Abandoned Industrial Sites

  • Private Tour: Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the city of Pripyat, Ukraine – October 2018

    Private Tour: Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the city of Pripyat, Ukraine – October 2018

    The Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Nuclear Power Plant, more commonly known as The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, was the site of what became the worst nuclear catastrophe to ever occur on this planet. The neighbouring town of Pripyat, which housed the works, their families and many other businesses which sprang up, had a population of just…

  • Urbex: IM Power Station Cooling Tower, Belgium – March 2017 Revisit

    Urbex: IM Power Station Cooling Tower, Belgium – March 2017 Revisit

    With limited time left at the end of our road trip a quick revisit to the IM Cooling tower was on the cards. Nothing I haven’t covered before but always a fun spot to stop off at…

  • Urbex: Back to the Drawing Boards, Belgium – March 2017

    Urbex: Back to the Drawing Boards, Belgium – March 2017

    I don’t know very much about the history of this place, clearly whatever this industrial complex used to be it involved a lot of schematics and drawings based on what was left behind. The site clearly had a much larger footprint but most of the other buildings had been demolished and only a couple of…

  • Urbex: Bromine works, North Wales – February 2017

    Urbex: Bromine works, North Wales – February 2017

    A derelict Bromine works in Wales, not a great deal of information on this one, some of the buildings on the site had already been cleared, we were pushed for time and daylight so we limited our trip to the main office block which also contained the photogenic medical room pictured below.

  • Permission Visit: Abbey Mills Pumping Station, London – September 2016

    Permission Visit: Abbey Mills Pumping Station, London – September 2016

    Abbey Mills Pumping Station, in Stratford, East London, is a sewage pumping station, designed by engineer Joseph Bazalgette, Edmund Cooper, and architect Charles Driver. It was built between 1865 and 1868, housing eight beam engines by Rothwell & Co. of Bolton. Two engines on each arm of a cruciform plan, with an elaborate Byzantine style,…

  • Urbex: Ceulan Mill, Wales – May 2016

    Urbex: Ceulan Mill, Wales – May 2016

    Ceulan Mills is an old abandoned textile mill in Wales, one of 5 others in the town this was apparently one of the first which generated electricity for some of the houses within the village making it one of the first locally to have power. The Mill is believed to have been built on the…

  • Urbex: The Tweed Mill aka Simon’s Mill – Wales, May 2016 (Revisit)

    Urbex: The Tweed Mill aka Simon’s Mill – Wales, May 2016 (Revisit)

    Not a great deal to say about this one, an old abandoned textile mill which has been closed for decades. Powered from an old water wheel the mill contains lots of old machinery and lots of coloured wool.

  • Teeside Steelworks Blast Furnace, Redcar – April 2016

    Teeside Steelworks Blast Furnace, Redcar – April 2016

    Originally mothballed in 2010 after the loss of a large contract the Blast Furnace was relit in 2012 after new owners stepped in to restart production. However, the new owners fell into liquidation in October 2015 prompting the closure of the site once again. Parts of the site still remain in use but a lot…

  • Urbex: Kellingley Colliery, North Yorkshire – March 2016

    Urbex: Kellingley Colliery, North Yorkshire – March 2016

    The now abandoned Kelling Colliery was the last functioning Deep Coal Mine in the United Kingdom and marked is last day on 18th December 2015. Bore holes were first drilled on the site in the 1950’s in order to establish the feasibility of constructing the mine. The sinking of the mine’s two shafts began in…

  • Permission Visit: Broughton Printers, Preston – December 2015

    Permission Visit: Broughton Printers, Preston – December 2015

    Broughton Printers Ltd was originally founded in 1988 and later acquired by Northern & Shell as part of its purchase of the Express Newspapers in 2001. The printers, at its peak, employed 200 staff across the 15,805 m2 site and produced around 11 million newspapers and magazines each day…

  • Urbex: George Barnsley and Sons aka Cornish Works, Sheffield, South Yorkshire – August 2015 (revisit 3)

    Urbex: George Barnsley and Sons aka Cornish Works, Sheffield, South Yorkshire – August 2015 (revisit 3)

    Another visit to the Cornish Works in Sheffield aka George Barnsley and Sons. It had been about 2 years since my last visit here so I popped back in just to take a few hand-held shots and see how the old girl was doing…

  • Urbex: Belval Blast Furnaces, Luxembourg – May 2015

    Urbex: Belval Blast Furnaces, Luxembourg – May 2015

    After spotting the furnaces as we pulled up at our hotel for the night we couldn’t resist having a little look. Not expecting to find any access we got lucky and after quickly nipping back to the car for camera gear we were in and up the top in no time 🙂

  • Urbex: Terre Rouge and Central Thermique Power Station, Luxembourg – May 2015

    Urbex: Terre Rouge and Central Thermique Power Station, Luxembourg – May 2015

    Terre Rouge and the power station, Central Thermique, which supplied electricity to the huge steel plant both now sit abandoned and partially demolished in the large designated industrial area of Luxembourg…

  • Urbex: The Alienworks, France – May 2015

    Urbex: The Alienworks, France – May 2015

    The Alienworks is a relatively small power station attached to an old steel works which closed some time ago. The site which houses a lot of abandoned buildings also had a large blast furnace but sadly we didn’t get the opportunity to see it up close or climb it…

  • Urbex: Black Turbines, Italy – April 2015

    Urbex: Black Turbines, Italy – April 2015

    The Black Turbines of Italy are an abandoned or more disused but earmarked for restoration, trio of large Brown Boveri Hydroelectric turbines which were manufactured in Italy and installed here in 1909…

  • Urbex: Oculus Tower, Italy – April 2015

    Urbex: Oculus Tower, Italy – April 2015

    Oculus Tower, this rather large, hollow circular structure built of concrete sits in the middle of a large industrial site surrounded by lots of other abandoned buildings. Sadly we didn’t have the time spare on our itinerary to check out the other buildings so instead we focused on this impressive tower structure. I’m not exactly sure what…

  • Urbex: Powerplant V, Italy – April 2015

    Urbex: Powerplant V, Italy – April 2015

    Powerplant V is an abandoned Hydro-electric power plant in Italy which appears to be attached to a factory of some description. Whilst the majority of the site has been abandoned for quite some time, there are some buildings which appear to be still in use possibly still generating power from the nearby water source…

  • Urbex: The Knitting Factory, Italy – April 2015

    Urbex: The Knitting Factory, Italy – April 2015

    This old abandoned Knitting Factory or sewing factory whichever way you want to look at it, is one of those buildings that looks pretty bland an unassuming from the outside but has a wealth of photo opportunities inside…

  • Robert Fletchers & Sons Ltd Paper Mill, Greenfield, Oldham – January 2015 (Part 2 of 2)

    Robert Fletchers & Sons Ltd Paper Mill, Greenfield, Oldham – January 2015 (Part 2 of 2)

    As you progress through the factory you can see the process lin taking shape from the wood pulp coming in through the processing stages, bleaching and pressing and then eventually making it was to the more modern looking machinery for precision rolling, cutting and packaging before the huge roles of cigarette papers would leave the…

  • Robert Fletchers & Sons Ltd Paper Mill, Greenfield, Oldham – January 2015 (Part 1 of 2)

    Robert Fletchers & Sons Ltd Paper Mill, Greenfield, Oldham – January 2015 (Part 1 of 2)

    Robert Fletchers & Sons Ltd was a paper mill which specialised in the production of cigarette papers which were exported worldwide. The old factory and most of the contents now lay abandoned most of the equipment looks as if the workers just vanished with huge rolls of cigarette papers still hanging on rolls in the…

  • Urbex: Ford Transit Van Factory, Southampton – January 2015

    Urbex: Ford Transit Van Factory, Southampton – January 2015

    The now abandoned Ford Transit Van Factory near Southampton has some real history to it. The Factory was initially built as a shadow factory in 1939 near to Southampton Airport and was originally used to produce aircraft parts. In particular the factory, during World War II made components for the Supermarine Spitfire and later was…

  • Urbex: Spillers Millennium Mills, London, United Kingdom – September 2014

    Urbex: Spillers Millennium Mills, London, United Kingdom – September 2014

    Designed and built by Mills William Vernon & Sons of West Float, Birkenhead in 1905 the now abandoned Millennium Mills was a flour mill equipped by Henry Simon Ltd that was capable of producing 100 sacks of flour per hour. The Royal Docks and Millennium Mills closed in 1981…

  • Urbex: Terry’s Chocolate, York, North Yorkshire – May 2014 (Revisit 2)

    Urbex: Terry’s Chocolate, York, North Yorkshire – May 2014 (Revisit 2)

    Welcome to the derelict Terry’s Chocolate Factory aka The Chocolate works… My 3rd trip to see the titanic staircase at this abandoned Chocolate Factory, thankfully not a lot of change at this place. The staircase is still untouched by the contractors, although I don’t expect it will be long before significant works begin here.

  • Urbex: IM Power Station Cooling Towers, Belgium – May 2014

    Urbex: IM Power Station Cooling Towers, Belgium – May 2014

    The abandoned IM Power station Cooling Tower. This place has been on the to do list for ages but its always one location that gets bumped for other spots on our trip… finally we got round to seeing it. Sat over the water from the main buildings of the power station the cooling tower is…

  • Urbex: Gigawatt Power Station aka Power Plant XL aka The Cloud Factory, Belgium – May 2014

    Urbex: Gigawatt Power Station aka Power Plant XL aka The Cloud Factory, Belgium – May 2014

    Not a great deal of information on this gigantic abandoned Power Station which is currently undergoing decommissioning. After seeing a couple of reports from some close friends we decided to throw this onto our list for the trip, the first location in fact as an early start seemed appropriate…

  • Urbex: The Snow Factory, Somewhere, United Kingdom – April 2014 (revisit)

    Urbex: The Snow Factory, Somewhere, United Kingdom – April 2014 (revisit)

    The Abandoned Snow Factory! Ever wonder where that cold white stuff comes from in winter? well check out the photos below to find out…

  • Urbex: Globe Mill, Huddersfield – February 2014

    Urbex: Globe Mill, Huddersfield – February 2014

    Globe Mill is an old abandoned textile mill located in a small village near Huddersfield. The old stone building is very well built and surprisingly suffering little decay. There are plans which are undergoing review for a complete refurbishment of the site introducing accommodation, doctors, shops and a planned supermarket.

  • Urbex: Terry’s Chocolate, York, North Yorkshire – February 2014 (Revisit)

    Urbex: Terry’s Chocolate, York, North Yorkshire – February 2014 (Revisit)

    Briefly The abandoned Chocolate Works was the confectionery factory of Terry’s of York, England. Opened in 1926, it closed in 2005 with the loss of 300 jobs, with production moved to other Kraft Foods sites in mainland Europe.

  • Urbex: Sleaford Bass Maltings, Sleaford, Lincolnshire – January 2014

    Urbex: Sleaford Bass Maltings, Sleaford, Lincolnshire – January 2014

    Sleaford Bass maltings is a huge abandoned Industrial complex in Sleaford, Lincolnshire. The site was utilised as part of the beer making industry and currently sites on the national heritage sites ‘at risk’ register awaiting redevelopment.

  • Urbex: National Gas Turbine Establishment aka NGTE Pyestock, Fleet – March 2013 (revisit)

    Urbex: National Gas Turbine Establishment aka NGTE Pyestock, Fleet – March 2013 (revisit)

    Revisit time at Pyestock all the history I could muster up can be found in my first post from January 2013 along with the photos from that trip. Briefly NGTE Pyestock was a Gas Turbine testing centre for all sorts of large engines. The air house housed 8 x 36,000 bhp engines which helped pump…

  • Urbex: Dyson Industries Limited, Sheffield, South Yorkshire – January 2013

    Urbex: Dyson Industries Limited, Sheffield, South Yorkshire – January 2013

      Our visit Visited with alot of friends from http://www.ukurbex.com/ far too many to mention individually (sorry guys). We had a little mooch around this place before heading back to Leeds for some prearrange drinks 🙂 Bit of a derp but a good day out in the snow 🙂 History Founded by John Dyson who began mining clay…

  • Urbex: National Gas Turbine Establishment aka NGTE Pyestock, Fleet – January 2013

    Urbex: National Gas Turbine Establishment aka NGTE Pyestock, Fleet – January 2013

    The National Gas Turbine Establishment at Pyestock Fleet was built in 1949 beginning with some small test cubicals inside buildings like the plant house and has since been added to over the years resulting in the huge site that stands there today. For over 50 years Pyestock was at the forefront of gas turbine development…

  • Urbex: T.G. Greens Pottery, Swadlincote – January 2013

    Urbex: T.G. Greens Pottery, Swadlincote – January 2013

    History Cornish Kitchen Ware was first produced in 1926 by T.G.Green & Co in Church Gresley, Derbyshire, a county famed for its pottery. The range’s special characteristic came from the lathe-turning process, which cut clean bands through its beautiful blue slip to show the white clay beneath. It was apparently this that inspired the name,…

  • Urbex: Woollens for Signs, Sheffield, South Yorkshire – November 2012

    Urbex: Woollens for Signs, Sheffield, South Yorkshire – November 2012

    History Woollen & Co Sheffield was formed in 1883 by Edwin Woollen, a sign writer and Frederick Ibbotson a lithographic printer. Woollens dealt with bespoke signage including hand painted signage. The site closed in 2008 after a takeover with several former employees going on to form a new Woollens while maintaining some of the old…

  • Urbex: George Barnsley and Sons aka Cornish Works, Sheffield, South Yorkshire – October 2012

    Urbex: George Barnsley and Sons aka Cornish Works, Sheffield, South Yorkshire – October 2012

    History Borrowed from someone else’s urbex site report as I couldn’t find a great deal of info from other sources: George Barnsley was apprenticed into the filemakers trade in 1823 by his mother, Anne, who had been widowed. He was signed in to the apprenticeship – to a Thomas Wing of Sheffield – for seven years and two hundred…

  • Urbex: Pilkington Glass, Doncaster, South Yorkshire – October 2012

    Urbex: Pilkington Glass, Doncaster, South Yorkshire – October 2012

    History Construction of the factory began in 1919 but it apparently opened in 1922 at great cost to the Pilkington company which was established in 1826 over in St Helens. The site was chosen due to its canal side location and access to local coal and sand. In 1923 Pilkington’s, in collaboration with Ford in…

  • Urbex: The Pier Hartlepool and a quick visit to the Steetley Magnesite – May 2012

    Urbex: The Pier Hartlepool and a quick visit to the Steetley Magnesite – May 2012

    The Pier Hartlepool, I’d seen photographs when looking at the Steetley site visits by others so I already knew this thing was big but still it was great to see it with my own eyes and snap a few images. Surprisingly you can walk onto the start of it with no obstructions so I’ll be…

  • Urbex: Thorpe Marsh Power Station, Doncaster, South Yorkshire – March 2012 (Revisit)

    Urbex: Thorpe Marsh Power Station, Doncaster, South Yorkshire – March 2012 (Revisit)

    A few shots from what was to be my last visit to Thorpe Marsh Power Station. I quite liked this site, there wasn’t a lot to see other than the cooling towers but they were more than enough of a draw to keep me coming back for more photos. This trip was my first ride out with…

  • Urbex: Thorpe Marsh Power Station, Doncaster, South Yorkshire – June 2009

    Urbex: Thorpe Marsh Power Station, Doncaster, South Yorkshire – June 2009

    Above: View of the towers on approach the first visit to this place! weather was fantastic reflection in the pool of water really stood out even to the naked eye. Still in awe of the sheer size of these things at this point. Thorpe Marsh Power Station was abandoned in 1994 The site is now…

  • Urbex: Holdsworth Mill, Mirfield, Kirklees, Yorkshire – April 2009 (Revisit)

    Urbex: Holdsworth Mill, Mirfield, Kirklees, Yorkshire – April 2009 (Revisit)

    2nd Visit to this place, the first can be found here: http://www.proj3ctm4yh3m.com/urbex/2013/01/21/urbex-holdsworth-mill-mirfield-kirklees-yorkshire-october-2008/ Not a great deal of history on this place, this visit was a return to get a few more detail shots with a bit of natural light however the explore wasn’t without a hitch and we had an unexpected early end to the evening. On with…

  • Urbex: Hunslet Mills, Leeds, Yorkshire – March 2009 (Revisit)

    Urbex: Hunslet Mills, Leeds, Yorkshire – March 2009 (Revisit)

    2nd visit to this place the history can be found here from my September 2008 visit If you’ve made it this far… thanks for reading / checking out the pictures. Leave me a comment below or hit the like button to let me know you’ve enjoyed the shots and to encourage me to keep posting more 🙂 Limited Edition…

  • Urbex: Holdsworth Mill, Mirfield, Kirklees Yorkshire – October 2008

    Urbex: Holdsworth Mill, Mirfield, Kirklees Yorkshire – October 2008

    Mirfield Mill aka Holdsworth’s Card Clothing Mill. I don’t really know any history to this place, couldn’t find much on the web. I do believe it has since been demolished, I haven’t seen it for myself but google searches point to that conclusion…

  • Urbex: Hunslet Mills, Leeds, Yorkshire – October 2008

    Urbex: Hunslet Mills, Leeds, Yorkshire – October 2008

    Hunslet Mill was constructed by William Fairbairn for John Wilkinson and completed circa 1842. By 1847 some 1,500 female staff were employed in the mill reeling flax. It was occupied by a firm of linen manufacturers called Richard Buckton and Son from 1868[ and then by a firm of blanket weavers called Dodgson and Hargreaves…