Guest, Keen & Nettlefolds, Above & Below, March 2012

I first visited the GKN site back in June 2010 a couple of times and more recently the tunnels in January this year. After seeing D-UK's and Mookster's recent reports I realised I never got around to posting my own take of the site on here.


A large section of this site as been demolished since I last visited. The proposed super hospital "The Midland Metropolitan Hospital" which has now got the go ahead is to be completed by 2016 on this old GKN site at a cost of £370 million.


The underground tunnels are roughly 2/3rds the size of a footbal pitch in my estimation with about 20 rows of arched corridors intersecting in places. It's quite damp in there with oil bleeding from the walls in certain sections. Visited with Donebythehands.

In 1902 Guest, Keen and Co. Ltd acquired Nettlefolds Ltd, one of the world's largest manufacturers of screws and fasteners. Nettlefolds can be traced back to John Sutton Nettlefold, who in 1823 established a small ironmongery in Holborn and traded in wood screws. In 1854 the company founded a mill in Smethwick. In the 1850s, Nettlefold was joined by Mr Joseph Chamberlain, his brother in law, changing the name to Nettlefold and Chamberlain and establishing a factory in Smethwick. The company flourished under the next generation of Chamberlain and Nettlefold. The Chamberlains left the company in 1874 and in 1880 Nettlefolds Ltd was launched as a limited company. Through a series of amalgamations and take overs, including the take over of the Birmingham Screw Company Limited in 1880 (and the later amalgamation of Mosers Limited in 1950), Nettlefolds established a monopoly in the British wood screw market.

Click to expand...

http://blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/GB146_BS-GKN/

ABOVE​

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The walkway.



It crosses the main road. It's blocked off by a wall in the middle. At one time I'm wondering whether this bridged another part of GKN. The factory opposite is now being used by and furniture wholesaler, manufacturer of some description.




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This factory floor.......



............is now rubble.





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The Daily Herald from October 3rd 1959




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Thanks for looking!​