Abandoned West Midlands: Derelict Factory, Birmingham

This derelict art-deco style factory gives few clues as to its past. Its vast size and impressive entrance imposing over a busy street in central Birmingham allude to previous grandeur, however today the industrial building lies empty and crumbling. The flooded interior reflects shattered glass and graffitied walls of what would have previously been an important part of Birmingham’s manufacturing trade.

The building is surrounded by other largely derelict buildings in Digbeth, an area whose manufacturing was once of national importance. Industry built up in the area as a result of the supply of water from the River Rea and from natural springs. Digbeth was accessed by the Grand Union Canal and the Digbeth Branch canal in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The building is set across three floors, with a loading bay, multiple large halls and a central courtyard.

Seemingly most recently used as a cleaning materials and equipment supply and distribution centre, the building’s previous use remains a mystery, other than a few clues that point to it being part of Birmingham’s Argyll Works, and being described as a “former engineering works” by Historic England.