Urbex
11 November 2023I gave it a couple of looks many moons ago and with it being practically on my doorstep I am embarrassed to say I havent been more proactive with visits to retry entry.
Having seen so many visit recently I decided I couldn’t miss the chance again!!
RAE Bedford comprised various sites, the two main ones being former local WWII Bases RAF Twinwoods and RAF Thurleigh (USAF Base 111), these are now owned by various different businesses, Twinwoods business centre is home to RAE Bedford 3×3, 8×8, the vertical windtunnel and the horizontal windtunnel. The Vertical Windtunnel was converted into the indoor skydiving site Body Flight and the Horizontal Windunnel is used by Redbull Racing.
There used to be a large recycling centre at the front of the site and one of my failed attempts down to this being on fire and crawling with fire engines at the time of the visit.
Construction on RAE (Royal Areonautical Establishment) Bedford started in 1946. In order to accomodate the landing/taking off of the Bristol Brabazon, the plane never entered production. A significant amount of work on the Harrier was undertaken at Bedford. Thurleigh was home to a catapult runway which aided in the testing and development of the aircraft carrier ‘Ski Jump’ ramps.
At some point the BEA Helicopters Expermental Unit was also using the site.
The site was slowly decommissioned, starting with the airfield, in 1994, as operations were moved to Boscombe Down. QinetiQ remained on site until around 2007 mainly in part to the cost of relocating the Advanced Flight Simulator. QinetiQ sold their remaining stake in the Bedford Airfield site, including the ‘Wind Tunnel’ site thus bringing to a close any links the area had with the RAE, or as it became known once it moved to Boscombe DERA (Defence Evaluation and Research Agency).
A very chilled explore, well until we attempted to look for a way into the 8×8 site when a less than polite individual told us we couldn’t take photos of the building and suggested we leave. [...]
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28 August 2023Ash House sits in six acres of gardens and grounds, and was put up for sale in 2021 with a price tag in excess of £2m. The property is nestled in one Sheffields most affluent areas and sold for an undisclosed sum in 2022. It was originally built, and lived in by a family of wealthy lawyers, Ash House was used as a convalescence home for children from the 1940’3 through to the 1980’s.
Its final use in the 1990s, was as a care home, which providied for upto 40 beds. There were 15 beds for people with dementia. Ash House Residential Care Home closed in 2016.
The house still manages to show glimpses of its former grandeur, with the wood panelling and some of the stain glass windows surviving the obvious regular visits of vandals and metal thieves.
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28 August 2023After seeing this site pop up all over Facebook, with the normal youtube live streamers and ghost hunters hitting it like it was a sweet shop, I started trying to track it down. There were clues but try as I might it kept elluding me, I felt it was in an area but as with any area it’s not effective to just scour GMaps for hours in the hope it appeared.
I spoke to my partner in crime and told them I was sure it was local to them, “Can’t be I would know about it”, was the confident retorte, oh how wrong they were, after a bit of blind luck from a youtube video and some reverse image searches, up it popped. Not only was it local to them, they drove past it everyday on the way to and from work :-D.
Suffice to say many believe the owner has passed away, and that may be true however we have been led to believe that although the house has clearly not been used in years and certainly not maintained, the owner is actually still alive and in palliative care (We didn’t find this out until after the explore).
We rocked up nearby relatively early in the morning and proceeded to make our way, ninja style, straight down the front drive. Once in we were greeted by one of those lovely time capsules that you long to see. Sadly there is clear evidence of people tacking trophies of their visits as a set of RAF wings is certainly missing along with other small items. [...]
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28 August 2023Founded by George Barnsley in 1836, George Barnsley and Sons Ltd., started life buying pre-cut blanks from the local steel mills and crafting them into files to sell on Wheeldon Street in the Brook Hill area of the city. The business grew and by around 1850 they had moved to a factory at Cornish Place on the Don. Here they specialized in forged filing and cutting tools for the leather workers and shoemakers. In 1883 George Barnsley was Master Cutler.
Records show that in 1849 they had moved to Cornhill and then in 1852 onto the Cornish works, Cornish Street. The tools on offer had increased their product range to include steel files, butchers, and shoe knives.
Sadly, the end of World War II was the beginning of the decline for Sheffield’s Tool and Cutlery industry in general and George Barnsley’s was no exception. In an attempt to slow this decline the firm started to modernise the machinery, adding a plate machine and a precision lathe. Loyal customers and an injection of cash from the War Damages Commission helped see the company through a trying period.
George Barnsley passed away at home, aged 83, No 30 Collegiate Crescent in 1958. He lived there with his wife Mabel and mother-in-law Elizabeth. The business became a limited company roughly 10 years before his death. George also had a long army career, first joining up in 1896 and going on to serve in the Boer war and both world wars. As Colonel Barnsley, he played a leading part in the development of the Army Cadet Force in Sheffield.
Production of files finally ceased in the 1970’s and the factory eventually closed around 2003, when the final 3 workers were laid off. [...]
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26 August 2023In May 2007 Federal Mogul announced it was seeking 70 redundancies from its workforce at the long established engineering premises in. Manufacturing would continue out of the Elstead factory, to maintain supplies for customers like BMW and Perkins. However, it was less than a year before the remaining workforce was informed that the entire site was to close that October. The Elstead works started life at the beginning of the 20th century as Weyburn Engineering, and in recent years it was merged with competitors to become Weyburn Bartel before being bought by Federal Mogul. It has always been the only real factory in the village, and it employed about 300 people in 1937 when it was manufacturing lifeboat engines and other parts for cars and aeroplanes. When soaring asbestos liabilities forced Federal Mogul to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US in 2001, its UK subsidiaries were placed under the control of court appointed administrators. The Elstead workforce, who were carrying out precision engineering for a number of high profile clients on the four-acre site, believed the business still had a future, despite the company’s decision to make 70 redundancies in 2007. [...]
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21 July 2023A day I had planned for a few weeks now, with a fellow explorer who I hadn’t seen in an age and a non-forum member who was front and centre on our Italian trip. The plan was simple stay part way up on route to break the driving a little. Sadly a term I have used in the past and UrbanX has heard on many occasion “I was Butlered”, but I wasn’t Butlered once I was Butlered 4 times in less than a day.Butlered 1 – Sorry mate been delayed so won’t make it to you until late.Butlered 2 – Just got back to get my gear and thinking I will get my head down and meet your early doors at the hotel.Butlered 3 – Ahh F*** mate sorry I have only just get up I’ll meet you at the first site.Butlered 4 – Not gonna make it mate everything is going off and I need to be up early tomorrow for an early day at work.Needlesss to say I had given up after Butlered 2 but still it provides an insight into being Butlered, most famously UrbanX, myself and another non-forum member were Butlered when we went to Berlin, not before we took off, no they phoned us whilst we were waiting for him in arrivals at Berlin Airport.Anyway enough of that, on with the explore. I had seen this site pop up numerous times on Fb and really wanted to see it, I don’t have a lot of history and that probably best for these little time capsules. Perched high on a slope in a windswept part of our fine isle lays an old farmers cottage, and judging by the items in there it was most likely a diary farm.We pitched up at a spot we had decided was ideal as the two ways to the place were either a tough slog up a steep slope, or drive past the current farmers house and announce ourselves. Slope walk it was and boy was it a tough one, but it was certainly worth it.The outside of the cottage is very non descript and looking at it you would have been forgiven for thinking its a pointless trip to an empty shell. Poke your head in the door and you are pleasantly surprised. Anyway on with the photos I hope you enjoy. [...]
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30 July 2022Nestled in the middle of nowhere this long forgotten chapel was one of our backup sites if we ran out of places to visit. As luck would have it ended up being on our route to the final explore for the day. Sadly as the images show it has been ransacked and vandalised terribly. [...]
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21 July 2022As with so many of these bases, within the forests of Germany, the Wehrmacht constructed numerous training spaces and temporary living quarters for its soldiers.
Forst Zinna, or Lager III as it was originally named, was built in 1934 during the early days of the Third Reich It served as part of the country’s rearmament program and was located an hour from Berlin.
During World War II, it had numerous multi-story buildings and included barracks, training room, admin buildings and prison to mention just a few.
Adolf Hitler Lager, as it was known to those within the Nazi Party, was first used to house members of the SS. In 1935, it became a training camp for artillery officers.
By 1939/40 the artillery officer training was relocated and the base started training drivers in the use of tracked vehicles. As the Reich crumbled several units of the Wermacht who had reformed at the base found themselves fighting the advancing Red army. They managed to push the advancing army back and eventually surrendered to US forces in 1945.
The base fell into Russian hands and was used to house those displaced or imprisoned by the Nazi regime, although most of these were moved there forcibly.
Later in life the base was expanded and used by the 18th Guards Tank Unit & 118th Tank Training Unit. The base continued to grow and new areas created, including a zoo.
January 1988, Forst Zinna was the location of one of the worst railway accidents the GDR would experience. An express train crashed into a Soviet tank on the tracks. Six people lost their lives and another 33 were injured. The Soviet Army were deemed to be responsible for the tragedy. [...]
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21 February 2022This explore took me back to my childhood as it is a site that was just up the road from my old family home and I used to pass it everyday on the way to and from school.
I don’t have a great deal of information on the site itself and it is a little bland on wow features, well to be fair features in general. There is a request to demolish the site currently sitting awaiting approval and I suspect houses will replace the lodge in the longer term. The parent company shuttered the lodge side of the business in 2014 as it was no longer considered a viable business, but they still ran an administration team out of it for a while afterwards. [...]
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22 August 2018Well it has been a while since I have written one of these so forgive me if I am a little rusty. After a successful day exploring up in Norfolk with Mookster and a non-forum member it was going to be difficult to top it on the Sunday.
I had tried to visit this place a few weekends before but partly due to the time we went and the general footfall in the area we had to call it off. Fast forward a couple of weeks and some hurried Facebook messenger conversations and I found myself back there in the early hour for attempt number two.
The history has been done but here it is again shamefully ripped from Mookster’s earlier report.
“Built in 1874 in a Mock Tudor style this Victorian Villa has been greatly altered and extended during its lifetime. Ian Gillan of Deep Purple fame purchased the villa in 1973 and was behind its conversion into a 32 bedroom hotel, and installed a guitar shaped swimming pool in the grounds behind the building. The last owners bought it in 1995 and added a large golf course and club to the grounds. The hotel closed in 2014 after the owners could no longer afford the upkeep, however the gold club, voted one of the best in Oxfordshire is still open.”
I was a little disappointed truth be told but it was still a nice chilled explore and good to be back out there a little more regularly than the last few years. Anyway on to the photos. [...]
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21 January 2017Messrs Giles, Gough and Trollope were responsible for its design. It follows the compact arrow layout, cost £126,000 to build and was opened in 1903. The institution like so many was designed to self-sufficient with its own water supply, electricity and sewerage. Patients were encouraged to spend their time in the workshops or the 8 acres of farm land.
Talgarth was initially to serve Breckonshire and Radnorshire, however after WWI patients were also admitted from Montgomeryshire.
During the Second World War Cardiff Mental Hospital was used predominantly for military casualties and as such patients were transferred to Talgarth. In 1940 Talgarth was itself seconded to military use and its “residents” were transferred to other mental hospitals in Wales. This remained the case until 1947.
The hospital eventually closed its doors in 1999 and the site, in my view rather controversially was sold to the former chief medical officer for a mere £227,000.
A business venture to turn the site into a business park hit the skids in 2009 due to a downturn in the Global Economy and the site was offered up for sale again. Sadly by this time most of the slates from the buildings roofs had been stripped and most likely sold for profit. [...]
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21 March 2015Built in the late 1800’s to service the recently converted castle above the station was closed the same year that King Leapold II died. The castle above is long gone, burning down in the 1960’s yet the station does give you some idea as to how grand it must have been. The photo’s now taken I looked back at the climb and started questioning what I had been thinking, I questioned this once again when I was half way up my “shortened easy” route. I stopped and slumped down with exhaustion I could feel my heart pounding in my ears, looking down I had only one choice to continue up my chosen route which looked steeper and steeper with every carefully chosen step. Eventually I was back on top of the mountain, I collapsed and took the time to catch my breath…it was worth every step. [...]
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23 February 2012The Krampnitz barracks were built betweem 1937 and 1939 for the army riding and driving school. . The architect Robert Kish was responsible for the design. The sprawling complex consists of exposed brick buildings and an imposiing entrance tower on the north side. Behind the tower on the mountain, sits the officers’ mess.
Amongst the other buildings there is a staff dormitory building with an attached officer and a cadet’s block. In addition to these the crew quarters , stables for the horses, garages and a number of technical facilities were also located on site. A small housing estate for officers and married couples with semi-detached houses was located on the South side of the barracks giving a very village feel to them.
Until 1937 the cavalry school was located in Hanoverit had been there since 1872 and been responsible for the equestrian training of the army but it was now too small, Army High Command made the decision to relocate it Krampnitz.
The barracks were not fully completed until 1939 and at that time, Krampnitz was still used for the training of cavalry and motorized troops, later it was also responsible for the armoured cavalry. In 1941 the name was changed to “School of fast troops”, in 1943 there was a second name change to “Panzer troops Krampnitz School II”.
In the last months of the war, the tank school was used for preparation of the motorized units for combat missions over Berlin. However by 26th April 1945 the barracks was completely vacated by soldiers. On 27th April Krampnitz was occupied by the Russain Red Army and would remain so until 1992.
Since the withdrawal of former Soviet army in 1992, the buildings have stood empty. Recently some parts have been used for film sets and television productions. Enemy at the Gates was filmed in part here because parts were seen as a perfect replica of Red Square in Moscow.
In 2006, the barracks served as the backdrop for the film “Mein Fuhrer” with Helge Schneider in the title role.
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23 January 2012The Millennium Mills is a site I have wanted to visit for sometime now and have been unlucky on a couple of occassions to miss fellow explorers visits. I finally managed to tick this one off after meeting up with UrbanX and CovertUrbex. Have to say serious Kudos to CovertUrbex on this one as he was the one that did the leap of faith and allow UrbanX and I to traverse the Ladder of Common Sense.
The history has been covered over and over again however here is my slant on it.
A little quote from a fellow urbexer –
“Like a booby-trapped House of Horrors, danger awaits their every step in Millennium Mills. The rotten floors are comparable to thick slices of Emmenthal, riddled with pigeon faeces and yawning holes (where machinery has been removed) that drop eight or nine storeys in some places. ”
—Christian Koch
I would however say this was probably more aimed at the older of the buildings we explored and indeed decided to bypass due to the obvious state of the floors and external fire escape. We didn’t really have to play cat and mouse with the onsite security with our access time giving us the uppoer hand of being able to see him long before he saw us.
History
Millennium Mills was designed and built by millers William Vernon & Sons in 1905, its construction was overseen by William Vernon’s son. The mills were extensive, featuring two plants, equipped by Henry Simon Ltd, that had a capacity of 100 sacks per hour. Upon completion W. A. Vernon described the mills as “palatial”. Vernon and Sons named the mill after “Millenium Flour” their most successful product and flour variety after winning the The Miller Challenge Cup at the 1899 International Bakers Exhibition. The flour was milled from the best wheats of the world using a carefully designed industrial process. The victory made Vernon and Sons world famous and made them the dominant force in the English flour market.
The construction of Millennium Mills at the Royal Victoria Dock allowed this new flour to be brought to the South of England market.
An explosion in 1917 at the Brunner Monds munitions works partially destroyed this mill along with the other two mills in the imediate area. The munitions works was about 100 yards east of where Millennium Mills stood, and the adjoining grain silos and flour warehouses were amongst the 17 acres of buildings that the Port of London Authority estimated were affected.
1920 saw Vernon & Sons taken over by Spillers Limited and ownership of Millennium Mills was passed across too. Spillers was an established flour milling business founded in 1829, which subsequently went into the production of dog food and animal feeds and by 1927.
Millennium Mills was rebuilt as a 10-storey concrete art deco building in 1933.
During the Second World War many port mills throughout the country sustained severe damage from bombing, infact almost 75 per cent of the national capacity was concentrated at the ports, making them primary targets for air raids. In London, Spillers’ Millennium Mills as well as Rank’s Premier Mills were substantially destroyed. Resulting in large scale post war reconstruction between 1945 and 1950 this despite a severe deficit of raw materials and strict licensing. At this time Millennium Mills was rebuilt, including a windowless steel-framed infill on the west side, and was in operation by September 1953.
The Docks finally closed in 1981,with many businesses relocating to Tilbury. The LDDCand the Zoological Society of London discussed using the area for a public aquarium, but funding for this was hard to find and the idea was eventually mothballed.Rank, CWS mills along with B and C silos were subsequently demolished by the LDDC in the 1990s. D silo to the south was saved by virtue of the fact its Grade II listed.While Millennium Mills itself is locally listed by Newham Council. [...]
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23 January 2012The Isle of Grains strategic importance for guarding the entrance to the River Medway had already been recognised with the construction of Grain Tower and in 1860 Royal Commission called for a casemated fort to be added around it. However this did not happen and Grain Fort was constructed as a separate site.
The fort began as a large heptagonal earthwork surrounding a large semi-circular keep. At the front of the fort was a ditch defended by four caponiers. Another inner ditch surrounded the keep and was defended by three caponiers and two demi-caponiers.
As with other forts of the time the upper gun emplacements were connected to the magazines below via shafts. Passages connected the magazines to the caponiers in the front ditch and the keep, which was also accessible via a bridge from the terreplein. The men garrisoned at Grain Fort were barracked in the keep.
Modifications to the fort were made at the end of the 19th century with the addition of four guns with further alterations in the following years through to the end of the Second World War. Grain Fort remained in service until the disbandment of coastal artillery in 1956. The site was sold in 1961 with the subsequent demolition of the fort and other major features and the ditches were filled with rubbish.During World War Two the fort records show several interesting facts, firstly the firing data shows that the guns could traverse fully through 360 degrees to fire inland. This data shows the areas the fort was to destroy should an invasion take place in the area.
Grain fort 19.6.41
9.2 Battery Landwards Firing Data
Serial Number Target Given Found Bearing
H.5 High Halstow 2293 223938 264°
H.6 Cooling 1994 197946 288°
H.9 Great Chattenden Wood Area 1992 190920 259°
H.10 Ladys Close Cliffe 1892 180920 259°
H.11 Hoo 2290 226907 248°
S.1 Leysdown 4888 485885 110°
S.2 Eastchurch 4389 431897 118°
S.3 Eastchurch Aerodrome 4288 430881 125°
S.4 Minster 3991 399912 120°
S.5 Building Estate 3390 384909 130°
S.6 Road Junction 370889 370889 144°
In 1944 the role of Grain Fort was close defence of the Estuary using the 6 inch equipment, they were to destroy or drive away all enemy vessels which were in range including enemy aircraft landing in the water. Targets to be engaged in priority order are:
Transports
Boomsmashers
Destroyers
Submarines
M.T.B’s
The standing orders in the event of an invasion were – “no gun will remain idle until all targets within range bearing have been disabled.”
Defence posts during the war are detailed below:
1. S.M. Emplacement – L. front of B.O.P. – Home Guard – 4 men
2. Bren gun post – 30 x front of B.O.P. – Reserve B.O.P. – 2 men
3. Rifle post – Side of Bofors – No. 2 Gun Detachment – 4 men
4. Bren Gun Post – L. front G.2. Gun – No.2 Gun Detachment – 2 men
5. Rifle post – R. front G.1. gun – No.1 Gun Detachment – 4 men
6. Bren Gun Post – R. of S.O.P. – No.1 Gun Detachment – 2 men
7. Solothurn post – R. of S.O.P. – Gnrs Farley and Plumbley – 2 men
8. Heavy M.G. post – Embankment above No.1 engine room – Home Guard – 2 men
9. Bren Gun post – 20 x R. of No.8 – Employed – 2 men
10. S.M. Emplacement – West wall of fort – Home Guard – 4 men
11. Roof – West wall of fort – Employed – 10 men
12. No.1 C.A.S.L. – River front – C.A.S.L. Res: – 4 men
13. No.2 C.A.S.L. – River front – C.A.S.L. Res: – 4 men
A list of armaments and small arms gives some idea of the size of the unit garrisoned there:
Gun G.1. – CBL 6 inch Mk. VII – Manufactured 1900, refurbished 8/5/1941 – Erected 31/7/1941
Gun G.2. – CBL 6 inch Mk. VII – Manufactured 1900, refurbished 8/5/1941 – Erected 30/9/1941
Small Arms
.22 Rifles – 4
.303 Rifles – 101
Bayonets – 101
Revolvers – 2
Bren Guns – 4
Lewis Guns – Nil
Sten Sub-Machine Guns – 4
Solothurn Guns – 1 pr
Signal Pistol – 2
Fort Plans:
Blockwork
Ground Floor
First Floor
Full Site
Grain Tower Battery
Built in 1855, the original tower was based on the same Martello Towers that were first constructed as a defence against Napoleon in the early 19th century. The tower stands some 500 meters off shore on what is known as Grain Spit in the Medway and the original tower was built of brick covered in granite. The towers fire would compliment that from Garrison Point and would defend both the entrance to the River Medway and the sea front of Sheerness. The guns of the 1855 Tower were mounted on the roof and fired over the wall rather than through an embrasure.
Early in the 20th century a raised concrete and stone structure was added to the towers roof to all the addition of two 4.7in BLs. This also provided shelter that could be used for stores and fire control. The ammunition storage was upgraded at the same time to allow safer storage within the main body of the tower to supply these new guns.
Soon after a boom defence was constructed across the River Medway towards Sheerness. The tower became an anchor point for this boom, connecting it to Grain beach, the chains can still be seen wrapped around the towers base roughly 6 feet from the estuary bed.
The Second World War saw further additions and modifications, in particular the large roofed emplacement that supported a twin 6pdr quick firing gun. Behind this was a directing tower and a light emplacement. The addition of a barrack block was the biggest addition at this stage was; it was made of concrete and stands on stilts with access to and from the main tower via a concrete walkway. [...]
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23 October 2011hoe manufacturer Hawkins Inc was founded in 1850 by GeorgeThomas Hawkins . Originally started as a cottage industry, in 1883 Hawkins got down to serious business and in 1885 the construction of a factory at a location on the Overstone Road, Northampton was started. That same year it was producing riding boots for the Queen, earning it the highest honour of that era, the Royal Warrant, which is still proudly displayed above corner entrance.
By 1899 the factory was supplying military boots for the troops fighting in the Boer War and by 1904 it had released its first full catalogue. The First World War saw orders for aviation boots and in 1916 GT Hawkins changed to a limited company with Edward H White joining as a director.
During the Second World War Hawkins was to supply aviation boots for Mosquito and Spitfire pilots and during the Korean War it was instrumental in designing waterproof durable boots for the troops and it was this design that became the catalyst for developing walking boots.
In 1953 Hawkins supplied the mountain boots used by the first team to successfully ascend Mount Everest.
In 1982 it supplied the British Troops fighting in the Falklands Conflict. It finally closed its doors after 120 years of trading, in 1995, and has been empty ever since. [...]
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23 October 2011Founded in 1895 as Northern Electric and Manufacturing it was responsible for supplying telecommunications equipment for Canada’s fledgling telephone system. Nortel became a major player in the telecoms arena battling with both Avaya and Mitel for the biggest portion of the PBX market (Business telephone systems to keep it simple) but it also had a serious amount of history. In 1914 after one of many mergers the company rebranded to Northen Electric. During the First World War Northern Electric manufactured the Portable Commutator a one-wire telegraphic switchboard for military operations in the field and in 1922 they produced the “Peanut” vacuum tube capable of being powered by a lone single cell battery. In 1949 AT&T/Western Electric were forced to sell their stake in the company and Bell of Canada bought in.
By 1976 the company was known a Northern Telecom and then finally it became Nortel as its known today. At its height Nortel accounted for more than a third of the total valuation of all listed companies on the Toronto stock exchange, then the bubble burst and controverses arose which led to its eventual dimise.
The Harlow campus was sold on a sell to let agreement in 2002 meaning the owner basically let it back to Nortel (Sell went through for £85 Million) and Nortel finally fell in 2009 and its assets were slowly sold off. The most significant being the sale to Apple/Microsoft/RIM alliance of 6000 high level patents. As a stark reminder of their fall from grace at their height Nortel shares were worth C$120 at their fall they were delisted at C$0.185. [...]
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23 October 2011The original estate was acquired in 1832 by Lewis Loyd (Samuels Father)for the princely sum of £117,000. On his fathers death in 1858 it passed to Samuel.Overstone House replaced the earlier dwelling Overstone Hall and was built for the banker Samuel Loyd in 1862, who was to become Lord Overstone for his services to finance. It was his wife who was keen to ensure they lived in a property that emulated with their status and as such her husband decided to rebuild the original hall on a far grander scale. His choice to appoint the unknown architect William Milford Teulon (brother of the more famous Gothic revivalist Samuel Sanders Teulon) was to prove a major error in judgement and led to the creation of one of the most contemptible houses created in the Victorian era.According to The Builder of 1862, was:
“a mixture of Elizabethan and Renaissance features”.
Even Lord Overstone, who was noted for his taste in the arts, hated the House and refused to live in it after it was built, preferring to stay with his daughter at Lockinge in Berkshire. Sadly his wife died before the building was completed.
Harriet Sarah Loyd, later to become Lady Wantage, inherited the estate when her father passed away 1883 and used regularly during the winter hunting season until her husband death in 1901.
The house was then leased out successively to a Field Marshall, Lord Grenville, and then to the Australian shipping magnate Malcolm McEacharn and his wife who regularly entertained in lavish style. On the death of Lady Wantage, most of the estate was sold off to its tenant and farmer, however the Mansion plus 70 acres was sold for £9000 to Sir Philip Stott, the architect. He bequethed its use to the Conservative and Unionist Party for use as a college in 1923. He was later to condemnthe scheme as ‘an abject failure’ and eventually sold the property to the Charlotte Masons Schools Company in July 1929 for conversion to a girls’ Public School under the guidance of Henrietta Franklin, who herself daughter of Samuel Montagu, another eminent Victorian Banker. The School occupied the Main House, Carriage block and stables and farm buildings for fifty years until July 1979 when the financial imperatives of maintaining a crumbling Victorian estate became too much. The estate was sold as a single lot by tender to speculators for £701.000, who later sold the House and 70 acres to the New Testament Church of God for £100 000 in 1980.
A fire in 2001 believed to have started in an upstairs dorm, sometimes referred to as the gallery by the students of the girls school, lasting approximately 12 hours destroyed all of the striking features including the parque flooring and the beautiful stair case. [...]
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23 October 2011The factory was once a large busy place of work which developed the flooring for the Northampton bus station as well as some of the flooring in the London Underground as well as the Tokyo Underground in Japan. The business has now closed and what’s left of the factory has been left to rot and decay. All of the floor’s inside are damp and moss has began to grow from the stone floor. Most of the roof has fallen through and all doors have been removed.
There is certainly a fair bit to see and walk round although the site itself is pretty far gone with the plants, moss and water really taking their toll. It is however home to some pretty good Graffiti, apologies to those who aren’t inclined to this type of art. [...]
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22 October 2011On 24 August 1986, the privatisation process started when the assets of the British Gas Corporation were transferred to British Gas plc, then owned entirely by the Government. In November 1986, shares in British Gas plc were offered for sale on the stockmarket and trading in British Gas shares commenced on 8th December 1986. During the 1989/90 financial year British Gas plc re-organised into three separate business units – Gas Business in Great Britain, Exploration and Production and Global Gas. By 1991 the 12 regions had been re-organised into 91 districts covering the whole of Britain. The Gas Business in Great Britain underwent further restructuring in 1994 when five Business Units were established :-
Transco, responsible for transporting and storage of gas;
Public Gas Supply, the domestic market;
Business Gas, for supplies over 2,500 therms p.a.;
Service ; and
Retail;
E&P and Global continued to operate in international markets. British Gas plc made a number of organisational changes during the early 1990‘s as the industry prepared for increased competition. On 17 February, 1997, British Gas plc demerged into two separate listed companies ; BG plc and Centrica plc.
British Gas‘s transportation and storage business (Transco) and the Exploration and Production (excl. North and South Morecambe gas fields), International Downstream, Research & Technology and Properties business’s remained with BG plc. Further internal restructuring in 1999 led to the formation of BG Group with subsidiaries BG Energy Holdings Ltd, BG Transco plc and others.
British Gas‘s Gas Sales and Gas Trading, Services and Retail businesses, together with the gas production business of the North and South Morecambe gas fields were transferred to Centrica. [...]
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22 October 2011A fulling mill for cloth production originally set up by the monks of the Abbey on the Millhead Stream is where the history of Waltham Abbey begins, it was built on the engineered water course that tapped waters of the Lea. Mills were easily adaptable and in the early 17th century it was converted to an ‘Oyle Mill’, for the production of vegetable oils. Gunpowder supply shortages were encountered during the second Dutch War prompting the conversion of the oil mill for gunpowder production. 1665 saw its acquisition by Ralph Hudson using saltpetre made in Beds and Herts.
Purchase by the Crown
Concerns over security, quality and economy of supply were raised by the Deputy Comptroller of the Royal Laboratory at Woolwich, Major Sir William Congreve in the 1780’s who recommended that the Waltham Abbey Mills should be acquired by the Crown to guarantee secure supplies and to create what would now be called a centre of excellence for development of manufacturing processes and to establish standards in both quality and cost that private contractors could be judged by. October 1787 saw the purchase of the Mills from John Walton, by the Crown for £10,000, heralding the start of a 204 year ownership. Congreve’s immense drive and vision, coupled with careful management, quality control and scientific method saw manufacture move from what had been a black art to an advanced technology by the standard of that time.
The French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic War saw the Mills respond successfully in both volume and quality to the massive increases in demand which arose over the period between 1789 and 1815. In the years that followed Waterloo the Mills entered a lull in production and a decline in staff numbers. However this was tempered by a steady advance in machinery and process development.
The tranquility was not to last. The outbreak of the Crimean War in 1854 quickly followed by the Indian Mutiny and numerous colonial conflicts followed, finishing with the Boer War of 1899 – 1902.
Explosives Advances
This stimulated the thirst for further development. The Mills primary function was to provide gunpowder for military use, either as a propellant, or as a military explosive, advances made at the Mills had a strong influence on private production for civil use – construction, mining, quarrying, tunneling, railway building etc. which created massive demand for gunpowder in the 19th century.
In 1865 while Sir Frederick Abel was in charge, first, Guncotton was developed and patented at Waltham Abbey, then in 1889, the propellant Cordite.
The Great Wars – World War I & II
The onset of WWI in 1914 meant a huge rise in demand. The Mills reacted by increasingstaff numbers by roughly 3000 to around 6230. The majority of the 3000 new workers were female, drawn from the local population and creating something of a social phenomenon.
In 1918 when WWI came to an end there was again a period of peace before concerns about the future again surfaced. A decision to move production at Waltham Abbey gradually to the west of the country was made, due to it being safer from air attack from Europe. During the transfer however production continued and important development work progressed on TNT production and on the new explosive RDX. During WWII Waltham Abbey was to remain an important cordite production unit and wasthe sole production site of RDX for the first two years of the war. 1943 saw the completion of the transfer to the West Country, many of Waltham Abbey staff played a vital role in developing these new factories, training staff and overseeing production with the Mills finally closing.
The Mills were re-opened in 1945 as a research centre for military propellant and high explosives and became increasingly prominent in field of rocket propellants, solid and liquid and a range of specialised applications, e.g. ‘snifters’ for altering space vehicles direction when in flight, cartridges for firing aircraft Ejection Seats, engine and generator starter cartridges – these applications have been called ‘a measured strong shove’. The rocket activity later extended to the production of rocket motors.
As years went by and after various reorganisations of Governmental research, the Mils finally closed in 1991, and so bringing to a close 300 years of explosives production and research. [...]
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23 July 2011RAF Syerston was connected to aviation legends such as Guy Gibson VC, Gus Walker and Bill Reid VC, who were all based there during the war and used the officers’ mess which was built in 1940 for dining, drinking and accommodation.
During 11 months at Coningsby and later Syerston Gibson flew 20 more operations. At the end of his third tour he had completed 170 sorties and was promoted to Wing Commander. He also added a Distinguished Service Order and bar to his decorations at the age of only 24.Due to his formidable operational record, reputation for seeing through a task, leadership skills and experience flying the new Lancaster,Gibson was the perfect choice for Harris to lead the Dambusters. Gibson undertook command of 617 Squadron with no idea of the task ahead. Unusually Gibson was given the authority to pick his own new Squadron.
Gibson flew only the Dambusters raid with 617 Squadron despite them flying more precision bombing missions after.
The success of the Dambusters eclipsed Gibson’s previous outstanding record and gave him a place in history. He was awarded the Victoria Cross; the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was now the most highly decorated pilot in the RAF and a national hero. Alas his devotion to duty would see him shot down in 1944 during a bombing raid on Rheydt.
In September 1943 WIlliam Reid was posted to 61 Squadron at RAF Syerston, Newark, to commence Lancaster bombing operations, and flew seven sorties to various German cities before the raid on Düsseldorf that would see him badly wounded and indeed subsequently awarded the VC for his actions in both completing his mission and managing to pilot his badly damaged Lancaster home:
Reid was a 21-year-old acting flight lieutenant serving in 61 Squadron when he took part in the raid on Düsseldorf in Germany which led to the award of his VC.He was awarded the VC on 14 December 1943.
The citation reads:
The KING has been graciously pleased to confer the VICTORIA CROSS on the undermentioned officer in recognition of most conspicuous bravery:——————
Acting Flight Lieutenant William REID (124438), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 61 Squadron.
On the night of November 3rd, 1943, Flight Lieutenant Reid was pilot and captain of a Lancaster aircraft detailed to attack Dusseldorf.Shortly after crossing the Dutch coast, the pilot’s windscreen was shattered by fire from a Messerschmitt 110. Owing to a failure in the heating circuit, the rear gunner’s hands were too cold for him to open fire immediately or to operate his microphone and so give warning of danger; but after a brief delay he managed to return the Messerschmitt’s fire and it was driven off.
During the fight with the Messerschmitt, Flight Lieutenant Reid was wounded in the head, shoulders and hands. The elevator trimming tabs of the aircraft were damaged and it became difficult to control. The rear turret, too, was badly damaged and the communications system and compasses were put out of action. Flight Lieutenant Reid ascertained that his crew were unscathed and, saying nothing about his own injuries, he continued his mission. Soon afterwards, the Lancaster was attacked by a Focke Wulf 190. This time, the enemy’s fire raked the bomber from stem to stern. The rear gunner replied with his only serviceable gun but the state of his turret made accurate aiming impossible. The navigator was killed and the wireless operator fatally injured. The mid-upper turret was hit and the oxygen system put out of action. Flight Lieutenant Reid was again wounded and the flight engineer, though hit in the forearm, supplied him with oxygen from a portable supply.Flight Lieutenant Reid refused to be turned from his objective and Dusseldorf was reached some 50 minutes later. He had memorised his course to the target and had continued in such a normal manner that the bomb-aimer, who was cut off by the failure of the communications system, knew nothing of his captain’s injuries or of the casualties to his comrades. Photographs show that, when the bombs were released, the aircraft was right over the centre of the target.
Steering by the pole star and the moon, Flight Lieutenant Reid then set course for home. He was growing weak from loss of blood. The emergency oxygen supply had given out. With the windscreen shattered, the cold was intense. He lapsed into semiconsciousness. The flight engineer, with some help from the bomb-aimer, kept the Lancaster in the air despite heavy anti-aircraft fire over the Dutch coast.
The North Sea crossing was accomplished. An airfield was sighted. The captain revived, resumed control and made ready to land. Ground mist partially obscured the runway lights. The captain was also much bothered by blood from his head wound getting into his eyes. But he made a safe landing although one leg of the damaged undercarriage collapsed when the load came on.
Wounded in two attacks, without oxygen, suffering severely from cold, his navigator dead, his wireless operator fatally wounded, his aircraft crippled and defenceless, Flight Lieutenant Reid showed superb courage and leadership in penetrating a further 200 miles into enemy territory to attack one of the most strongly defended targets in Germany, every additional mile increasing the hazards of the long and perilous journey home. His tenacity and devotion to duty were beyond praise.
The site was put into care and maintenance after operations at RAF Syerston ceased in 1970 before eventually being sold by the Ministry of Defence. The Al-Jamia Al Islamia School opened in 1994. It was supported by private money, with a board of trustees.In 1997 Ofsted inspectors criticised hygiene, safety standards, teaching standards and the buildings were themselves starting to deteriate.The same year a roofer, Mr Jason Anker, fell from the roof and broke his back. The school was judged to be culpable. Mr Anker obtained an order banning the sale of the buildings and the land until he was paid compensation.His claim was settled January 2007 and the school shut the same year.
One of the trustees, Mr Zaheer Rahman, stated their hope was to recoup money for private investors from the UK Islamic community, who had previously given unsecured loans to the former trustees in a futile attempt to keep the school open.To do this the land was put up for sale and it was due to be auctioned but was withdrawn because the trustees could not be sure how much land had been aquired through compulsory purchase to allow the widening of the A46 at the time the guide price was £250,000.
The main school building, was originally the old officers’ mess it was approximately 2,583sq metres and had a total of 51 rooms. In 2009 a suspected arson attack badly damaged one of the wings.
[...]
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21 July 2011Sleaford ‘Bass’ Maltings was specifically designed to encompass the three key stages in the production of beer. It is easy to imagine just how impressive these buildings must have been in their heyday.
The three stages of the beer making process begins with the harvesting of the Barley Malt when the grains are dormant, they contain high concentrations of un-degraded starches. Alcohol production from the malt requires two important ingredients; nutrients to promote yeast growth, and natural sugars like maltose. These are obtained through ‘malting’, a complex procedure involving steeping, germination, and finally kilning.
Steeping, is roughly a two day process that involves soaking the malt in water and subsequently increases the water content of the kernels from around 10% to 50% and thus stimulating the metabolic processes. The water is periodically drained from the steeping tanks allowing fresh oxygen-rich water to be introduced, and the malt is turned to remove carbon dioxide. As soon as chitting occurs the process is complete.
The next critical step is germination, when the wet Barley kernels are spread out on a malting floor. This four to five day process takes place under strict temperature controls and regular turning to ensure a carefully controlled air flow is introduced to remove further carbon dioxide preventing the rootlets from matting together. Once germination starts, the starches begin to break down into simple sugars. It is these sugars that need to be retained so kilning take place to prevent the loss of these sugars by reducing the moisture in the malt to roughly 4%. This is achieved by blowing hot air through the malt to stop growth, the colour and flavours of the final brew are determined and, by varying the temperature at this point. [...]
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22 June 2011Following the departure of the RAOC, the depot was occupied by Government departments for a further eighteen years. Some of the buildings were used as a supplies store by the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works dispatching furniture and equipment to embassies overseas. Other buildings were used by the Home Office as a transport store.
The surrounding areas of the depot were put up for auction in the 60’s in several lots, none reached there reserve and instead parcels of land were sold off instead.
The upper portion of the depot and surrounding land became an Industrial Estate while the gardens and encompassed building became a housing estate. The land between the infilled canal and decommissioned branch railway is now an engineering works. Other areas form a recreation ground and more housing. [...]
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21 June 2011Westbrook House School wass Folkestone’s only preparatory school.Founded in 1947 by Kenneth ‘Fozzie’ Foster who hailed from Selby, the school was a dream job that he ran until 1968 (When he retired). It was then taken over by Naill Washington-Jones, who was determined to bring it back into prominence in Kent after years in the educational
wilderness. Westbrook House had been through the doldrums following many successful years as Westbrook House, Dover College Junior School, Dover College Prep. In the 1990’s Heads changed rapidly – Stephen Abbott, Roger Lewis and
Lesley Watson.The 100 th Anniversary of Dover College saw it break away from Westbrook House and in 1994 Westbrook House again. In 1997 it came together with St Mary’s Convent as St Mary’s Westbrook. On the face of it, this seemed to be a sensible idea, but the two schools were in fact pulling in different directions.
The schools were separated again in July 2005. At some point in the 2000’s the swimming pool, that was donated by parent and built by pupils in the 1960’s filled in.August 3rd 2008 report in Sunday Times states the credit crunch has led to a “massive surge” in parents being pursued for unpaid school fees, quoting a leading firm of lawyers who represent independent schools.This eventually brought about the demise of Westbrook House, falling pupil numbers led to its closure. [...]
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21 June 2011Orient House (which is actually the name of the sister building to our explore) was built in between 1913 and 1915 as premises of Kettering Industrial Co-operative Society. It was first used for making clothes and then later, for manufacturing packing materials. However, the building ceased to be used and fell into disrepair. After speaking to a local shop owner he stated that part of the building had been vacant for close to 30 years (Probably became storage for the main factory) and the rest of the site closed down some 3-4 years ago.
Seddon packaging produced all manner of rigid and folding carton boxes, jigsaws in addition to printing and bespoke requests. 2005 saw it cut its workforce by approximately a fifth to 97 staff and in 2007 it was subject to a management buyout and subsequently rebranded, Rockingham Boxes. Alas within nine months the receivers were called in and the staff Christmas present was to be unemployment. One worker was quoted as saying “A lot of us had a feeling we would have our Christmas holiday and come back to find the gates locked.”
As some photos will show the company’s client list was extensive, our explore uncovered jigsaws bound for WH Smiths, Balderdash boards, Ludo and all manner of DVD boxes. Visited with Skeleton Key and a great day all in all. [...]
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23 May 2011The Mental Deficiency Act, gave local County Councils the power to compulsorily detain such certified patients, allowing their segregation from the community.
WW1 delayed any progress but by 1919, the Middlesex County Council began to examine various options. In 1920 its Mental Deficiency Committee decided to establish a colony for such patients.
1924 saw the council purchase the 420-acre Porters Park estate (Named after its first owner in 1340, Roger Le Porter). Rumour has it, Mr C. Raphael, the wealthy owner, sold the land to the Council to annoy the golf course that had refused him membership.
The estate was to be the site of both the Middlesex Colony for Mental Defectives and Shenley Hospital. London Colney aerodrome had occupied part of the land during WW1 – Albert Ball (1896-1917) andEdward Mannock (1887-1918) both star aviators of the Royal Flying Corps were based there. Three of the aerodrome’s aircraft hangars were incorporated into the new Colony.
The Hangars Certified Institution opened in October 1928 and its first patients, eight high-grade male adults, were admitted, they were care for by untrained male attendants. The cleared out the hangars, were converted into wards and formed the foundation of the new Colony. Within a mater months there were over 80 male patients from the County living and working theree. Additional buildings were added in 1929 and the patients were also dug and established the gardens.
The first of the new buildings opened in February 1931, by December, in excess of 300 male patients were in living there. There was a further addition of an administration centre, on the north-south axis, containing offices, clinic rooms and a dispensary. Behind this were kitchens, storerooms, workshops and a laundry. These buildings were flanked by 2- or 3-storey villas for male patients to the east and for female patients to the west. The De Salis Recreational Hall (named after the Chairman of the Council’s Mental Deficiency Committee) could seat 700 people and was equipped with a stage and a cinema projector. Building work continued in stages until 1936. The villas were built around three loop roads, which divided the site into male, female and children’s sections. Each villa containing wards were designed for different grades of mental handicap, and each was arranged around recreational playing fields and gardens.
The Institution was renamed the Middlesex Colony when it was officially opened in May 1936 by the then Minister of Health, Sir Kingsley Wood.
The Colony was expected almost self-sufficient, with patients capable of employment providing the labour. Rural life was deemed therapeutic and farming was the major occupation of the male patients..
By the outbreak of WW2, the Colony had 1194 patients.
In 1948 the Colony became part of the NHS under the control of the Verulam Group Hospital Management Committee.
In 1950 the Middlesex Colony was renamed Harperbury Hospital.The Hospital continues to grow in beds. By 1964 overcrowding in the wards had become a severe problem. The accommodation intended for 1354 patients contained some 1587, and it was said that a cyclist could easily ride over the rows of closely packed beds. It was reported on one occasion that a nurse had to crawl across the beds to reach a patient at the far end who was having an epileptic fit.
The farm closed in 1973 as it had become uneconomic and the former bakery became a Handicraft Centre.
Harperbury Hospital finally closed in 2001, the last of the large institutions in the area. [...]
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23 May 2011The Oriental shopping centre was previously owned by the Yaohan Corporation collapsed, it was then sold to Malaysian owners.
The centre contained a large oriental supermarket, and a food court with a range of foods from around South-East Asia. The stalls offered Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean and Japanese foods. There were also a number of oriental restaurants in the complex, with the majority of them located on the upper floor. The complex contained two Dim Sum restaurants, a Szechuan restaurant, and an ‘all you can eat’ restaurant. These were complimented by two further stalls, one being a durian stall and the other a satay stall.
The complex also contained a number of small shops and stalls. Over its history there was a high turnover of shops, the only original tenant being the Japanese tableware store, Utsuwa no Yataka. While also being well known for its Sega Dome the centre boasted all manner of different shops in its time, book stores, tailors, games import shop and jewelers to name a few.
Oriental community saw the centre as a focal point, often hosting weeks which promoted the cultural identity of different South East Asian countries. These events typically consisted of various performing arts, and the promotion of that country’s particular cuisine.
The Centre also featured a small example of a traditional Japanese garden outside the centre, which is no woefully overgrown and beyond recognition.
In November 2006, the centre was bought out by a developer who planned to replace it with a B&Q, a housing development and a school. The developers stated that there would be provisions for the current tenants to continue in the new development; however, the current tenants objected to this mainly due to the short consultation and the likelihood that completion would take approximately 9 years.
In February 2007, the Chinese Consul-General wrote to London’s mayor to express his “deep concern” about the project, calling for the proposal to be modified. This matter generated so much attention that it featured on an episode of Inside Out (London) broadcast on 23 March 2007 where Liu was featured. Finally, after a petition gathered several thousand signatures, in June 2007 it was announced that the campaign had been successful and the shopping centre would remain open until at least May 2008.The doors finally closed at 7pm 1 June 2008. [...]
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22 April 2011Thurleigh was one of 28 fields listed for use by the U.S. Eighth Air Force on 4 June 1942, tentatively designated station B-4, and was allocated on 10 August 1942. The RAF had found that the initial construction of Thurleigh was inadequate for the combat weight of B-24 bombers. After the departure of the RAF, Thurleigh’s runways were lengthened, increased in thickness, and additional hardstands constructed to Class A standards so it could accommodate a USAAF heavy bomber group.
From 16 September 1943 though 25 June 1945, Thurleigh served as headquarters for the 40th Combat Bombardment Wing of the 1st Bomb Division.
RAE Thurleigh
Starting in 1946, construction work began on the airfield to turn the site into what became known as the Royal Aeronautical Establishment, Bedford. The runway was extended in the post-war period to accommodate the Bristol Brabazon aircraft (which required a very long runway) that ultimately never went into production. One local road was dropped into a cutting so that it would not sit above the level of the runway.
The airfield was decommissioned in February 1994 after a lengthy study determined that flight operations should be centralised at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire. Due to the cost and impracticality of relocating the Advanced Flight Simulator system the site retains some of its development work (under the banner of QinetiQ from mid-2001 onwards). As of early 2007, QinetiQ have sold their remaining stake in the Bedford Airfield site (as well as the nearby ‘Wind Tunnel’ site) and are planning to relocate the remaining staff to Farnborough in early 2008, finally ending the site’s long association with military aviation.
The airfield was closed in 1997 with the RAE having become the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). DERA consolidated its experimental flying operations at Boscombe Down, moving aircraft from Farnborough as well as Bedford. [...]
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22 February 2011The site closed a while ago after it moved to its new campus. Some further info shamelessly stolen from another intrepid explorers notes:
A little background history..
Mid 1940s – The St Mary’s Road site is acquired by the Kettering Technical College. During the Second World War it had been used as a hostel by the US Army Red Cross.
1948 – James McKinlay is appointed principal. During the summer and September, weekly classes in bookkeeping are held. Full evening classes commence in October.
1970 – An extension to the college is opened. Work starts on further enlargement plans. The college now has around 750 full-time students.
1975 – The McKinlay Theatre is opened, named after the college’s principal.
1988 – The student population has grown to 8,555.
1992 – Tresham College and Wellingborough College merge to become Tresham Institute. Keith Rowland continues as principal.
1994 – Tresham Institute opens a new campus on Windmill Avenue, Kettering. It’s the old Kettering School for Boys campus.
1998 – Keith Rowland retires. Sian MacDonald becomes the new principal.
2007 – Staff and students from the St Mary’s Road campus are due to move to the new Windmill Avenue campus in early summer. There are proposals to demolish the St Mary’s Road campus and to replace it with housing.
Saved from demolition due to its Mobile masts. [...]
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23 October 2010Originally a private residence built in 1855 by the banker Edward Lloyd, it was sold after The Great War and turned into Bedgebury Girls Public School where it played host to myriad games of pattycake and hopscotch until finally closing in 1999 and reopening seconds later as a joyous little deathtrap for explorers like Mookster and Myself. [...]
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21 October 2010Sir Malcolm Stewart bought the London Brick Company in the town in the 1920s. The site is due to close in 2008 as the owners, Hanson, cannot meet UK limits for sulphur dioxide emissions. The four chimneys remaining were due to be demolished upon closure but these have since been listed for preservation of Bedfordshire’s brick-related history. and will remain.
Stewartby brickworks was home to the world’s biggest kiln and produced 18 million bricks at the height of production.
BJ Forder & Son opened the first brickworks in Wootton Pillinge in 1897.
Wootton Pillinge was renamed Stewartby in 1937 in recognition of the Stewart family who had been instrumental in developing the brickworks.
The firm became London Brick Company and Forders Limited in 1926, and shortened to London Brick Company in 1936.
At the height of the industry’s production there were 167 brick chimneys in the Marston Vale.
In the 1970s Bedfordshire produced 20% of England’s bricks.
At its peak London Brick Company had its own ambulance and fire crews, a horticultural department and a photographic department, as well as its own swimming pool inside the factory, and ran a number of sports clubs.
More than £1 million was spent on Stewartby Brickworks in 2005-7 in an attempt to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions.
The factory used Lower Oxford Clay, which is made up of 5% seaweed, formed 150 million years ago when it was on the sea bed. This removed the need to add coal to the fire, as the organic material burned.
Sadly the famous chimneys have now been demolished as it awaits its fate. [...]
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23 August 2010Brigstock Camp built 1925 and over the years was used for an Emigration Camp, an Army Camp, ATS and Land Army Camp, US Army Training School, and in 1960 Stewarts & Lloyds Steelworks purchased Brigstock Camp for £23,000 at an auction. One hundred people moved from Scotland to work at the Steelworks and used Brigstock Camp for their living quarters and paid between £2.00 to £4.00 a week in rent and were allowed to stay up to nine months to allow them to find suitable accommodation. Many did so in the new expanding Corby.” [...]
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