Former Edison Swan cable works, Lybrook
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Former Edison Swan cable works, Lybrook by John Winder as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Former Edison Swan cable works, Lybrook
Image: © John Winder Taken: 11 Jan 2015
The factory was opened in 1912 by one Harold J Smith. It did well during the First World War, employing 650 people on double shifts, but in 1920 the receivers were called in and Smith's involvement with the site ended. The factory was purchased by Edison Swan Electrical Works in 1925 and was used to make the specialised lead alloy used for the PLUTO (Petroleum Lines Under the Ocean) pipes laid during World War II. Edison Swan was absorbed into Siemens who continued production at the factory, which employed 1100 people at its peak. In 1966, the site ceased to be used for cable manufacture and finally stopped being used for anything at all in 1994. It's currently awaiting demolition, and I really must find a way in one of these days with my camera.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
51.854277
Longitude
-2.602204