Mitchell Grieve Needle Works March '11

[mookster]

Mitchell Grieves manufactured needles and elements used in industrial knitting machines for use in the hosiery and knitwear industry so prevalent in the area. The main factory is still going in Leicester, however the Coalville plant scaled back production over the years and closed completely a few years ago. It is due to be demolished to make way for an Asda store in the near future.

I visited this site a month or so back on my first foray north of Birmingham, the original plan was to go a bit pro-hobo in GE Thorn and arrive outside nice and early, but the scene of devastation that greeted us at Thorn put that plan to rest. We pulled up outside Mitchell Grieve at about 11.30pm and a quick scout found us our access for use in the morning. An uncomfortable few hours kip in the car saw us safely inside the sprawling factory at 6.30am on a dreary March morning and a trouble-free visit was had.

This will be quite pic-heavy. It was crammed with so much stuff, the samples office and drawing/planning office held so much win.







































































Loads more pics here http://www.flickr.com/photos/mookie427/sets/72157626649417392/

 

[TranKmasT]

That's quality that is. This is a great picture. How many industrial works now have there own resident doctor's room. Reminds me of Doc Morrissey office in "The Rise and fall of Reginald Perrin"

 

[night crawler]

Your getting good at this mookster. That accidient book teels you how things have changed, a couple of min's filling it in was all that was needed now it's four pages of a word file and an investigation in to who was to blame. Bring back the old days. Nice one I enjoyed that.

 

[mabsky]

Nice find

 

[Foxylady]

Excellent find, Mooster. Especially love the sample pages. I notice they have 'Redditch' on them, which was once world known as a needle industrial town. Dunno if you fancy doing this, but Redditch museum would be very interested to know about these and might be able to save them. It would be a shame for them to be lost.
Good stuff.

 

[oldscrote]

Good stuff mookster.It's amazing that something as small as a needle needs such a huge factory to produce.

 

[Snips86x]

Superb! I love the book with the needle examples.

 

[Richard Davies]

That's quality that is. This is a great picture. How many industrial works now have there own resident doctor's room. Reminds me of Doc Morrissey office in "The Rise and fall of Reginald Perrin"

I was thinking of company doctors just a few days ago.

That wallpaper towards the end is hard on the eyes. Did we have a thread (no pun intended!) on loud wallpaper a while back?

 

[smiler]

I echo the replies you have received, with all the materials left there you could at least have run off a few t-shirts for the members of DP , well done and Thanks for Sharing

 

[mookster]

Cheers guys.

Excellent find, Mooster. Especially love the sample pages. I notice they have 'Redditch' on them, which was once world known as a needle industrial town. Dunno if you fancy doing this, but Redditch museum would be very interested to know about these and might be able to save them. It would be a shame for them to be lost.
Good stuff.

I really really hope the sample books are saved! The much older part of the factory currently has no roof so the rest of the demolition can't be far off

 

[Reaperman]

On the Redditch theme the company were founded as RHN (Redditch Hosiery Needles) Grieve so at some point there was clearly a connection there.

It was great to see the inside of this place after keeping an eye on it for so long. Very sad that it won't be around for long.

 

[night crawler]

Cheers guys.



I really really hope the sample books are saved! The much older part of the factory currently has no roof so the rest of the demolition can't be far off

If that is the case you should have taken them as when the demolition crew come in every thing goes in the skip. I chatted to some of the guys clearing Fairmile and they told me they dumpped a whole store full of straight jackets.

 

[Black Shuck]

Oi Mooksy, that's bloody brill. I lurve industrial. That reminds me very much of Cranes foundry at Ipswich. Well done that man!

 

[gushysfella]

Grate report Mooksy, looking through all that just can’t believe how much stuff is left, as with a lot of the reports I’d just spend hours looking through the paper work left laying around the offices

 

[mookster]

Cheers guys! It did used to be chock-full of alarms but they were removed a couple of months back, which was the first sign that demolition must have been near. Still, it provided a golden opportunity!