Reports - Norfolk
BOCM Pauls' Mill
Where? Wymondham, Norfolk. Large photos 17. Comments 0. Posted 29 August 2008.
Hiding deep within the Norfolk countryside is a small abandoned farm-food processing plant. Formerly operated by BOCM Pauls, it closed in 1996. As with most places I visit, there are plans to build on the site, but I doubt anything will happen for ages, if at all...
Being closed for 12 years + tons of pigeons + pig food remnants everywhere + hot summery day = grossest explore ever.
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...
Little Plumstead Hospital
Where? Norfolk. Photos 17. Comments 9. Posted 31 December 2007.
Little Plumstead was home to Norfolk's main "mental deficiency colony". In recent years, it has closed down. Sadly a lot of the buildings have been demolished to make way for housing. Part of the site remains in use as a hospital. This section is due to close soon, with around 100 patients moving to community-based services. I think a re-visit will ensue before more houses are built.
RAF Bodney
Where? Norfolk. Photos 18. Large photos 1. Comments 4. Posted 9 September 2007.
One of the great things about this website (that sounds egotistical, but I shall continue) is the amount of feedback I receive from visitors. Most leave memories of their times at the places I visit. Some leave compliments. And very very rarely I get tip-offs about locations. "Steve" left one such comment regarding RAF Bodney and sent a photo of the control tower there. I had a spare morning so decided to visit...
RAF Watton
Where? Watton, Norfolk. Photos 45. Comments 29. Posted 12 August 2006.
RAF Watton closed in 1991 and sold in 1998. The residential areas were sold for residential use; and most of the technical buildings have been demolished, ie control towers, water towers, boiler rooms etc.
Four hangars remain and what is thought to be an old armoury. Everything was stupidly trashed though - that didn't deter us from the explore..
RAF Watton revisited
Where? Watton, Norfolk. Large photos 23. Comments 10. Posted 7 April 2007.
I was up in Norfolk recently so paid a quick re-visit to RAF Watton to try out my "new" camera. If anyone remembers my report from July, you will know that there were four hangars and a little building remaining. Well, that's changed slightly now...
[There are no thumbnails in this report, just medium-sized images]
RAF West Raynham
Where? Swaffham, Norfolk. Photos 55. Comments 207. Posted 23 August 2006.
RAF West Raynham is in Norfolk, near a town called Swaffham. It is seriously in the middle of nowhere, and was quite hard to find. It closed in 1994, and at the end of 2005 was put up for auction. There are loads of houses there and the local MP wants them to be used as residential housing again. This will be quite a task - 11 years of non-use have taken their toll.
I didn't really look round the housing areas, instead concentrating my trip on the cool military stuff. That said, I didn't manage to explore everything in the time I was there. There is a Bloodhound Missile launch site here (it was over the other side of the airfield) but I decided to leave when a scary dog started following me...
ROC post - Watton
Where? Norfolk. Photos 17. Comments 4. Posted 6 June 2007.
ROC posts - I've never been to one before, so paid a visit to one of my locals. These were used during the Cold War to report any nuclear bursts and monitor fall out. There were well over 1500 of these in the UK! After the Cold War, the MoD decided that there were no longer needed and closed them all.
ROC posts - Beaconsfield, Mundford, Sandy & Kentford
Photos 14. Comments 3. Posted 9 September 2007.
A few more ROC posts visited in August. Most were locked, but are included for completeness.
Read full ROC posts - Beaconsfield, Mundford, Sandy & Kentford article here
