I've spent 10 years going back and to past that building, and recently, it's been sold and plans for development made public. Looking more closely at it now, I noticed small details that I'd never seen before - Quality Starts Here, Goods Inward, the red phone box in an alcove outside the building - and I began to think about the people that used to work there. The stories, the history, the livelihoods that were made there.
I wanted to get inside, so I made my enquiries and managed to set up a (legitimate) site visit. I know plenty of people have made their way in there by other means, but I wanted the luxury of a bit more time on the site to take in the atmosphere, as well as capturing it's last moments before demolition begins and it becomes Morrisons, or a hotel, or offices.
We arrived around 1pm, and once inside the gates, there was a palpable sense of excitement, waiting to get inside to shoot. Graham, security guard (and our guide) took us into the main area - No.7 Mould Line. The floor is grimy and slippery, but the sun was shining outside and from cracks in the roof, shafts of light illuminated the floor and created an eerie feeling in the building.
Looking around, it seems the upper level floors have been removed, so the height of the building is evident, and it's steel pillars create a picture not unlike the nave of a cathedral.
We wandered through the derelict space, looking for interesting angles, and at the same time, picking out the evidence of it's former glory. Signs still warn of 'High Voltage' and maintaining a safe speed, but the days are long since gone since anyone has driven a vehicle through there, or the building had any electricity.
The most interesting part for me was a room which was clearly home to some of the guys on the last day. Sprayed on the wall in red paint were the slogans "Goodbye Lads & All the Best" and "We Stood Together" - poignant reminders of the camaraderie of the men and women who worked there, and what the closing meant to them.
After a couple of hours, we had to leave the site. The security guard was on to his next job, although he perhaps should have been hanging around as an intruder was breaking in to continue stealing the copper that remains on the site.
I hope to return over the next few weeks. We've seen the main working part. I really hope to see the canteens, and places where those men who had written on the walls spent their breaks, to really bring to life the stories of the real people who were in that factory day in and day out.
No comments:
Post a Comment