# British United Shoe Machinery Ltd (BUSM) Ltd - Leicester may 2008



## MD (May 18, 2008)

visited today with goldie87 its a massive site only wish we got there sooner.
you dont know how bad i wanted to climb this but the ladder is cut!!

the boilers

control panel with the missing gent clock!!!


blueprint from 1925


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## KingElvis (May 18, 2008)

Nice control panel...I want that in my living room LOL 

Who stole the clock?


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## reddwarf9 (May 18, 2008)

Thats awesome, and I still wanna visit sometime


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## Goldie87 (May 18, 2008)

After not going here for so long it was good to see some more, shame we were a bit late though


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## King Al (May 19, 2008)

Great pics Goldie + Matt, Like the old blue prints and that tower Ladder smadder


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## Goldie87 (May 19, 2008)

reddwarf9 said:


> Thats awesome, and I still wanna visit sometime



Keep an eye on the leicester meets thread, should be something coming up soon!


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## nursepayne (May 21, 2008)

great find!I bet this would have bee amazing if work hadn't began, do you know how far into the site they are?


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## MD (May 21, 2008)

they havnt done that much really there are still a few people working in some of the units around the site. they all seemed ok the ones we saw just left us to get on with it
apart from one who found goldie and followed him around chatting
i didnt wait around i climbed in a hole to look at the boilers and left him with his new mate!!!!
sorry mate but he was boring me


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## Goldie87 (May 21, 2008)

lol as matt says, theres still quite a bit left as it's a big site. For how much longer though I don't know, there is going to be a residential development on the site.


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## **Mudlark** (May 21, 2008)

looks like a fab explore, wonder whats going to happen to all that stuff once the demo people move on in...... seems like some ginormous bits of metal to scrap!
Some nice pics too, it kinda brings a place alive a bit when you get a writeup like that to go with them


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## reddwarf9 (May 22, 2008)

This was an amazing place in its day, around 30 acres if I remember correctly. When the UK still had a massive boot and shoe industry 90% of all manufactured footwear was made on machines built here.

They had service offices based in all the main boot and shoe making areas.

They had a huge international presence too.

Unfortunately the employees became vicim of one of the worst pension scams of all time just before the company went bust as their pension funds were raided after a takeover and many lost 90 pence in the pound of all their hard earned!!


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## Goldie87 (May 22, 2008)

Thanks for adding some info, more can be found here... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_United_Shoe_Machinery


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## wolfism (May 22, 2008)

reddwarf9 said:


> Unfortunately the employees became victim of one of the worst pension scams of all time just before the company went bust as their pension funds were raided after a takeover and many lost 90 pence in the pound of all their hard earned!!


It's a common theme unfortunately – a similar thing happened to Fletchers paper mill workers in Oldham. Just like Robert Maxwell did, when you need some cash, dip into the pension pot …

Some interesting photos, BTW - the very first one showing the concrete water tower also shows that a part of the factory is concrete framed, possibly a "Hennebique" frame – so it was probably built somewhere around 1910 or 1920. Same system as a lot of the car factories in Detroit. Looks like a huge explore.


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## Foxylady (May 23, 2008)

Very interesting site. Great tower...and actual blueprints!  Nice one!


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## MD (Jun 21, 2008)

another visit by myself goldie87 and mr sam.
still finding things to see
bit of demo





open air





water tower





myself 





not long left





and a view of wolsey 





still finding things to see


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## Goldie87 (Jun 21, 2008)

It was good to get back to those parts by the canal, its been a long, long time since I looked round them!


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## celestialjen (Jun 22, 2008)

Awesome! I was doing a bit of a recce on this place on Saturday afternoon. I walked in where all the units were and got a funny look from this guy wandering around, so shit out and went for a wander down the canal towpath where I did at least see 3 herons!


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## Goldie87 (Jun 22, 2008)

haha you will have to join us some time! I keep saying that, but all the explores this lately have been pretty last minute kinda things lol. I'll be about next weekend at least


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## celestialjen (Jun 22, 2008)

Definitely. 

There's a few places that I want to check out


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## Goldie87 (Jun 22, 2008)

Cool, pm will be on the way shortly!


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## MD (Jul 3, 2008)

another visit with myself and goldie87 still interesting things to be seen!!
main hall






workshop office





huge V8 man generator





steam controls





1st world war roll of honour just left


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## Mr Sam (Jul 3, 2008)

told you that genny was a V8 and FOOK me its turbo charged aswell.

if they skip it/weigh it in i will oficially kill someone needs to be shoehorned into my fergie me thinks


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## stellauk (Jul 7, 2008)

just to let everyone know i visited there yesterday with mattdonut, goldie87 and kezza and her new car. lol. there is alot of poilce crawling around the area as wel pulled up a police car pulled out the main gates after we seen one driving away and then when we returned later another one pulled in a drove up the main diveway but we evaded.


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## Goldie87 (Jul 7, 2008)

Maybe not the best idea to mention when we were there, what with all the activity and bad types going round on the rob at the moment :huh:


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## mr_bones (Jan 8, 2012)

These pictures added at MD's request














main building  by M D Allen, on Flickr




_MG_2331 by M D Allen, on Flickr


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## chris (Jan 8, 2012)

Is there anything left now?


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## mr_bones (Jan 8, 2012)

I meant to add that MD says most of the site is now demolished, and the chimney's due for 'timberrrr' soon.


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