DRILL BRITISH WITH HOLMAN
Rock Drill (No.3) Works Building

Holman Brothers Ltd. was a world famous engineering and mining equipment manufacturer founded in 1801 based in Camborne, Cornwall that in its heyday was spread over three sites within Camborne and employed more than 2,000 people.
The Holman Rock Drill (No.3) Works at Trevu was the last remaining building in 2009 where the development of the compressed air powered drills for boring holes in rock began. It was internationally synonymous with the mining and quarrying industries which were world renowned, the last production line closed in 2001.
Holman’s started producing their first patented rock drill in 1881. It became known as the "Cornish Rock Drill", and achieved great commercial success. By 1882 the rock drill was at work at Dolcoath, Tincroft, East Pool, South Crofty and Falmouth Docks as well as mines in South Wales. The demand grew rapidly and by 1896 more than 1,000 Cornish rock drills were in use on The South African Rand alone. By the turn of the century the number had doubled. Most of these drills came from Holman in Camborne.
Fortunately, I decided to photograph this last remaining Holman building Rock Drill (No.3) Works, from the exterior just a few months before it was demolished after the redevelopment of the building was approved by the former Kerrier District Council.
November 2009 saw the demolition contractors begin to pull down the last of the historic Holman's factory buildings, clearing it for a development of houses and flats by Coastline Housing. £4.58 million of funding had been achieved from the Homes and Communities Agency and Cornwall Council. Councillors were persuaded by planning officers that the scheme would bring important heritage buildings back into viable use. The site also included the apprentice school and the museum, which was listed.
"Sixteen houses will be built plus 22 flats and a block of 18 flats will also be built at the entrance to the scheme for tenants more than 50 years old.
Camborne councillor Jean Charman, who founded the Trevu Action Group in 2005 to try to save the buildings, was bitterly disappointed and reported to say "We fought tirelessly and explored every avenue to try and save the historic site. We told developers back then that the buildings were in danger of falling down but nothing was done. This was the last bit of Holman's that was left. All the rest has gone. This just goes to show that local people are not being listened to."
The original mono images I took in 2009 are balanced with the current development, images I took when I returned in November 2011. In just two years the contrast between the images is quite transient both in appearance and purpose.