# Coalbrookdale foundry,aga cookers..Shropshire



## Mikeymutt (Jan 20, 2018)

The coalbrookdale iron works had been situated in the iron gorge in Shropshire for over three hundred years.seen as the founders of the industrial revolution after being the first to use coke fire blast furnaces which speeded up the production of iron.generations of families have worked at the foundry.the last company to survive there was aga/range master which sold out to an American company in 2015 but they decided that the foundry was not needed anymore.so the decision was decided to close the plant in November.and all work would be done at there main works in ketley with cast oven parts being brought in from abroad.the foundry is being stripped at an alarming rate and with in a short time will be a shell.the workers turned up to be told they were not needed anymore as the plant was shutting a week early,the owners in America got wind of people coming to support them and told them to get off site as quick as possible as they did not want the bad publicity.the workers shut the gates and tied boots to them.so ending over three hundred years of industrial work there were industry began...visited here with zedstar over the festive period.the place has a real sad feel to it being an end of an era in a great industrial part of the country.its a sad thing with big foreign companies coming in and stripping our assets by moving them abroad or moving all the works into one area and then out sourcing for other works,but I guess its a sign of the times.thanks to prettyvacant for the heads up on this one.

The workers boots on the gates




The machine shop.this is fairly stripped now but a few of the large drills still in there













Storage area for the finished castings













Some big grinders.for smoothing the cast parts I would presume
















Heading to the furnace area.this was above the cupulas.







Delivery bay for the iron to be melted down




Looking to the number two cupula with number one in front of it



















Rails run around the factory with trolleys on them to transpart the molten metal
















The foremans desk






















The main casting area had low conveyors to move the casyings about







Castings laid out on the floor




Some sort of heat proof coat






















This seems to be a load of the rough cast all melted together

























As we entered the bath house all the lights came on from the sensors,and the heating still worked.sad to see the clothes still hanging there













Over a bit of wasteland is an older part of the foundry but has been derelict for years.we had to be careful going across here as we were in full view of seccas window,but I liked this bit with the old lights and greenery in there.


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## HughieD (Jan 21, 2018)

Sad shorty. Fab pix. That's a stunner of a report (again) Mikey.


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## krela (Jan 21, 2018)

love it, thanks Mikey.


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## lucan (Jan 21, 2018)

the older section in the last few pics is known as the wing shop, lancaster wings were made there during the war , its not actualy owned by aga , the musium trust own that part of the site and the row of emty pauper houses opposite


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## UrbandonedTeam (Jan 21, 2018)

Nice report. Looks a little more stripped than when i last saw a report of it


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## Dirus_Strictus (Jan 21, 2018)

Very nice set Mikey. Convert the images to Black and White and one would think that they had been taken in the 1920's/30's - Which is why, of course, this place was shut down and production moved abroad - bugger investment, as long as shareholders get their dividend. The picture of castings laying on the floor are in fact wooden patterns that were used to make the impressions in the mould boxes. The grinding wheel machines were used to remove the remains of the solidified feed sprue from the edge of a casting.


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## Sam Haltin (Jan 21, 2018)

A superb set of images but the place looks as if it has been tidied up a bit. Can't beat a bit of industrial photography.


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## BikinGlynn (Jan 21, 2018)

Nice pics Mikey, it looks like a lot has been cleared since the first report?
I was planning to head up the weekend after next, but wondering if there is anything left now?


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## MD (Jan 21, 2018)

Nicely done mate


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## Mikeymutt (Jan 22, 2018)

Thank you all and I did hear they made Lancaster wings here.glad I got to see the building they were made in.no wonder it's so long..i think the place is being stripped as we speak.and quickly..thank you ds there seemed to be quite a bit of modern machinery in there.but I did wonder if the grinders were used for that.bet they were a big stone in there.would hate to have to change one ha ha


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## prettyvacant71 (Mar 10, 2018)

Love the bathhouse shots!


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