Author Topic: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?  (Read 10627 times)

Tomo1965

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 13
Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« on: September 25, 2013, 08:03:20 AM »
I remember the Lucas plant, always lots of asbestos around the area.


Akatarawa

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 790
Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #1 on: September 25, 2013, 09:00:34 AM »
That was the Formans Road battery factory.

I started work at Lucas Gas Turbine, Shaftmoor Lane in 1956, and later moved to their Group Research when it was first at Marston Green.

We had an experimental battery section at Group Research and they used to have close contact with Formans Road, as did my section head.

He had bought an ex navy boat and made a new keel for it using lead he scrounged from here and there, and from Formans Road :)

The asbestos was used in the manufacture of the battery cases.

Spud

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 90257
Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #2 on: September 30, 2013, 04:54:12 PM »
Further to Akatarawa's reply . In addition to the Lucas Battery Factory there was also a Die Casting Factory, The Plastics Factory making Lighting Clusters and Lucas Transport. In the 1970s there was quite a big outcry about Pollution particulary from the Die Casting and Battery Factories. A public meeting was arranged Chaired by local MP Roy Hatesley . I attended the meeting which was held in my old school in Formans Road which backed on to the Lucas Factories . As far as I remember nothing came of it. Like Akatarawa I too worked for Lucas at their Aerospace Factory in Shaftmoor Lane from 1967 to 1997. Knowing Lucas I would like to warrant that they would do everything possible to avoid any pollution.
The Only Free Cheese is in The Trap

roy one

  • Global Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 28322
Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #3 on: September 30, 2013, 06:49:29 PM »
                                      all in the past
 
 was doing some agents work at Lucas smallheath on night shift the first night i was there at about 1 30am the work that we had to do was done so it was head down time we all went to this rest room most of the men about 12 of us had a sleep   the band started to play snoring in tune  with a few  farts as high notes i could not put up with that so i went for a look around i found a nice store room full of box's about 10 foot high and a blower heater going full bore that will do for me so up i went get me head down i  had been there for about 5 minuets looking down to a gap between the box's i seen an old chap moving between the row of box's he had a cap bib and brace overall and a lumber jack shirt i was thinking whats he up to i moved over the top of the box's  just to see him stop and turn right  when i got down to where he had turned right there was a brick wall  with a doorway that was bricked up and there was no way past me with out my seeing him he had gone he had passed me with in 10 feet and he was just like anyone of us  i went down to the rest room to see if he was there but no there was no one that looked like him  i never went up there again i put up with the snoring
each day is a blessing and I bless each day when it comes

frederick

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 22924
Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #4 on: October 01, 2013, 10:39:47 AM »
Roy,
You should have told the "head lamp" about that      ;D
Failure to Prepare is to Prepare to Fail

roy one

  • Global Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 28322
Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #5 on: October 01, 2013, 02:28:12 PM »
Roy,
You should have told the "head lamp" about that      ;D

whats that fred?
each day is a blessing and I bless each day when it comes

Darren

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #6 on: May 05, 2015, 01:53:17 PM »
My grandfather, Ernie Gray, worked there for many, many years finally retiring sometime in the late 70's I think.

Spud

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 90257
Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #7 on: May 05, 2015, 03:33:59 PM »
I think that you are referring to the Formans Road site. It consisted of 3 factories, Batteries, Die Castings and Lamp Clusters [Back Light Lens etc] . And of course Lucas Transport was based there. As you know Lucas no longer really exists and the Formans Rd Site was taken over by Yuasa some years ago that is if my memory serves me right.
There was also a small Lucas Factory in Spring Road [Eagle Works] just a few hundred yards from Formans Road this was a satellite of the main Aerospace Factory which was  situated in Shaftmoor Lane [although the main entrance was in Spring Road] Eagle Works and dealt mainly with repairs and servicing of Aircraft Fuel Pumps. It was closed down sometime ago and the work moved to The Radleys Marston Green.
There is also the Aerospace Factory in York Rd which produces state of the art Electronics for Aerospace applications
The Lucas Aerospace Factories in Shaftmoor Lane and the York Rd. factory over the years became closer aligned as the their products began to over lap and Electronics became the by word in Aircraft Control Systems. Both factories were taken over by Rolls Royce a few years ago and are due to close this year and move to a new factory on the Birmingham Business Park not far from Birmingham Airport.
The Only Free Cheese is in The Trap

jamesm

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 794
Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #8 on: May 06, 2015, 12:36:31 PM »
Interesting to read about this topic. I worked there for a few years starting off in Olton Works and then, when they closed that section down, we all moved down to the "old" battery factory. I recall that when I first started work in Olton Works the production staff worked a system of half an hour on the line and then half an hour in the canteen so that during an eight hour shift you only actually worked for four hours!! Amazing!

toni321

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #9 on: September 07, 2015, 09:06:43 PM »
My grandfather, Ernie Gray, worked there for many, many years finally retiring sometime in the late 70's I think.
My Grandfather probably retired around that time also?

frederick

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 22924
Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #10 on: September 08, 2015, 09:42:48 AM »
Roy,
Late answer you, the head lamp would be the boss the top man.     :)
Failure to Prepare is to Prepare to Fail


 

Terms of Use     Privacy Policy