# Stanley Tools, Sheffield - June 2012



## WarlockUK (Jun 29, 2012)

*History:*

Originaly 1843, Frederick Stanley started a small shop in New Britain, Connecticut, to manufacture bolts, hinges, and other hardware from wrought iron. With superior quality, consistent innovation, and rigorous operational improvement, Stanley’s company defined excellence, and so did his products.

The Stanley Rule and Level Company was founded in 1857 by Henry Stanley in New Britain, Connecticut. In 1920, this company merged with the separate but related Stanley Works, founded by Henry Stanley's cousin Frederick Trent Stanley, and continued operating as its hand tools division.

Stanley has been in Sheffield since 1937 with the acquisition of J.A Chapmans of Sheffield In 2008, the company consolidated a number of sites into a new facility at Hellaby near Rotherham, which apparently safeguarded a number of jobs, brought manufacture of Stanley products back to the UK from Asia.

Since 2008 the site in Sheffield has been vacant but currently, part of the bottom floor is rented for storage whilst the rest of the site is used for Airsoft most weekends. 

*Visit:*

I wanted to mooch around the Firth Brown Medical Centre but security quizzed me when I tried the car park and the police helicopter was circling above me by the wall so I thought I'd save that for another day - besides; I had to pick the missus up and there wasn't too much time anyway.

So; to pop my newbie cherry I paid a nice, easy visit to Stanley Tools in Sheffield - didn't have much time to spend in there but plan to pop back at some point.

I know it's been done to death but you've got to start somewhere I guess.

With the site being used for Airsoft CQB at the weekends there's BBs all over the place and loads of noisy canvas panels used for cover blowing about in there.

When I came out I went to have a look in the main reception building but a chap came out of there; "Are you an urban explorer" he asked; which threw me a little - I was expecting more of a "What are you doing here?!?"

He was really nice and didn't care if I was taking pictures at all and told me where some nice bits of the building were should I want to come back.

Had a lengthy chin-wag with him and then had to go so I didn't get in the main bit - save that for another day.

*Pictures:*





































Found these in a fridge - expiry date on the top one was October 2003





This was on the second floor?

























Full-size: Stanley Tools, June 2012 on Flickr


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## sonyes (Jun 29, 2012)

Nice shots, great place isn't it!


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## UEP-Wales (Jun 30, 2012)

Fantastic shots there!

Welcome to the forum


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## WarlockUK (Jun 30, 2012)

It was nice for my initiation into the world of urbex I guess, really interesting place but I wish I'd have seen it years ago before it got trashed and the airsoft lads moved in as they've made it their own (understandably).

I still plan to go back but have researched a few more locations to have a mooch around in Sheffield.


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## flyboys90 (Jun 30, 2012)

That was a great first report,thanks for sharing.


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## bigtip (Jun 30, 2012)

*Nice*

Nice pictures looks like a good visit.


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## robbie1003 (Jun 30, 2012)

my father worked for a engineering tool distributors in huddersfield 25 yearsago +, dureing the school holidays and when i was off ill i went delivering with my father allover yorkshire and humberside, this is one of those places i went to as a child. i wish i remembered more of the places i went to as most of them imsure are closed and deralict. gives me a strange stomch churning feeling seeing these pictures, glad and sad if you know where im comeing from. great britain as it was.


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## WarlockUK (Jul 1, 2012)

I was chatting with the guy I met there and we were saying that buildings of this size, unless they're in a good spot where they can be converted into apartments just lie dormant and rot into nothing as there's no industry in this country anymore so no businesses would want a building of this size anymore.

Its realty sad that all of these impressive buildings and their previous occupants are just crumbling away everywhere, its nice for us to explore them but I'd much rather they were still in use.


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## TeeJF (Jul 1, 2012)

Well done on your 'splore! I hope you didn't get your lug holes rattled by a BB, they piggin' hurt! The chap that runs the place is indeed a real top geezer, he let us wander around all through their lunch break.

Did you see the "entertainments centre" with a really convincing "face" showing on the TV screen? That was seriously wierd. Neither Sonyes nor ourselves could see the face when we took our pix but it came out on both our cameras. My instinct is that the IR filters over the CCD were why the image was not visible to the naked eye!

Well done on your post.


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## sonyes (Jul 1, 2012)

This one!!!

Strange 




Who's That?? by Image-inthis, on Flickr


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## TeeJF (Jul 1, 2012)

That's it. Strange how that has happened. The phosphor has blown off the inside of the tube so clearly the vacumn has been broken. That only leaves the glass of the tube and the anti glare coating if it has one.

It's not a reflection either because my shot was from a totally different angle and still shows it.

Ahhhhh, wait, I know... I'll ring Derek Pakora the Asian medium from Liverpool, he'll ask his familiar spirit Vinda Lou to find out who it is!


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## sonyes (Jul 1, 2012)

TeeJF said:


> It's not a reflection either because my shot was from a totally different angle and still shows it.



I have 6 shots from different angles, and they all show it clearly!!! Oooooooooooo hahaha


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## WarlockUK (Jul 1, 2012)

Didn't get to see that, I was only there for half an hour or so and plan to go back for a better visit later so I can see all of this fine stuff and possibly more.

I didn't get chance to go in the office building, I know its not as impressive as the factory bit I've already been in but I still want to snoop around  

Its a pretty cool place.


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## Judderman62 (Jul 2, 2012)

nice shots of aplace I rather like


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## Beaver (Jul 11, 2012)

Should of opened the tin of Pilchards, phwaa! lol

Great set to view


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## MD (Jul 12, 2012)

i took the mrs on saturday and it was full to overflowing with airsofterz  

tis a nice site good shots


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## Mars Lander (Jul 12, 2012)

Nice set of imagery of this place, that lil ol telly on pik 6 is just ACE!!!


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