Co-operative Wholesale Services Birmingham April 2009 11/04/09

Originally built to be used as the Co-operative furniture factory(there were many co-op buildings around, producing various items on different sites) but the use was later changed to be the manufacture and maintenance site for scales and weights. Some of the items produced at that time are still in the basement, awaiting removal to a museum(well, they SHOULD be!!)

I've been waiting to see this place for a while now, but it's been well secured since the fire that almost destroyed it. Persistence has payed off today, and It's been worth the wait!!!








The tower was used as a water tower as usual, with service hatches on each level. The metal stairs were damaged in the fires of 2007, and now hold little strength. Bigger balls and no commitments would have seen me climb it, but I hate heights at the best of times! LOL





The basement was full of treasures.....







Old AVERY scales




I shots lots there, but these are the best. Since the fires, the place has been stripped out, and little of the original fittings remain. The building is planned to be used for a new hotel, with the original building being restored to its original state as per this planning permission.......

http://eastsideblog.wordpress.com/2008/10/14/rebuild-of-the-old-co-op-planning-submitted/

Good find Virusman, I bet you wish you had been able to get in before the fire! Some real gems in the cellar.

Cheers, and yeah i do wish I could have done it 2 years ago. the entire upstairs offices were decked out with the wood panelled side boards, desks and all sorts. It used to be a gem!!

What a grand old building! Those scales were a great find Virus. You must have had fun in there!

It was a great place in its day, but it's just a shell now for the most part. I wish I'd seen the place before the fire 2 years ago. The offices must have looked quite something, and that tower would have been safer to climb!