A NEW Halesowen housing estate is now adorned with a piece of artwork paying tribute to the site’s proud industrial heritage.

The Fairfields estate was built on land once occupied by the British Thomson Houston electric motor company – known locally as ‘Better Than Home.’

One of BTH’s motors was used to make the famous Palladium stage rotate.

Now a replica of one of the motors the company used to produce has been unveiled at the entrance, opposite Rowley Regis station at the junction of Cakemore Road and Nimmings Road.

The idea for the artwork came from local people and was taken up by two local councillors, who worked on the scheme with developers Taylor Wimpey.

While Councillors Parmjit Sahota and Hilary Bills were a driving force, the key behind the idea was local resident and ‘great character’ Percy Eamus, sadly no longer with us.

Percy worked at the plant and was a key voice among the local residents who were keen to see the old works marked with a piece of artwork.

The artwork is not the only reminder of the importance of the plant to the history of the area.

Three streets have been named Thomson Grove, Houston Way and Palladium Drive, while the bricks used in the installation are originals from the gate house, which was left when the works was demolished.

Cllr Bills says, “I want to thank Taylor Wimpey for the way they have engaged with us so that the thousands of dedicated workers who worked on this site during peacetime and WWII will not be forgotten.”

Cllr Sahota says, " The site has a proud industrial heritage of producing electric motors until recently as 2008. So having the motor artwork at this prominent location will help future generations to appreciate the rich industrial history of the site and close links to the local area and its people."

This article has been upfdated to clarify that the estate is in Halesowen