Reports - Industry
Chambers Wharf & Cold Stores Ltd
Where? London. Photos 10. Comments 0. Posted 2 October 2007.
Chambers Wharf is one of the last remaining dockside warehouses in central London. Many larger similar buildings have been demolished or redeveloped - indeed the same fate awaits this building.
It was initially built in the 1930s as a warehouse/cold store for imported meat and other food, and was used for this purpose up until the 1980s. A During the war, the military briefly used it; and there are rumours of bomb shelters underneath going under the Thames.
After closure, it was used as a gold bullion store & document store. Two episodes of The Professionals were also filmed there.
Dalton Pumping Station
Where? Sunderland. Photos 24. Comments 3. Posted 19 January 2008.
I can't really begin to describe how beautiful this place is. It closed in 1946 and gradually rotted away. In 1996 an entrepreneur bought it and in 2001 he got an English Heritage grant (£530k) to help refurbish it and turn into "The Old Famous Pump House" restaurant/pub. It seems that the money ran out though, and now lies abandoned again...
Ebridge Mill
Where? North Walsham, Norfolk. Photos 27. Comments 4. Posted 1 March 2008.
Of the 100+ mills built in Norfolk during the 1800s, many have been demolished or converted. Two or three remain in industrial use today. This one lies derelict, hidden away deep within the countryside - a crumbling reminder of Norfolk's rich agriculture/industrial history...
Ebridge Mill is located on the North Walsham & Dilham canal. Like hundreds of similar mills in Norfolk, it was a watermill so relied a lot on the canal - both for deliveries and power. It had a water wheel which was removed in the 1970s. The mill was owned by Cubitt & Walker for 127 years - finally closing in 1998 when they were bought by local rival Duffield's.
There were plans in 2006 to convert the mill into holiday homes. This plan seems to have fallen through - the company behind the scheme ceased trading at the end of 2007. The mill is now for sale...
Glastonbury Morlands Factory
Where? Somerset. Comments 0. Posted 20 June 2008.
Morlands was Glastonbury's major industry - specialising in stuff made from sheep - like gloves, shoes, flying jackets etc.
In recent years, the huge 31 acre site has slowly been demolished leaving just a few buildings. There are plans afoot to redevelop the site
Out of the four remaining buildings, two of them were accessible...
Ipswich Sugar Factory
Where? Ipswich, Suffolk. Photos 105. Comments 9. Posted 22 August 2006.
The sugar factory in Ipswich was built in 1925. It was closed by British Sugar 76 years later. There are plans to turn the entire site into a housing with nature reserve.
I visited the factory with Speed and we spent around six hours exploring the place. A lot of the doors were bolted up and ladders were cut off. This meant that we couldn't climb the huge silos 
Undeterred, we did find our way into some of the buildings and tried to get to the top of what we could.. 
Ipswich Sugar Factory revisited
Where? Ipswich, Suffolk. Photos 41. Comments 1. Posted 15 April 2007.
Met up with a large group of local regulars for a revisit to the sugar factory.
There were two real personal goals for this trip - see new stuff and get to the top of the silos. I think I done that!
NGTE - National Gas Turbine Establishment
Where? Pyestock, Hampshire. Photos 83. Comments 24. Posted 16 January 2007.
In 1918 the Royal Aircraft Establishment was built at Pyestock (nr Farnborough) to develop aircraft engine technology. Sir Frank Whittle established Power Jets Ltd nearby to test and develop gas turbines / jet engines. In 1944 (or 1946 - it changes depending on where you read) it was nationalised and became the National Gas Turbine Establishment. The NGTE was one of the leading centres in the world and played a major role in developing jet engines for many years, including the one used in Concorde.
In the 1990s it became the Defence Research Agency and then the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. The government was reluctant to invest further in the agency and in 2002 it was privatised, with the government creating the company known as Qinetiq. Since privatisation the site has gradually closed down, with only a small portion of the site still being used by Qinetiq and Sigma.
Covering around 108 acres, the site is huge. Tesco want to knock it all down and build a distribution centre. A fantastic piece of Britain's industrial heritage will be lost.
Read full NGTE - National Gas Turbine Establishment article here
R&W Paul Ltd Mill
Where? Ipswich, Suffolk. Photos 22. Comments 0. Posted 27 January 2007.
Visited here again today with Abo. Nothing much to say about it, other than how different it looks in the daylight.
It still stinks of pigeons though.
A few photos from today - not many though, as most of the sights were covered last time.
