Lots of Plums and Pots

The plums are nearly ready, they are almost there - just a little more sun is needed to complete the process; there are lots of them, the tree is laden with fruit.

On Saturday we took our neighbour up to Kidsgrove to visit her mother. After we'd dropped her off we came back via Westport Lake and took a look at the new visitor centre and then popped into the Burleigh Factory Shop which is next to the canal at Middleport.

This is a very interesting place and apparently, acording to their information leaflet, it is England's last working Victorian factory. It was saved from closure in 1999 by a couple from Hampshire and has been working to the same designs and techniques as it did when it first opened in 1851.

This is the main factory gate where the workers would have arrived for work. It was the rule at most factories that if you were late for work the gate would be closed and you would lose your shift and therefore your wage for that day.

I love the cobbled roadway and could image the workers walking along in their 'trashers' (working shoes) and carrying their 'snappin' (breakfast or lunch).

Above are some views around the entrance to the factory and below some views inside the factory shop

On this side of the factory the car park is right next to the canal.

Of course we couldn't leave without a small souvenir so we chose a mug each from their bargain basket mine was a blue and white pattern made especially for Crabtree and Evelyn and Paul's was brown and white with an oak leaf and acorn patterm made for Williams-Sonoma Home.

Well, we don't mind you going out and leaving us but you could have brought home new cat bowls instead of mugs!