Willington Power Station

Where - Derby, Derbyshire.
Visited - 13 April 2007.

Posted - 15 April 2007.
Categories - urbex, power-station.

Contents
Cooling towers
Inside
Stuff

Willington power station was built in the 1950's next to the river Trent and close to the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire coalfields, at the time thought in-exhaustible. Initial plans were to have two cooling towers and four generators - "Willington A". During construction, "Willington B" was commissioned, with three more cooling towers and two generators.

Privatisation ensued, and National Power eventually decommissioned the station - A closing in 1995, and B following in 1999.

That's a very concise history - more detailed information can be found on the excellent Brief History of Willington Power Station website.

Not a lot remains at Willington power station today - just five cooling towers.

Cooling towers

These are 300ft high and have a 218ft diameter at the base (compared to 340/260 at Thorpe Marsh).

Inside

Unlike Thorpe Marsh, there are still structures inside all of the cooling towers. And they've got water in. The structures inside meant you couldn't really look up and appreciate the scale of them.

Stuff

There wasn't much laying around. Some old signs. Remnants of the railway system. Rubble.

Your Comments

View newest comments first

Posted 10 May 2007, 11:40 From Grez

I know of only 1 powerstation in the notts area and im sure that still works, which end of the county is this
Posted 28 October 2007, 06:40 From Moggy

Willington Power Station is approx. 6 miles (10 km) south of Derby. Just off the A38 / A50 (Toyota) Junction.

The place is actually in the parish of the village of Findern.
Posted 21 June 2008, 01:10 From ant

1 or 2 members of my family worked there over the years my uncle was there forever
Posted 4 October 2008, 11:10 From Sean

I noticed yesterday that some, if not all of the towers have been mothballed, so some or all may now be completely empty of their interior structures and workings
Posted 3 December 2008, 15:50 From luke shreeve

hey, i am researching this location for my uni art project. Am structure mad, love the website, kind of helped triggered the projects starting point. what does mothballed mean btw? am not familiar with this phrase... is it easy to get into the grounds for a look around?
Posted 29 December 2008, 19:30 From david stuart kininmonth

My father, David Jack Kininmonth, was promoted to charge engineer at Willington, moving to Sizewell A around 1962 when I was 9. He died in Nov. '92.I remember some names from the time, Frank Waring, Howard Dent (narrowboat enthusiast?) Jack Panter.My elder sister Sheila & I spent many happy hours playing around the base of the cooling towers, happy days.
Posted 19 January 2009, 21:10 From Ivan Wilkinson

I worked there as an apprentice (green fly we were called on account of our green overalls) from 1963 through to 1970. I was mainly in the Instrument department. Unfortunately, I cannot remember any names from that time. Do remember having a lot of fun there which , today would make Health and Safety' hair curl!
Posted 6 March 2009, 12:50 From Adrian Panter

My father is Jack Panter. He passed away on the 19th of February. He had a narrow boat aswell (well half of one anyway). From Willington he moved to Ironbridge as Charge Engineer. He used to talk about Dave Kinimonth. At Ironbridge he worked with Graeme Parton, Graeme Peers and others. I have just found the full operating manual to Willington power station from 1960. Feel free to contact me anytime.
Posted 19 March 2009, 21:10 From david stuart kininmonth

Hello Adrian, to my shame I don't remember you, but I can remember Jack & my dad taking us & your sister Valerie to Queen St. baths in Derby & then on to the Navigation Arms (Shardlow?) in your dad's old citroen. I guess you must be younger & hence missed out on the pub bit! Sorry to hear he's no longer about, but he did well (mid 80's?)
Posted 21 March 2009, 18:20 From Adrian

Hi David, He would have been 82 on the 10th of February. I am 45. Dad used to have a Citroen Big 8. I remember it was a bugger to get down the drive at Muxton due to its size. He had a succesion of Citroens after that (so did I). Nice to hear from you. Adrian.
Posted 13 April 2009, 18:40 From James
I love walking around these, it is great to shout things while standing in the bottom of one.
Posted 15 May 2009, 20:40 From michael wainwright

i am a sort of artist and am working on two pieces based on cooling towers and also one on moortown watertower in leeds. thank you whoever put such great photos up if you are interesyted in my work, check out my site, quarry hill flats may interest you
Posted 6 June 2009, 10:20 From John o\'Willestune

Some update from Willington.

You may have heard RweNpower plans to build a gas powered station on the site, having twice been defeated at Public Inquiry in its proposal for 1000 houses on the site. Among other changes this calls for the demolition of the five cooling towers which have recently been gutted.

Moggy is wrong - the whole site is now in Willington. I know - I got the County Council to change the parish bounds in 1979, which extended Willington parish to the east as far as Frizam's Lane, and to the north as far as Buckford Lane, carefully skirting Findern CP School, to leave it in Findern.

Adrian, I'm interested you have the operating manual - does it say anything about flood risk and ways of managing the effect of a major flood threat to the site by the Trent? The sump (photo RHS, above)

was part of a complex drainage system for surface water, and seepage in the massive subterranean concrete foundations to the boilers and generator houses. These foundations remain, buried.

Luke - are you aware the reason for building the Willington Power Stations (A and B) was to provide power for the south-east of England (Essex) via the National Grid? It says so in the "Willington

'A' Generating Station Station Public Local Inquiry 27th -28th May 1953 Minutes of Proceedings." I think there's a copy at Kew.
Posted 4 September 2009, 18:40 From Julie Lewis
Hey, these photos are great. I recently went to the open evening about the proposed new power station, interesting stuff.

Are any of these photos for sale btw?

be interested to hear if they are, we live nearby and use them as a landmark - maybe not for much longer!

Thanks
Posted 26 September 2009, 23:30 From John Wood

Looks a lot different to when I last visited .

it was still operational then.

My Grandad worked there on Engineering his name was Bernard Brown he is sadly no longer with us but I will always remember my trip around Willington A & B with him.
Posted 29 September 2009, 22:00 From andy
went on site today at west burton pwr stn and spoke to a.v. squires employee who informed me they had just secured contract for demolition of cooling towers and construction of new gas fired pwr stn exact same design of staythorpe(newark) and west burton(gainsborough)customer said demolition would be controlled explosive demolition,will be driving down to watch that!
Posted 1 November 2009, 21:20 From michael wainwright

outstanding stuff. I've done a bit on cooling towers for my artwork and also Moortown water tower in Leeds, also the last gas silos in Bath. My blog is Skrreworld and I feel a common thread
Posted 5 November 2009, 20:30 From PHIL DUNN

my father worked at this statoin in the 50s and 60s Mr John Dunn,he visited his uncle john brown who has now passed away,mr brown has a son in the area anyone know of this name.
Posted 8 December 2009, 13:20 From Laurence Blundell

Great pics.I worked at Willington from 1976-95,and I recognise a few names from above.The two stations were unusual as a lot of the boiler plant was outdoors,nice in summer,but not so good in winter.Some names I do recall-Reg England,Brian Jackson,Brian Glover,Bill Britland,Brian Riley.The manager at one time was John Reid.

Willington Power Station - Urban Exploration in Derby, Derbyshire