Presswork Metals factory on the up with £600k rock climbing venture
A once thriving industrial factory is back on the up after being stood derelict for six years thanks to Finley Structures.
The former Presswork Metals factory, along Durham Way South on Aycliffe Business Park, has been closed since 2008.
Now plans are in place to convert the building into a new leisure facility, with rock climbing being the main attraction.
The 70,000 square foot facility will include one of the biggest climbing walls in the country, standing at 20 metres tall, and will stage national tournaments. It will also be used by the British team for training.
We purchased the site two years ago and a mixed-use licence was granted by Durham County Council 18 months ago.
Now more than £600,000 is being spent on the facility, with 150 tonnes of steel currently being constructed by us for the frame.
It will be leased to local leisure firm Rockantics, which has been operating from Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre for the last 20 years.
A huge steel frame which will house the 20-metre climbing wall has already changed the skyline on Aycliffe Business Park, and it’s hoped the new Rockantics will be open in time for the 2015 Easter holidays.
The former Presswork Metals building is one of the original World War Two munitions factories that still exist on Aycliffe Business Park.
And during the re-construction process, we made a number of interesting historical discoveries.
Managing director John Finley said: “We wanted to preserve as many of the original walls as possible, and as we started scraping some of them back to the original brick we found a lot of old signage relating to the War effort.
“One wall had a sign saying ‘3.5 shells’ and another said ‘this is your air raid shelter’!
“We also discovered an old railway line when we were digging the bases out, and we’re assuming these would transport the ammunitions from the factory to the main national rail line.
“It’s really interesting stuff and we feel it’s important that we try to preserve this important piece of Aycliffe heritage, so we’re planning on creating some sort of permanent tribute to the munitions workers which would be incorporated within the leisure facility for visitors to enjoy.”
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Our 90,000 sq ft production facility is packed with state-of-the-art machinery. We provide a wide range of structural solutions to the construction industry and offer a range of in-house services – including estimating, design and detailing, steel fabrication, painting and installation – enabling a cost-effective and efficient all-round service to main contractors.
