HP SAUCE - D-Day 23 - 24 July 2007

~~~The sun has got it's hat on, hip hip hip hooray
I'm going up to Aston Cross to watch the wreckers play ~~~
OK , so I was a bit off key but hello, something's missing, guess what?

NOW YOU SEE IT....














NOW YOU DON'T!!

THEY'VE NICKED THE HP SAUCE LOGO!!

A panoramic view of the wreckage.

LICHFIELD ROAD TRAIPSE 24 July 2007

After viewing the sad demise of the HP Sauce factory, I sought solace by walking along the peaceful and tranquil path alongside Lichfield Road to the top of Cuckoo Road, hoping to photograph scenes of beauty, historical worth and interest.
In fact Lichfield Road must be one of the most God-forsaken stretches of highway in Birmingham. The only buildings of any note were mainly pubs*. Nevertheless, taking advantage of the sun (today must be officially summer!) I plodded on with my trusty camera.
First:- The Manor Tavern, a working pub at the junction of Portland Street and Wainwright Street.

*I resisted temptation on all occasions despite the heat.

The Vine, another working pub, at the top of Sandy Lane.

Another view of The Vine.

A residential area on Lichfield Road.

Local government assistance.

A pleasant aspect along Lichfield Road with Grosvenor Road to the left. A sign suggests all the interesting bits are to the left, which they are.. Aston Park, Aston Hall, Villa Park, Aston Juxta Church.

The Britannia, an ex-pub (although a sign shows "under new management").

The railway viaduct adds colour to the scene.

At the top of Holborn Hill is The Swan and Mitre, still open for business.

An old chimney, or maybe a new light-house... we seem to get a lot of rain now!

The King Edward VII pub is still open. The yellow signs proclaim "Smoking Conservatory Open". Conspiracy theory:- Government does not make any revenue out of passive smokers and wants us all to start smoking again! ;-)

Drinkers can sit outside on the benches and enjoy the beautiful view...

... the beautiful view of the traffic on Lichfield Road.

Cars for sale on the pavement, vehicles which have been sold on the road and on the M6 flyover in the background... a pattern begins to emerge!

Finishing off at the top end of Cuckoo Road is The Reservoir, another ex-pub. My next-door neighbour ran it 30 years ago.

The old pub sign is still intact.

HP SAUCE - D-Day 19 - Friday 20th July 2007

Well today was a day which will be remembered for the continual torrential rainfall with wide-spread flooding. But even today I went off to Aston to see what was happening to the factory. A lot more of the building on the right has disappeared, there is a lot of rubble in the front, but today rain stopped play.

THE VIEWFINDER & FXB Saturday 14th July 2007

Today was the official opening of the Viewfinder, a project involving the architect with various Sheldon schools... and thus involving my daughter. Although it was supposed to be the opening the weather had not permitted the completion of the project.
This was part of an exhibition called the Festival of Extreme Building (FXB) and todays opening was accompanied by live music, a barbecue and face-painting for the youngsters.
For more on the FXB go to http://tinyurl.com/2nphnw
For more on the Viewfinder, see below.

A plaque explaining the design and purpose of the Viewfinder.

The Banner.

The Micro-Compact Home.

The front door. As a demo home, it's strictly a shoes-off policy.

The living-room/dining-room/relaxation area. Seating for 4. Out of view above the table is a fold-down bed. The home does use daylight to it's maximum advantage, probably the only thing I like about it.

A view through the window looking at "The Circle".

The kitchen(ette).

More storage behind the table.

?

The T-House.

In the background the controversial Selfridges building (the Pregnant Dalek) truly leads the way in Birminghams extreme buildings.

FAZELEY STREET WALKABOUT - 14th July 2007.

After looking at the extreme concepts of architecture, I thought I'd poddle down Fazeley Street and the surrounding area photographing some places which may soon be lost to the Eastside development. One building which should survive the upheaval is the old Curzon Street Railway Station shown above.
There are a lot of old factories and warehouses in Eastside and a few more visits are in the pipe-line.

The Eagle and Tun on Banbury Street.

A huge area of green near the city centre, Millennium Point in the background. The Eagle and Tun is just out of sight to the right.

The remains of an olde-surfaced road (part of the original Bartholomew Street) off Fazeley Street. The railway visible at the far end.

The corner of New Bartholomew Street with Fazeley Street. I'm not sure what is supposed to be open to the public.

Further along New Bartholomew Street.

The northern end of New Canal Street.

Some fancy artwork on these buildings either side of Andover Street.

Digbeth Basin.

Fazeley Street Bridge.

.

Looking north from Fazeley Street along the canal.

A factory on Fazeley Street.

Continuing along Fazeley Street.

Looking down Trent Street.

A factory on Coventry Street.

Looking along Coventry Street.

Looking back along Coventry Street towards Selfridges and Rotunda.

Billy's.

HP SAUCE - D-Day 9 - Tuesday 10th July 2007

Good God! You turn your back for 5 minutes and the wreckers are in. Should have kept my mouth shut last Friday.

Note the sign at the front. Would YOU park your car there?

Dust clouds fly as another piece of wall bites the ... er ... dust.

The machines of destruction claw away at another window.

HP SAUCE - D-Day 5 - Friday 6th July 2007

Well, it's Friday and it's still here. No sign of any demolition crews. Perhaps they are going to call in the true demolition experts, the USAF with their B52s. Hope not, the Children's Hospital is fairly close!

WAFFLE: Even though currently established practices demand that I have a countdown, I am flouting public convention by having a count-UP. Therefore D-Day 19 is the 19th day into the period of demolition (including Sundays). Reason, I don't know when I would be counting down to, (in fact I'm not exactly sure what I am counting up to, except when the job is due to end).

HP SAUCE - Demolition Day 1 - Monday 2nd July 2007.

I arrived at the premises of the HP Sauce factory at lunch-time on D-Day 1. I had expected to see fleets of demolition vehicles entering the site and fleets of rubble-laden lorries departing. However the only indications of the buildings impending demise were safety signs and posters by the contractors. Well it's not their fault it's happening.
Apparently it will take a few months to demolish but I will be there from time to time to keep an eye on things. WATCH THIS SPACE!! (well not actually this space but somewhere on this blog)

Clouds gather over the doomed HP Sauce factory.

Ray Egan aka John Bull stands defiantly in front of the factory gates and still champions the cause. It is hoped that maybe the main HP tower will be left standing as a monument to Birmingham's history.

A panoramic view of the factory while still intact.

In Remembrance...