Sidebotham’s Trap Works, Black Country Museum (Scan from 1992)

“Sidebotham’s Trap Works, originally constructed in Wednesfield, near Wolverhampton in 1913, is a typical example of a small purpose built factory of the period.

Wednesfield was a major centre for the manufacture and worldwide export of small animal traps. The stencils hanging from the Belfast Truss roof were used to label the packing cases with destinations of ports in Australia, Africa, South America and many other far-flung destinations.

The stamping, pressing and punching machines are driven by lineshafting from a single cylinder gas engine of 1906, built by Tangye’s of Smethwick.

The forge hearth was used to make the springs which operated the traps and parts were assembled on benches using the hand-operated fly presses, before being painted or ‘blacked’ in tanks by the canalside wall and packed for delivery.”