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workshop in the jewellery quarter

Astoness said:
sorry no location or date to this one..no clues just the sight of a workman looking out

lyn

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Though much has been replaced in that area it’s still worth a look on Google Earth to see if anything stands out. I noticed the multiple, unequal pitched roofs of a factory in the background so I looked around Hockley for something similar and found what may be a possible candidate at 143 Hockley Hill. The factory building now houses Growth n’ Build Hydroponics, and if it were the same place then the site of the photo is where the Boulton Middlway now sits, the buildings to the side of the factory having been demolished. Of course this is a wild guess and I could be completely wrong.IMG_6246.jpegIMG_6245.jpegIMG_6248.jpeg
 
Some questions that went through my mind about the photo in post #1:
Can anyone date the photo by the style of the metal chimney lying on its side? Why would it be lying there ?
Can anyone date the sack truck and suggest a use ? Very heavy duty, so possibly for moving large/heavy items ?
Looks like a packing case (hexangonal) to the right. What would this be used for ?
The small leaded windows on the ground floor (behind the metal chimney) look blown, and the buildings themselves look dilapidated, so was this pre-demolition (1970s ish) ?
There's plastic guttering, when did that come into use ?
The workers clothing could easily be around 1970s/80s (V neck tee-shirt with waistcoat [?]) although difficult to tell without seeing the rest of the clothes.
 
Vivienne14 said:
Some questions that went through my mind about the photo in post #1:
Can anyone date the photo by the style of the metal chimney lying on its side? Why would it be lying there ?
Can anyone date the sack truck and suggest a use ? Very heavy duty, so possibly for moving large/heavy items ?
Looks like a packing case (hexangonal) to the right. What would this be used for ?
The small leaded windows on the ground floor (behind the metal chimney) look blown, and the buildings themselves look dilapidated, so was this pre-demolition (1970s ish) ?
There's plastic guttering, when did that come into use ?
The workers clothing could easily be around 1970s/80s (V neck tee-shirt with waistcoat [?]) although difficult to tell without seeing the rest of the clothes.
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The chimney on its side looks like a dust cyclone that been removed, they have been around for many years. The sack truck looks 70’s but again been around for many years.

The hexagonal thing may be a small furnace

The stormproof windows in the middle make it look like 70’s as does the plastic gutting.
 
brummy-lad said:
Godber's post #6 prompted me to look on britainfromabove.org, I think this is another contender.
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brummy-lad, I think you’re right. Looking at an online map dated 1944-1973 it seems perfectly plausible that the factory seen in the background is the “Cumberland Works” on Vittoria Street, and the low building the workman is looking out from is the “Light Engineering Works.” I’ve marked the current day position on a Google Earth image with a star. The building now situated there is constructed of a more modern brick, which then connects to the older one. As far as I can see it all adds up. Well done!
IMG_6336.jpegIMG_6337.jpegIMG_6339.jpegIMG_6340.jpegIMG_6341.jpeg
 
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