If the site were to be filled in, then the third shaft down to the canal would be a significant void which would need to be filled in order to prevent future subsidence.

I recall looking down the shaft which I recall as being around 4-5m diameter and probably 6-10m deep. As this connects to the canal, filling it would create significant problems for canal restoration.

There are also other shafts and voids on the site, which would cause similar problems.

Hmmm,thats a head scratcher isnt it.Iam all for the re-opening of the canal,always been fascinated with the cromford canal and spend/have spent alot of time on it over the years.I really hope it happens,we all know it would cost millions,especially repairing all the tunnel,but lets hope the developers of the site are fully aware of the shafts and dont ****** anything up to ruin the possibility of this happening.

I've just found out the photo's of the Sizewell Polar Crane on test outside the main offices and scanned them in. This illustrates the size of equipment that Butterley could build - the girders are shown on Julian Schwarzenbach's photo's during fabrication.

[img]🔗Butterley-Ironworks-Smelt-Mill-User-Album-Image-46144[linkphoto]Butterley-Ironworks-Smelt-Mill-User-Album-Image-46144[/linkphoto][/link]

Fabulous pic that, I remember seeing it on my way by. Thanks for posting.

Took some more pics today, No 1 Compressor now trashed and in bits... 😞 🔗Butterley-Ironworks-Smelt-Mill-User-Album-Image-46127[linkphoto]Butterley-Ironworks-Smelt-Mill-User-Album-Image-46127[/linkphoto][/link]

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Chaps I used to work @ Butterley, was made redundant this year after approx 15yrs. Delighted to see that other folks are keen to prevent demolotion...and greed! If I can be of any help pls get in touch with me. I do know that number 10 was built around late 1960's however from working there i was lead to believe that number 8 shop dates back pre 1900's. This belief stems from the fact that the main columns are/were riveted and the plate girder crane (also riveted) ran off steam originally. Don't know if this may put a spanner in the works??? Like I said, anything I can do to help. Cheers.

Hi ICLOK,
Here's another photo of a skip handling crane for pond B30 at Sellafield that was built up in the high level fitting shop (No 9 Shop extension) and tested prior to shipping to Sellafield. There's another photo of it in the Butterley album - but it's not brilliant quality as it was taken looking up towards the roof of the shop with the lights on - incidently this picture was taken on 16th June 1990 which was the 200 years open day. I was a draughtsman at Butterley having served my time in the works as a plater. I left in 1995 which was when the decline was starting with the closure of the pits. I've got some more pictures of this skip handler to upload but will try and edit them first.

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Dear Guiness, Thats very interesting about the columns and the cranes, the cranes are now gone but if were conversions from steam that def goes with some comments I already heard that that shop dated to the early 1900s. I did wonder re the cranes as they reminded me of railway workshop cranes of that era - 1900s... your comments are actually quite important so thanks and I will pass them on. :thumbsup:

Dear Ian, I used to pass the site all the time and you pics are much appreciated, its important that we build up a good archive incase we fail, so no worries on quality, we just appreciate the images. Thanks. :thumbsup:

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Iclok youve beat me to it,i took the exact same pictures as you have today,was just going to upload them but i guess theres no point! I havent quite got the jist of uploading yet to be honest though!
guinessbrownie-my grandad remembers no.8 shop being up when he was a kid in the 1920's,and he tells me now he thought it had been up a number of years by then.I noticed the rivets in the columns myself when i got to have a look around (cheers again iclok) before they really started pulling no.8 shop down.There wont be much left this time next week.
Ian Fletchers photos of the sizewell crane in the yard brought back memories,i can clearly remember seeing that going dog walking on the coach rd with my dad.I also went to the 200 year anniversary in 1990 (see my first post all those pages back!) To this day i still cant believe how such a big scale everything was,the shops,and the fabrication going on.I think thats one of the reasons i feel so sad about whats happened to the company.I keep remembering things i mean to put on to the forum,like this,do any of you guys know Dave Brittain? I think he may have worked in the machine shop,he is a friend of my dads,and also,Mick Winson? I was good friends with his son at school.I think he worked there a good few years too but not sure where.All fascinating stuff! 🙂

Seems like the memories are flooding back all round.

I too recall having heard that the plate girder cranes in No.8 Shop were originally steam powered as I recall some of the older staff commenting on how you had to watch out for ash and cinders dropping on you as the crane went by.

Tater24, I worked alongside Dave Brittain in the machine shop whilst doing my graduate training programme. At that time he was on a vertical borer.

jschwa1 i will let my dad know about dave.i dont know when he finished,he'll be 65 now,he's the same age as my dad,not sure if he finished through redundancy or other means.
About the steam powered cranes,it made me smile about what you say about dodging the ash! Thats great,it just totally wouldnt happen these days would it with the H & S?!! It wouldnt bother me one bit! Im feeling quite nostalgic,i should have been born in my grandparents era! 🙂

Hi ICLOK - I've just uploaded more pictures of the Polar Crane, Skiphandler and Rack handler and a couple of Ripley & Heanor news articles into the user album. I may also have some photo's of a large quarry plant that I was involved with in the drawing office and i'll also try to find out my old Butterley Brochures and scan them in - bear with me!!! 😉

Ian,

Was the large quarry you mentioned Tarmac's Cliffe Hill Quarry? I was working there at the time Butterley replaced the crusher bases. The old ones had to be crack tested and rewelded each weekend due to the rate that they were breaking apart.

Hi Julian,
No it was Ingleton Quarry - North Yorkshire where Butterley supplied a whole new processing plant from primary crusher through to lorry loading of screened material. I remember working on the Cliffe Hill crusher bases when I moved from the shop floor to drawing office in August 1990 - my uncle - Morris Rawson was Chief Structural Engineer at the time - he designed the bases and I was involved on revisions to the drawings to suit the shop floor requirements.

Ian, thanks for the latest pics... superb. The one off the bridge is an incredible contrast to now... 😮

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Thanks - I also believe that I may have some copies of Ad Rem the old Butterley Magazine if you're interested - I'm only in Codnor - I've definately got some Butterley Brochures with individual jobs/cranes/machines featured - I just need to find them out - I don't know if they still have them but Ripley Library used to have almost a complete set of Ad Rem Magazines from the 1950's & 60's in their reference section.

jschwa1 do you remember a chap named Gerald Sheppard? My mind is going..i forgot to put his name on the other day,he was my mum and dads neighbour,(next door book one,how could i forget him?!).He worked at butterley a long time.Sadly he died last year.Nice chap but liked too much pop.... 😉

Ian, I bet those catalogues are good for a look. Just been going thru the pics again... forgotten how much wonderful stuff I used to see in the yard when walking down coach road to work at the MRT every Saturday morning when I was young and generally walking in the area during the 90s..
I have a photo of the works loco... the well known "TEUCER" in the Top Yard... been trying to get the worksplate but am struggling to find the loco which is happily preserved I'm told.

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Iclok - Feast your eyes over the latest images i've added to the user album - there's a selection of Butterley Brochure sheets and a real golden oldie at the Codnor Park works. I've found out most of my brochures etc including the 200 year article in the Ripley & Heanor - let me know if you're interested in viewing. I've still got some items to scan in including an article from a trade journal about the Foundry - bear with me they take an age to upload 😉

J4M35 - In your photo of 'The Heavy Fab Shop - a stunning view' the small lean to structure on the left hand side is the new toolroom which was a job I built just before finishing my apprenticeship - all the structural steel was reclaimed from the demolished foundry buildings.

Fantastic Ian..... this is getting good as between all of us we have created a fabulous online resource so
THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY FOR THEIR PICTURES AND POSTS- KEEP IT UP 🙂 😉 🙂 😉 🙂 😉 🙂 😉 🙂 😉 🙂

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