Watch: Wolverhampton's former F A Gill abattoir and sausage factory reduced to rubble ahead of new Lidl being built
For more than 140 years, it was renowned across the West Midlands for its famous sausages. But today only a pile of rubble remains of the former F A Gill meat business.
Founded by Fred Gill in 1880, the company opened its works in the Parkfields area of Wolverhampton in 1934. Today the three-acre site is a barren landscape ahead of work on a new Lidl supermarket and housing development.
The business saw rapid growth in its 1960s heyday, and in 1971 then Wolverhampton MP Enoch Powell opened an extension.
But in 2023, after almost 90 years at the site on the corner of Parkfield Road and Birmingham New Road, the business closed its doors for the last time after being placed into administration.
Last year Wolverhampton Council gave planning permission for the site to be cleared, and for a 23,519 sq ft shop to be built in its place. These drone pictures taken by Express & Star photographer Tim Thursfield show how the first phase of this work has now been completed.
Work began on the demolition of the works and abattoir in November last year, and the site has now been flattened to make way for a supermarket with 110 parking spaces, and up to 17 new homes at the rear of the site.
Lidl says the new supermarket will create 40 new jobs.
Comment Guidelines
Iconic Media encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.