GKN Factory Tunnels, Smethwick, December 2012

[True_British_Metal]

Visited with Mookie.

Well, here we have the only explore I can genuinely say I've succeeded at this Christmas. All others were either cancelled, deferred or (part) fails, which is a real shame. January exams don't help either . I was initially feeling a bit uncomfortable about doing this one, given the abysmal weather conditions leading to a a lot of flooding inside as well as OPEN SEWERS with the manholes SHIFTED! Not only that, the site is situated in what's effectively 3rd world, post industrial Birmingham; seeing heroin needles lying on the pavements don't help.

At the same time though, this was a good one, and it's prompted me to pay more attention to underground sites which I feel I've ignored a lot in the past. Having been closed in 2001, and having most of the above-ground structures demolished (though the demolition team were taken off site, leaving the site in limbo) you'd expect it to be one of those sites that's so trashed it's got nothing of merit. By contrast though, this had all the qualities of an industrial/underground site in spades; stuff left in situ, natural decay, a dark and somewhat foreboding atmosphere (given a near-total absence of light and the only sound being of cascading water, one's mind would often play tricks with what your eyes saw) and few signs of any people having been down since it closed. In one place you'd find rainwater cascading in from a broken pipe, another place you'd find rust-laden machinery and in another you'd even find oil oozing from the walls (I kid you not)! Another plus point of this place is that unlike somewhere like Victoria Arches in Manchester, there's plenty of areas to explore whilst you're there instead of just a few rooms here and there.

Unfortunately I didn't charge my torch up properly so I didn't take as many pictures as I should/could have. Nonetheless here's what I got.































Afterwards we did make an attempt at Hockley Palladium cinema, but given the torrential downpour of recent weeks the access was too dangerous to climb up so we left it. I even walked into the car park of the mosque next door trying to get in but the imam caught me!

On a final note, whilst it's a shame that I didn't manage to do many of the sites I'd planned to do, it's not too much of a big deal because a) none are at risk of demolition, b) I'd seen a couple of them before (albeit no pictures to show for them) and c) I've still got Easter to get stuff done. Not only that, whilst I can't guarantee my plans will come to fruition what I can guarantee is that if I succeed in getting them down then what I'll have to offer won't disappoint!

Love as always,

TBM x