Primary Research: Day 3

On the final day I went to Ironbridge, there were many different museums to visit, though I could not get round them all. I would love to visit again some time!

First I went to Blists Hill Victorian Town, with many old Victorian factory buildings as well. This was a ironmongers. The distinctive shape of the windows was notable, similar to many of the examples I had previously seen.

Inside, the dirt was all over the walls, something which must have not mattered within these buildings. Even with quite a few windows and it being a sunny day it still felt quite dark.

I noticed an old boiler which lay disused and rusty. It was smaller than boilers I had previously seen, however still quite large.

This vehicle caught my attention, I have no clue what it is. Still it would be an interesting aspect of the factory I create, as some form of transport for heavy goods.

This boiler was quite different to others I had previously seen, probably due to being more modern. I like the brass plate as it contrasts well with the black of the other metal.

The design of the windows was something I would have never imagined, with the middle four panes being able to open. A nice feature which caught my imagination.

The signs of long periods of use were obvious to see, with the oil and grease building up over the years. This will be crucial to make my project more believable and add an extra dimension to the narrative of the factory.

These pipes were not like any I had previously seen, with a rounded T section. The design is different to anything I could have imagined for such a simple pipe, so it was nice to see them lying on the ground!

The chain pulley system is something I had been wanting to include within my project, and this is a great example! It was connected to a larger metal beam near the roof, for more manoeuvrability.

Here is a stylised crane, probably for loading and unloading from water vessels. The design was aesthetically pleasing, although I doubt the creators had that in mind! Such shapes showed the potential metal machinery had, in contrast to previous wooden constructs.

This is part of Blists Hill furnaces. Once it was a noisy, dirty and smoky complex of buildings which were smelting in the Victorian era. The square chimney was stunning, and the detail of the supports to stop it from expanding and collapsing was also striking.

Once again more machinery, with many cogs and axles. Useful for reference whenever I need to create such objects.

This was an amazing interior, with supports running along the whole roof. The beams were very inspiring for ideas for creating my own when I start BA8. The upright boiler was another feature I particularly liked, being more grand than horizontal versions.

I was particularly taken by this exterior walkway, it would be nice to include one within my factory design. There is a good mix of vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines within the design, and could cause interesting shadows with the use of lighting above it.

Next was Coalport China Museum, with examples of how pottery is made. Most parts of the building were similar to Gladstone Pottery Museum, however there were many nice exterior architecture examples.

This is the tar tunnel, with bitumen flowing through the walls. With the tunnel being so dark and cold there was a powerful chilling atmosphere, I would not like to be down there at night! Part of the tunnel had been flooded, the above image showing that. I liked the pipeline running alongside the tunnel leading the eye down into the darkness. The whole experience was eerie, with the added feature of hitting my head numerous times on the ceiling. Good job they provide hard hats!

The tar running down the walls has been doing so for over 200 years.

These indents used to contain tracks of some description, and formed nice patterns on the floor. An aspect which could be combined with the transport system seen earlier in the day.

I include this photograph because it captures the feel of the working conditions almost perfectly. This is the feel and ambience that I wish to portray within my project. The squalid conditions people lived in, mixed with the overall sense of doom and despair that they must have felt.

This image shows a metal hammer similar to the one at Kelham Industrial Museum, although this one is considerably larger. It is very imposing, and the noise it made while striking the metal must have been phenomenal!

This window had much smaller panes of glass than other windows. I like the almost prison vibe it gives off, which is how some of the workers must have felt.

These arches dominated the landscape, but were awe-inspiring and beautiful. They show that something can be practical as well as looking good.

I loved the lighting within this image, it captures how I imagine the ceiling of the factory could look, giving an eerie and supernatural feel to the area.

 Here is another example of an upright boiler, with doors on the side, quite a bizarre design!


This concluded the Midlands trip. I found it all visually inspiring as well as stunning, every place I visited had a wealth of references and knowledge which will be highly useful for BA8. These are only a few of the 800 pictures I took, some were details of parts of the objects mentioned, as well as different angles of buildings. Though many were examples of the different objects found within a factory setting.