Hello all. So, after months of trying, @Buffalo and @plod finally managed to get me out of the house. (Was nice to meet you btw, and thanx again for showing me this place :-) ) . After a brief wander around the city centre and meeting with a none member we decided to head over to Smethwick. Cue my first visit to the new new street station.
Some history (stolen from another site )
It all started when The Chance family began running evening classes in 1846. The Science and Art studies took place at their glassworks in Spon Lane to benefit their workers. By 1852 an Education Institute was formed which ran for nearly two decades.
Come 1885, most classes were being run in the evening at the higher grade school in Crocketts Lane. In 1910 ; neighbouring Smethwick Technical School was opened. This served as a Junior Technical School for young pupils during the day and a further education school for adults in the evenings.
This became a Municipal College by 1927 and the name was changed to Chance College in 1945. A block of engineering and building workshops were opened in 1950 .Between 1952 and 1966 major extensions were built which enabled the college to accommodate 3,500 students. In 1968 the college was merged with Oldbury College of Further Education to form Warley College of Technology, with the buildings in Crocketts Lane (Chance Building) housing the main administrative centre of the new college and six of its eight departments.
The demise was on the horizon many years later and Sandwell College was closed in stages between 2011 and 2012 as relocation to a new state of the art campus in West Bromwich was on the cards.
Many fires and vandalism has forced parts of the college to be demolished and what is left is in a hell of a state
The explore
After doing a circle or two around the local area (phone signal not great so google maps was slow), i found myself in a park. Access to the college was easy as , the place was fully open. It seems the buildings are still well used , mainly by heroin users and special brew fans, but in use none the less. Totally trashed inside but nice old buildings and a good day out .
On with some pics :-)
Externals
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Internals
6. plenty of rooms like this.....
7.
8.
9. thought this was nice ......
10. peeling paint ......
11.
12. posh pillars ........
13.
14.
15.
16. sound proofed studio .......
Most of you have probably been here already, but a word of warning if you go , there are used needles everywhere. They are mainly in one or two of the upper rooms, but stray ones are dotted about so watch your step. One room is probably worth avoiding altogether owing to a few suspect red splashes up the walls.
Once again , out to @Buffalo and @plod on this one :-)
Thanx for lookin .
Some history (stolen from another site )
It all started when The Chance family began running evening classes in 1846. The Science and Art studies took place at their glassworks in Spon Lane to benefit their workers. By 1852 an Education Institute was formed which ran for nearly two decades.
Come 1885, most classes were being run in the evening at the higher grade school in Crocketts Lane. In 1910 ; neighbouring Smethwick Technical School was opened. This served as a Junior Technical School for young pupils during the day and a further education school for adults in the evenings.
This became a Municipal College by 1927 and the name was changed to Chance College in 1945. A block of engineering and building workshops were opened in 1950 .Between 1952 and 1966 major extensions were built which enabled the college to accommodate 3,500 students. In 1968 the college was merged with Oldbury College of Further Education to form Warley College of Technology, with the buildings in Crocketts Lane (Chance Building) housing the main administrative centre of the new college and six of its eight departments.
The demise was on the horizon many years later and Sandwell College was closed in stages between 2011 and 2012 as relocation to a new state of the art campus in West Bromwich was on the cards.
Many fires and vandalism has forced parts of the college to be demolished and what is left is in a hell of a state
The explore
After doing a circle or two around the local area (phone signal not great so google maps was slow), i found myself in a park. Access to the college was easy as , the place was fully open. It seems the buildings are still well used , mainly by heroin users and special brew fans, but in use none the less. Totally trashed inside but nice old buildings and a good day out .
On with some pics :-)
Externals
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Internals
6. plenty of rooms like this.....
7.
8.
9. thought this was nice ......
10. peeling paint ......
11.
12. posh pillars ........
13.
14.
15.
16. sound proofed studio .......
Most of you have probably been here already, but a word of warning if you go , there are used needles everywhere. They are mainly in one or two of the upper rooms, but stray ones are dotted about so watch your step. One room is probably worth avoiding altogether owing to a few suspect red splashes up the walls.
Once again , out to @Buffalo and @plod on this one :-)
Thanx for lookin .
