Talk:Soho Foundry
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I have some concern over the use of the word 'factory' in relation to the foundry, as the site did not necessarily resemble the kind of assembly-line production that is often associated with the word, not even Boulton's pioneering arrangement at the Soho Manufactory. The discussion of factory is helpful in clarifying the meaning, but it may still be less ambiguous to use a different term, such as 'works' or 'industrial plant'.
I also am not sure that it's safe to say that most of the factory is extant. The site contained both steam engine works and a mint, a remnant of the first Birmingham Canal (see Old_Main_Line_(BCN)), and changed considerably over the hundred-plus years of operation. This means that we could be talking about more than one site of production, and that it may be confusing to regard the distinct units as one factory.
As for the relative integrity of the site (as left by Boulton Jr.), it would be more precise to say that some buildings are intact, but that the site has not been thoroughly surveyed and that some of the buildings are structurally questionable (personal communication with George Demidowicz). e-tat 2005-10-16 23:59:07.
