Derelict Sunday - Parsons Works, Heaton, Newcastle

Many thanks to freespiral for reactivating the Derelict theme as "Derelict Sunday".

This set me off on a short trip to photograph a derelict factory in the East End of Newcastle. This was occupied until a few years ago by the electrical engineering firm Parsons.

Parsons was founded in 1889 by Algernon Parsons and grew to be one of the largest employers on Tyneside. My grandfather worked for the firm as a draughtsman for many years until he retired in the 1950s. The company became Reyrolle Parsons in 1968, merged with Clarke Chapman to form Northern Engineering Industries in 1977, and then became part of Rolls-Royce plc in 1989 prior to being taken over by Siemens about 8 years later. It suffered from a major downturn after 9/11 and although the company still exists in smaller form in the city, this factory has been derelict for several years.


I suspect I'll be blipping shots of other parts of it over the next several Sundays as it's a rich source of derelict photos. (I'd love to be allowed inside it with my camera but I doubt that this will ever be possible!)