Roy B

Continued from above: So that’s a short run through of the area’s past. We’ll have a walk now and have a more in-depth look. It is a fantastic place for railway architecture. The pics in the gallery follow some of this tour around. Let’s go! In a few places there are signs of the bedrock on which the area rests. Known as Collyhurst sandstone it is a faded or deep red colour. This can be seen in some of the exposed river cliffs. It provides firm foundations for multi-storey buildings and was easy to cut tunnels and culverts through. Prior to 1750 roads were not suitable for the movement of goods so water was used for transportation. Water was also harnessed to power machinery but required a fast flow. Situated between two rivers Castlefield had the potential to be in the prime spot. The River Medlock could be used to turn the waterwheels as it flowed down to meet the River Irwell. However, the Irwell would need to be improved for navigation. Eight locks were constructed along this, and the Mersey, with short cuts dug to eliminate the bends. This combined waterway became known as the Mersey and Irwell Navigation which was superseded eventually by the Manchester Ship Canal. The Bridgewater Canal was the world’s first true industrial canal. It was constructed originally to transport coal from Worsley to Manchester and opened fully to Liverpool in 1766. Coal fuelled the furnaces and fired the engines of Manchester’s mills and factories. Demand was enormous and by the late 1700’s 40,000 tons were shipped here each year. The Rochdale Canal reached Castlefield in 1802 and was the first trans-Pennine canal. This in turn was connected to many private canal arms from mills and major warehouses in the Peak District and Derbyshire. One important cargo was limestone to be used in the erection of buildings. Within ten years of completion the Rochdale was bringing more than fifty laden boats here into the basin every day. At least another three canals were dug out locally to interconnect throughout the Castlefield basin. All of these were unsuitable for large vessels however so to gain direct access to the sea the Manchester Ship Canal was designed. In its day this was the largest navigation canal in the world. Trans-shipment from the inland barges to the ocean going vessels was carried out at Salford Quays and Pomona Docks. There were at least ten major warehouses contributing to the commerce of the area. A couple were destroyed by fire and subsequently rebuilt. Goods in storage included maize, oil, cotton, grain and flour. One feature to see as we walk around is the Grocer’s Warehouse. The position of the warehouse within the Castlefield basin. (Map credit to Manchester History) The five storey building was constructed on the quayside. Twin tunnels underneath were dug out from the canal into the cliff face. A 50ft shaft was dug from the street above down to the water level. Boats would approach from the canal and enter the tunnels. Cranes powered by waterwheel were used to unload goods to each of the levels within the warehouse. With a complex system of sluice gates, geared wheels, axles, winding drums, ropes and chains the workmen could lift heavy goods, and stop and start the lifting at each floor. They also tied themselves to the lifting mechanism to move between the levels! This was the first British warehouse where barges were unloaded inside by water powered crane. A cut-away view of the warehouse. (Pic credit to Manchester History) Continues below:

Hi there folks, Welcome to our first get together of this off season. You’ll need two brews for this one. This week we’re heading for Manchester. We’ll be taking in the never to be forgotten sights of Castlefield. It is one of the most historically important areas in the world. A dramatic urban landscape with a tangle of waterways and railways, suspended on many levels. Castlefield's bridges and viaducts It is the birthplace of Manchester and holds the city’s Roman origins in Mancunium, canals that drove the Industrial Revolution, and the world’s oldest surviving railway station. The Castlefield viaducts are excellent examples of the 19th century attitude to engineering challenges. Their dramatic almost medieval style is complemented by the gothic arches in the iron bridges, and the castellated turrets on top of the structures. Castlefield for me is pure drama where steel, iron and brick meet head on. There is a huge amount of history around here. We’ll look further into certain aspects of the site later. Its name is derived from its position below a Roman fort. Campfield, and Castle-in-the-field are earlier names associated with it. The fort was about five acres in size and guarded important routes to and from Chester, the Cheshire salt workings, and York. The site was abandoned by the Romans in the 3rd century and the village of Manchester became established a short distance further north. The area became the estate of the Mosley family. By 1601 a substantial house and park had been created only to be burned down by Parliamentarians during the Siege of Manchester in 1642. By 1720 the River Irwell had been made navigable and a quay was constructed in the area. Ships of up to 50 tons could dock here on this trade route between Manchester and Liverpool. In July 1761 the Bridgewater Canal arrived, joined soon after by the Rochdale Canal, and a network of other private waterways. A connection to the Mersey and Irwell Navigation saw the canals reign supreme. The Industrial Revolution was said to have started at this time. Engineering works and warehousing were the primary industry here along with a smaller trade involving the cotton mills. In 1771 the first canal warehouse was built on Coal Wharf which was used to raise coal from the barges to street level (see the Grocers’ Warehouse later to find out how they did it). Prior to this the coal had to be taken by cart uphill to the street. The railways arrived in the 1830’s to end the domination of the canals. The area became dissected with a multitude of railway lines and multi arch-viaducts. A system developed whereby warehouses became trans-shipment centres. Trains and barges would arrive and their loads sorted to be shipped to other destinations. Other warehouses would be used for receiving yarn and raw cotton goods which would then be taken by outworkers and returned as woven cloth. During the 20th century both the canals and railways declined and the area became derelict. During the 1980’s the site was designated as an urban heritage park. As part of the renewal an outdoor events arena has been constructed, and plenty of bars and restaurants have sprung up which in normal times are extremely popular. New office blocks and apartments have been built around the site but thankfully do not intrude on the former heart of the industrial scene. Map credit to Wikiwand Continues below:

A Sunday treat - Stavros shows us what's in at Scania dealers T.Nolans in the Emerald Isle. CHEEEEERS!! See you all next weekend for our first off season get together

Cheers for the info John. You'll have to show me those remains next time we're there. It sure looks strange with nothing around it when the track was being constructed.

I think you're spot on there Mick regarding the trainees building it. That particular part of the site was at the back of the brickworks and there was a fair few bricks left behind when the works closed. It was a good opportunity to clean up the site and let the trainees loose on the pile. They've made a fine job of it too. Very artistic. Regarding the Garrison i did have a walk down there once before a meeting but it had already closed. One pub that always makes me smile when i think back was the Traveller's Rest, a Hydes house near to the old Belle Vue on Hyde Road. It had a sign in the window saying 'locals only' which somewhat contradicted the pubs name! I did venture in and remember Dire Straits' Sultan of Swing was playing on the juke box. This was in the early 80's and they had mild at 50p a pint and bitter at 56p. There was some young whippersnappers hanging around outside who offered to watch our car for 10p whilst we were at the track. We obviously paid up.

continued from above: This image with permission and licence from HES Archive We finish with this super aerial shot from 1931 which shows the Adderley Park Brickworks and the Wolsley Tool and Motor Car Works. At the crossroads bottom left of the pic the school still stands to this day. The buildings either side of the Wheels access road opposite have long since gone. I’m sure you’ll agree a lot of history in a very small area. Join me next time for the first of our winter season journeys and we’ll have a look around one of the most distinctive and historically significant urban landscapes in the United Kingdom.

continued from above: The car park we use is on the site of the Britannia Brickworks opened in 1862 by James Price. Access to the works was via the same road we use now. However, back then the road was purely for the brickworks and did not continue any further as it does today. The bricks were taken from here to a storage yard two miles away in Chester Street. This was adjacent to the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal which was used for distribution. After a couple of ownership changes the Midland Brick Co (as at the Garrison Farm works) became the last owners. The site closed just after WW1 in 1918. James Price was the first owner Finally we come to Adderley Park Brickworks which is where the track now stands. Opened in around 1870 the site was a summer yard, working in the open. In most of the Birmingham yards the clay was dug out in the autumn, then ‘weathered’ and turned in the winter. In the following spring and summer it was hand moulded, after being trodden by foot or ground in a horse mill. Life in the brick yards was hard with extremely miserable conditions. Some of the brickmakers became maltsers and brewers during the winter to offset the lack of income. Manufactured on site Eventually the Adderley Park works were modernised with the erection of a steam grinding mill, and coal-fired drying sheds. This vastly improved the quality of the facing bricks turned out by this works. The clay was dug on site, and with the addition of sand and other materials was manufactured into bricks, tiles, and pipes. The lease on the land had strict clauses: “It must be well fenced, not make less than three million articles per year, the clay must be dug in a regular and workmanlike manner, erect no buildings within 30 yards of the public highway, and at the end of the lease return the land to as good a condition as a brickfield will allow”. A further stipulation at this particular site was the construction of a tunnel and tramway to transport clay and sand from another site nearby. By 1902 this additional site had been taken over by the Wolseley Car Company to test their vehicles on the rough terrain. In 1920 Wolseley filled in and levelled the site and built their East works. As to the main works this remained in operation up until 1946. Scrap metal merchants then took over part of the site. Next time you go to Wheels have a look at the brick structure on the left just at the start of the uphill pit road. This is made of old bricks recycled from the remnants of the works. This whole area of Birmingham has a fascinating history and the brickworks are just a small part of it. Gas works, engine sheds, railway carriage and wagon works, paper mills, rolling mills, wire mills, rope and hemp works, varnish works, screw works etc. Within a ten minute walk from the track was the Universe Rope Works. They patented the cable for the Atlantic & Undersea Communications in 1866 which was laid between Ireland and Newfoundland. In the process of running the factory they would at odd times carry out some unknown operation that resulted in all of the local residents getting bitten by fleas! This works in later years was used as a Land Rover plant and produced all the welded chassis frames. It was a perfect set up as the long lines previously used to draw the wire ropes were ideal for the layout of the welding lines. How times have changed. A few of the original buildings still survive, but sadly the area is now not even a shadow of its former self. continues below:

continued from above: The track is built on land once occupied by Garrison Farm. It took its name after the Civil War when Prince Rupert’s Royalist troops set up camp here in 1643. The name of the farm is recalled in nearby Garrison Lane, a ten minute walk from the track. On this lane is the Garrison pub. Do any of you watch the tv series Peaky Blinders? If so, you will be familiar with this. Although the show used a stage set this real Garrison pub was frequented by the Peaky Blinders at the turn of the 20th century. Pic credit to the BBC and the Birmingham Mail Sadly the Garrison no longer plays host to anything as interesting. It was sold for £183,000 in 2014 and a plan submitted to turn it into flats. The Digby family became the owners of the former arable farm land in the mid 1800’s. They leased many small plots to individual brickmakers who used clay which was dug on site. These small yards were eventually combined into the larger Garrison Farm Brickworks. The go-kart track now stands on this site. The brickworks had various owners over the years who all made good use of the nearby Birmingham and Warwick Junction Canal for distribution. The finished bricks were moved by barrow from the kilns to the waiting barges. This works was also served by the railway with a siding connecting it to the London & North Western Railway. Only authorised personnel could go over the level crossing which was known locally as “Brickworks Crossing”. The Midland Brick Co. were the last owners when the works closed in 1936. By 1938 only the clay pits remained. Courtesy of the Chris Thornburn colection Riddell was one of many owners at the Garrison Farm works continues below:

Hi there folks, Well the mini season was so close to making it to the last meeting. We did very well to get that far against all odds. Many, many thanks to all involved. Fingers crossed for 2021. Now it’s about time to start our winter season journeys off that beaten track once again. Our industrial and historical heritage is fast disappearing under a sea of housing and regeneration. It is literally a race against time to capture a brief look into the past. Let’s start for now though with a look at another race track in the ‘What was there before?’ series. To celebrate its saving we start off this week with the early days of the Birmingham Wheels site. This side by side image shows the site in 1888 & 2020 Image credit to NLOS continues below:

Within days folks. The ghosts of the past are waiting for us along the disused railway line, at the end of the tunnel, and within the walls of the derelict building. They will walk with us again off that beaten track.

Pics now in the gallery

Thank you Jane and Darrelle. It was a wet'un by the sound of it. JJ's second Final win in adverse conditions following on from that extremely wet Belle Vue in April 2018.

Gates open at 10 tomorrow DJB

No pit access today folks

Yes, thank you Ben and Nic for last week 👍

Hope this cheers you up Jane. He behaved himself tonight. Hope you feel better soon.

Many thanks to Ben for volunteering and doing a sterling job at the track, & to Nic for being Jane.

Thank you Jane, but you have to work equally as hard giving up your free time to post them. Also folks thanks for the kind words regarding the mini race reports. Hopefully these can go some way to fill the gap owing to the obvious loss of the pit news. Pics now in the gallery. If anyone can post a few, plus results from Skeggy next Saturday it would be a great help as i'm at Taunton for the two-dayer. You'll have no problem hearing them as Speaky has got the the p.a system spot on.

I've sent you a pm Jane

Yes that's fine Neil. Just let me know as and when 👍

Great pics, and a very tidy workshop. What compost are you using to grow those two wings in the back garden? 😃

I have some results from 1993 Neil if you still require them. Also i have 1992 stuff but it's mainly Heat and Final winners only, and not from every meeting, if that's of any use to you.

Pics now in gallery

Pit news using night vision goggles: 401 - Left half shaft sheared inside diff. Loading up. 147 - Straightening the front axle. 127 - Adjusting the brake balance bar.

Pit news using binoculars: 217 - Adjusting outside rear spring 43 - Changing front hub. Stub axle bent.