Magazine Review - my bit

Magazine - my story

Belmont Row Works

Well pleased with this image, the wonders of rubber bands . 

45 second exposure, f4.5, 200 ISO, WB Tungsten. Light painted to beams and walls, top of the tower lit by the street lights.

 

The factory was first used to make bicycle parts in 1898. It supplied manufactures, who at this time, heavily marketing their bikes to women to afford them unseen social freedom, oh yes, and sold a lot more bikes.   

The industry collapsed in 1914, with the outbreak of war on an already failing market, due to the advent of the motor car. The company was sold off to Goodyear, who sold the site to the Co-Op in 1915.

 Illustrations I did, copied from a Co-Op

magazine advert from 1919.

type read

Made by the co-operative for the co-operative, by trade unionist for trade unionist, and sold by co-operative societies.

Top guys, those trade unionists, well it all went swimmingly well till 1926. Then Belmont Row staff had a squabble with head office who then sacked the lot and swapped production over to pianos, never could trust those commey buggers.

Another of my illustrations that I copied from the magazine. Stark isn't it, 1919 expected to see some more vitriolic images with it being the end of the first world war. Below is one I did of the front cover, put in a bit more detail though.

  

Time moves on, and now we are up to 1939 and piano production. Found some amazing photographs of the tradesmen working in the cellar of the factory. They are have brilliant detail in them, still look good here after having gone through the rinse in my camera.

Not sure when this image was taken, but looks as if its got some age looking at the cars, I'd guess late 70's early 80's.

This is the image I didn't pay £20 for.

The fire of January 2007

Abandoned

not by all

Heroin in a burner ready for cooking!

Count the needles, scary just walking around this place now. 

It's worth it though, get to see some awesome graffiti.

   and then we had fun just messing about.......

For a while, the factory looked as if it was going to be demolished, but now it has been incorporated into the Big City Plan. The proposal is to convert it into studio offices and build a 180 bed hotel the grounds at the back of the site, so its outlook is looking bright.