Bridon Wireworks ltd.

Bridon Ropes was originally called Richard Johnson & Nephew and dates back to 1876 when the wire works first opened.

The company specialized in mainly Telegraph wires and fencing amongst a whole load of other products and even put in a tender for the Brooklyn Bridge, they even had a hand in producing cables for the miles of cables underneath the English Channel during WWII.

In its hey day the Ambergate works employed over 500 people until Bridon took over the site in 1990 and renamed the site Bridon Ropes, Johnson & Nephew Wire Works ltd.

The site in Ambergate is vast with the factory running round a quarter of a mile in length in one straight line, this is paralled as the site is split between a river, doubling the size of the place.

Within the works is a self contained power plant as well as houses and cottages which are part of the site but sadly they are in a sad state of disrepair, despite Bridon making some if not the finest cables and wires in the world they eventually closed the Ambergate site down in 2001.

With the natural decay that has took over the place, you would think some parts had been closed for well over 20 years.

The second part of the site is still very much active and was purchased by the Lichfield Group shortly after Bridon sold the site in 2001, it is now there head quarters.

Alongside the Lichfield Group, LB Plastics also occupy the site now and produce plastic products although much of the area is used more for storage space than anything else.

The Wire Works may have changed names over the years but its still nice to see that it kept its original purpose and despite being renamed, closed, then re-opened, it has prevailled and is still standing including its now derelict section across the river.

Visited with The New Mendoza as part of our Derbyshire sites to do list, and we was not disappointed, the entrance is comedy to the live sections but more than worth the effort.

The scale of this place is immense in all aspects, the length of it is probably the most amazing thing out of all and considering half of it is derelict it does not fail to impress.

We spent a good few hours wandering around in and out of the place including the live sections and was overwhelmed, the natural decay is breath taking in parts as well as the lighting, this place is definatley worth visiting.