Comments on: Ipswich Sugar Factory

By: annelaure

annelaure — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 17:05:58 +0000

I am working an an interactive choreograhic installation and I would love to do a photo shoot at this old factory. Do you know if it’s free of entry or do I need to contact anybody??
Thank you.

By: Diane Keane

Diane Keane — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:18:04 +0000

Hi,

Very interesting. I am currently researching the Irish who worked in the Sugar factories during the 70′s and into the 1980′s. Specifically those from the Connemara area ( West of Ireland) . I would love to talk to, hear from anyone with an interest in this subject. Best regards, Diane

By: josh brett

josh brett — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:48:09 +0000

hi there was a club at the suger beet factory where discos use to be because seven years ago when i was eight years old my nanny and grandad had there 40th anerversary party there and i want to know if the club is still standing could you take some pictures of the inside if you can get in thanks it will mean alot and put the pictures on this webpage

By: barb

barb — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:39:57 +0000

Visited the site today.
Had a friend who was an engineer there, Alvin who sadly passed away last year.
Today, dark clouds and brilliant sun, wet ground, reflections, a visually stunning site .
Great for some photography.
Next time I will take my camera!

By: Tim

Tim — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:58:52 +0000

Excellent concept.

Very interesting. I am a bit sad to see all this great engineering heritage lost. I hope that England does not lose all its factories.

By: Anon

Anon — Sun, 06 May 2007 18:54:07 +0000

Hello..

A few mysteries I can clear up: The ‘testing’ area was the bulk tanker loading where the chaps were ‘empowered’ to do their own testing.
All the chairs/lockers and stuff were moved from all the offices and it was intended that staff could ‘bid’ for any of the stuff. Not surprisingly, no one wanted it!
Yep. On site power and steam generation, xcess sold to the grid.
The coal fired furnace thing is where the wet pulp (after sugar removal) was dried. It was a Hot Gas Generator furnace.
Where the sugar displays were was the central control room with computers everywhere.
The room with the halon was the control room for the boiler / turbine / animal feed processes.

Making sugar is very smelly and made ponds full of dirty water which had to be processed in the two tanks in the distance over the waste land.

One other thing…. I have seen the ‘slicy – dicy’ machine in a couple of photos. It really is only a sugar dryer with the little ‘shelves’ lifting and dropping sugar as it turned. Its proper name is a granualtor but I prefer the slicy dicy.

By: Naive Steve

Naive Steve — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 21:39:45 +0000

Ipswich Sugar Factory ..Testing Area
I used to work here during one “campaign” in the early 1970′s. One of the most bizarre jobs I’ve ever had.
Visually grading mud on sugar beet giving a score from one to ten.I worked for the NFU double checking that British Sugar didn’t fiddle the farmers in terms of amount of mud in each load,sugar content etc.
The mud grading took place in the weighbridge area ..cleaning & weighing samples & sugar content in the building where you took the photos.
Also on the left near the entrance was an accomadation block for the Irish farmworkers who came over for the campaign.
The place stank even more then esp. with hundreds of old diesel lorries passing through.
Great site and a great concept …keep it up!