Thorpe Marsh Power Station closed in 1994. Since then it has gradually been demollished. Well, everything except the cooling towers – 6 of them. The are also two biggish buildings (I have no idea what the were for) and several small buildings.
There are various plans for the site – including a nature reserve, and a landfill site (fiercely objected to by local residents). In reality, nothing will probably happen. The towers still survive because it is feared that any explosion caused would rupture the banks of the nearby canal.
Cooling Towers
The power station had six cooling towers. These are 340ft high and have a 260ft diameter at the base.
Somehow someone had written “TIVVY” at the top of one.
Inside one
Five of the cooling towers were stripped out. But they had an awesome echo. One had a crazy invisible bird in it which kept making (horrid) squarking noises..
The sixth was “complete” inside. Somehow this cools the hot water to an ambient temperature. I’m not exactly sure how, but Wikipedia knows.
Railway
There are a couple of sidings at Thorpe Marsh which were last used in 1994.
This building was used to unload coal wagons. They were opened and closed by machines apparently known as “daleks” (the yellow things).
The coal went into underground bunkers – these are now seriously flooded.
Pump Room
This was used for pumping water from the cooling towers into the nearby river.
Other buildings
There was one 5~6 storey high building. Couldn’t get into it so don’t actually know what it was for. It seemed to have some little coal hoppers in or something. And weird pipes on the side.
Reflections
Random bits
Flowers..
..and plants. Something a bit different 
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Nice pictures!
The “box” things at Thorpe Marsh are in fact the ash and dust silos. Pulverised fuel ash and precip. dust would have been pumped in as a slurry before being removed by lorrys which would have backed in underneath.
Good pictures, and a nice record of social history…well done!
Those were the days!
Even as a Manager at large multi nationals I have not found anywhere else I could have a trailer buil;t from scratch in one night shift and drive it home in the morning. Great workmates well remembered.
The daleks weere operated once the loco had gone past them, they only unlocked the safety catches on the wagons, once empty the loco would detach and return up the other line. The other type of darlek would close the wagon doors and put the safety catches back on. I know because this had been my first job in 1987. Regards.
Just for clarity the 5/6 story building was in fact the dry dust silo, the pipes up the side were for pneumatic conveying the dry dust collected from the precips, the dry dust was mixed with water before loading into lorries.
The coal ground hoppers also filled with coal/water slurry occasionally while the place was open!
A small note in line with Steve – the quality of wrought iron work was superb boiler tube repairs however left a lot to be desired.
Best regard to all who worked there.
I worked in IMD at Thorpe Marsh from 1964 to 1966. Remember Colln Baker, Mr Lewellyn, Geoff Burgin, Dick Alderton, Chalkey White, and many more. Any pics, please, of the time. I lived in Kirk Sandal.
Worked at Thorpe marsh from 1966 to 1974.
Llewellyn, Reg Andrews, Roy Web, Phil Pashley, Bill Gunn. All memories and good ones. Lived in South Africa since 1974.
This power station features in the short sci-fi drama series called “The Last Train”.
It plays host to the “ark” (secret underground bunker for the survivors of the apocalypse).
Just thought you might like to know. Your pics are excellent, keep up the good work.
Hello again,
it seems so dificult to get any pictures of the plant when it was running. Those huge ICL boilers, and the cross compound Parsons turbine. Does any one remember the night when the charge engineer, because he could not see the drum level falling, caused a huge boiler tube failure. Was there realy a “Reuben Skeland” working there at this time? I seem to remember so!
When the site is eventually developed, will someone please consider doing the same to the golf course.
I am still longing to hear from someone who has pictures of the station inside the boiler or turbine houses, or both. I lived in Kirk Sandall when I worked at the station, in Windermere Road.I learned a lot from a IMD foreman who lived accross from me, mame, Spike Hughes. If any one has pics, please leave a contact adress. Thank’s. Dave Turner. Somerset.
When my days I was and climb I go back other things things. and climb reaction
climb nto the un gutted tower
Great work guys… ‘The Last Train’ was one of the gloomiest TV series i ever saw. apart from the (so much better) 70′s Terry Nation series ‘Survivors’. Love ‘em.
i dabbled a little with UE years ago…. this got me considering a few more explorations. love the Yoiutube bit too.. catch the one where someone is filming away when the damn thing is operating too.. very creepy. great. love to see one in operation, and pop my head through the door.. love to hear it too. always wanted to explore an old gasometer in Clitheroe years ago (it had windows in it!) but they pulled it. take care guys.. hope you find more sites.