and big enough to have replaced the science museum and Dolman St stores.
 
Hi Mike

Congratulations you have taken some brilliant photos of the site

Although is very sad to see the factory you have worked in most of your life reduced to a load of rubble, I'm glad we have had the chance to get photos of the demolition

If only I had know of you Mike when they first started, you would have been able to go in the tunnels, but at least you where able to get in before it was completly flattened

Thanks again for the brilliant photos

Jackie
 
Wonderful set of photographs from a very sad day, but thats progress
i suppose.

I do recognise some of the interiors, i worked in BW3 when i left school
in 1966, and my late Father did thirteen years there, from around 1947.

It's a pity a small area couldn't have been kept to show the Lucas
heritage, but maybe Great King Street should have had that honour.


cheers Neville..
 
Hi Neville

I agree with everything you've said

I'm trying to get something put on the Shaftmoor Lane site when its redeveloped to make sure that people will always know it was the site of a Lucas Factory

I run the web site www.lucasmemories.co.uk
and I hope this will keep the memories of all the Lucas Factories alive

If you have any photos of your or your fathers time at Lucas and would like to share them I would be more than happy to put them on the site

Jackie
 
Jackie Hill said:
Hi Neville

I agree with everything you've said

I'm trying to get something put on the Shaftmoor Lane site when its redeveloped to make sure that people will always know it was the site of a Lucas Factory

I run the web site www.lucasmemories.co.uk
and I hope this will keep the memories of all the Lucas Factories alive

If you have any photos of your or your fathers time at Lucas and would like to share them I would be more than happy to put them on the site

Jackie
Click to expand...

Hello Jackie,

Sorry i don't have any photos, well except for one taken of me by a colleague in about 1967, not sure where that is now though.

I did have a whole pile of 'Reflections' magazines which i
only threw out a couple of years ago, i wish i'd kept them now.

Can remember lots of names though, although i suspect most will
be long gone, it was over forty years ago.

Funny how you can remember certain individuals from nearly half
a century ago, but can't find my specs from half an hour ago..

Neville.
 
hi all..just caught up with this thread...great pics mike even though sad ones....i agree with you about gks..i grew up with that building staring me in the face and whats its been replaced with....nowt....never learn will they..

Cheers

lyn
 
I too am catching up with this thread have just made a comment about our city planners knocking down some of our heritage so many of these great and useful buildings gone to waste and for what progress ??
 
I can remember the houses in Spring road being demolished,to enable the buildings now being demolished to build houses,to be built. Here we go round the mullberry bush.
 
I would like to see photos of site when it is fully cleared.just so that
i can have a good think about where i used to walk in all the departments
in bw3 and bw5 and bw4 all those years i worked at shaftmoor lane as far
back as 1948 .
Thanks.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Norman did you know either Rene Russell of Grace Pagett in your time there?
 
I remember a lady name of Rene when i was in BW3, she was the managers secretary in the department i worked in.

Didn't ever find out her surname though..


regards Neville..
 
bernie d'boult said:
norman did you know either rene russell of grace pagett in your time there?
Click to expand...
bernie. I did not know any woman . Because i always worked permanent nights. I worked on big autoes
in bw3 for the last eleven years from 1969 to 1981 till they made us redundant.. I am waiting now for
photos of complete ground clearence so that i can have a good remenice about old memories.
Norman salter.
 
ABSOLUTELY. AN INCREDIBLE, MIND NUMBING WASTE.
THERE ARE SO MANY USES SUCH AN IMMENSE SPREAD COULD HAVE BEEN PUT TO.
AS SUGGESTED AN HUGE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MUSEUM SPRINGS TO MIND.
SINCE THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AVOWS 50% THE POPULATION SHOULD ATTEND FURTHERE EDUCATION, THEN ADEQUATE SCOPE.
IT AS THOUGH ALIEN FORCES ARE AT WORK TO WREAK DESTRUCTION.

FASCINATING ABOUT THE SHADOW FACTORY.
SURELY THAT WAS EXAMINED AND PHOTOGRAPHED?

LUCAS CLOSED THE PLANT AND RELOCATED TO SOUTH AFRICA.
QUITE WHAT THE REASON WAS I KNOW NOT. OBVIOUSLY ABUNDANT CHEAP LABOUR.
PERHAPS EASIER ACCESS THE AMERICAS AND ASIA.

AT LEAST 3k OPERATIVES WERE LAID OFF. THE SPINOFF EFFECT ON THE IMMEDIATE ECONOMY MUST HAVE BEEN IMMENSE.

too fantastic to contemplate as stupidity
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top