Tannery_proof2 Design & layout by Quench Design & Communications | Port Hope | www.quenchme.ca Due to the combination of high interest rates and a recession, Robson-Lang went into receivership in 1985. Their last factory to remain in operation was the Cobourg one which had been purchased by John Flynn & Sons of Salem, Massachusetts. But it was only a short time before bankruptcy hit again. "Sadly on May 25, 1986 I personally locked the door of our office, an old house on Alice Street, and put my key in the letter slot," recalled Mr. Fraser. But that same year, operations were resumed on a much smaller scale by the Canada Blue Tanning Company Limited with Richard Beasly of Oshawa as the principal owner. However, even this small operation was not successful and the plant closed down for the last time shortly after. By 2004 the facility was derelict. In 2006 a structural evaluation of the buildings identified the risk of collapsing floors, roofs and walls as well as falling material suspended from the ceiling. The town issued a demolition order which Richard Beasly appealed. Beasly lost his appeal and the town ordered demolition in late 2006. As of early 2015 the property lies vacant, with equipment from the old tannery - including tanning horses and a tanning drum - still on site. As with many tannery properties in Canada and elsewhere, contamination with hazardous chemicals has been a major problem. The Town of Cobourg has been unable to find a buyer and is looking at various possible uses, including a parking lot for the adjacent Via railway station. Soon there may be nothing to remind us of what was once a thriving industrial area in the heart of town, beginning in 1870 with the Crossen Company's major expansion and ending in 1988 with the quiet closing of Canada Blue. THE LAST DAYS THE FUTURE