Woman's touch which toppled a chimney
Downed by a blast – but not, it turns out, by Blaster Bates.
A little while ago we posed the question, who was behind the demolition of this landmark Victorian chimney at the Snedshill site of the Lilleshall Company back in October 1967?
David Adams of Newport got in touch at the time to identify it as the handiwork of the famous demolition man Blaster Bates of Sandbach, Cheshire.
But now David has had a rethink, and has dropped us an email with more information.
"It wasn't him," says David.
"Actually the button was pressed, most unusually, by a female, Mrs Elizabeth Mason, wife of the late 'Blaster' John Mason of Newport who had laid the charges.
"John was an accomplished local explosives expert, occasionally working for me on farm work, blowing trees, and so on. He died in 2018."
David has sent a photo of the demolition which he says was taken by Al Wright from the White Lion in Ketley.
