Preparation work has already begun for the demolition of the Goodyear chimney that for decades towered over a once bustling tyre manufacturing plant, and by late June or early July the imposing 150-foot high blue and yellow brick structure will exist only as a memory.
At its peak, the Goodyear facility in Wolverhampton employed 7,000 people, but today this number has shrunk to 450, the remaining workers engaged in the production of retreads and compounds for use in other European Goodyear factories. The bulk of the factory site will be redeveloped into a residential area with 700 houses, shops, a park and a school. The first houses will be built in 2010.
The decision to demolish the local landmark was not taken lightly; Wolverhampton City Council sought expert advice before concluding that the cost of maintaining the chimney in the vicinity of the new houses would be too high. However the adjacent clock tower, built in the 1930s, is to be spared from demolition, and workers have begun removing it from the adjoining building to ensure it is not damaged. (Tyres & Accessories/Staffordshire, U.K.)
