E P Bray - Derbyshire - 20/10/07

Paper suits, P3 masks and phunky colours are what this place is all about. I had a little recce a few days ago and clocked the unusual warning signs that warn respirators and full body suits should be worn, I say unusual, they're not really, I've just never seen that type before.

Anyway, a quick trip to my local DIY store of choice and a phone call or two to Dodge and Havoc we arrived on site on a beautiful sunny October morning.

Knowing how much of a twat I would look in a paper suit I elected to don mine in the privacy of the first room closest to the access point, Havoc and Dodge, however thought nothing of suiting up outside, in full view and to the delight and amusement of Derbyshire's trailwalkers, they really have no shame....

The first thing that strikes you about this former pigment manufacturer is the amazing colours of the dyes that have stained the factory floor, walls and ceilings, stairs, light switches, notebooks, tools, doors and windows absolutely everything in fact, and it's not an unpleasant effect, either.

The factory is deceptively small, considering how big it looks from the outside, mainly consisting of large colourful rooms, a few labs (which I neglected to take any pictures of), shower rooms and storage areas and whatnot, but the colourful bits make up for it in spades.

I can't find anything about the history of the place using the usual methods and even Google struggles to throw anything up, so I'll just get on with the pictures.

A nice little explore this one, I enjoyed it.

TnM

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Akzo Nobel, Littleborough - 13/10/07

Dropped by this place after a slightly disappointing morning looking at a couple of hospitals that, one way or another still had occupants, who weren't there for medical treatment either, which was a bit of a rum doo!! However, we did find out some useful info from a trio of pikies, 'tunnels, you say? Running hither and thither?', a return trip is in the offing.

This was a lead provided by the man of mystery, dcg and was visitied with Havoc, who, I happened to notice, has taken to wearing an exploring cardigan, it's the future, I'm thinking about adding a pipe at some point and maybe some leather patches for my elbows.




The site comes in two flavours, large empty, industrial sized sheds with little of interest and smaller but ultimately more rewarding offices and labs. From what little paperwork there is we could only ascertain that the place was in use until the end of 2006.


Chemicals, tasty, coffee please, milk and three spoonfuls of phosphorous pentoxide.

The place has been visted by copper thieving pikies, either that or the last day leavers party was really wild...

Wooo!

Safe. As Havoc would say.

He must be so proud.

And that's that. Wasn't really feeling this one, must have been the weather or something.

TnM

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Brunner Mond, Winnington 09/10/07

What started as a chance remark after our recent trip to Brunner Mond's Lostock site, something along the lines of, 'well, we're on a hat trick now, aren't we', turned into a couple of nights of me (being closest), once again, mooching round Northwich in the early hours, looking for access to the mother of all Northwich industry, Brunner Mond, Winnington.

Finding site access proved simple enough, but this place is a constant hive of activity, with an extremely active (and effective-ish) security presence, being on site for about ten minutes we encountered a foot patrol, who called for back up in the shape of a 4x4 with a couple of dudes in it. We hit the deck, thus marking the start of a 4 or 5 hour game of hide and seek, the consequences of losing...well...fook it, we didn't intend losing...

So, after hiding out in some bushes for a while, we made our way further into the site, which is lit up in all directions, casting huge comedy shadows, wither you look and wither you run. The noise from the site is incredible, as various automated processes to deliver different materials from one end of the place to the other, start up, unexpectedly, around you.

Flitting about the site from shadow to shadow, stopping now and then to take a picture, or spotting site personnel, we managed to stay ahead of security, until we headed deep into the belly of the beast. Havoc, leading the way, jumped into a 'soda corridor', I followed a minute later. Kicking up a dry cloud of soda dust as we climbed the stairs, hoping to head up to the top of the silos', it was a no go, back down the stairs to our access point.

SHIT!

One of the security 4x4s was parked right outside, Havoc, clumsy tw*t, went arse over tit on a squishy patch of soda ash, I legged it back inside, Havoc followed, the cloud we'd created at this point was all over the room, up a set of stairs, hoping to get along and back down, shit, no go, again, back down the stairs, over a small soda mountain onto a soda conveyor, out the door and head first into a handy clump of reeds.

By this point we were covered in the white stuff (soda ash, people, keep it clean), from head to toe, it was in our eyes, noses and mouths. Not for the first time this evening, we laid low for 15 or twenty minutes and discussed a plan of action. The plan said, it's time to leave.

Security, on the other hand, had different ideas. Heading back towards our access point, security. Back into the shadows. Tried a different route, security. This wasn't good. It was getting on for half three in the morning, I had to be up for work at half seven. Third point, security. These guys meant business.

We eventually managed to get off site sometime between four and four thirty AM, it was raining, we were grubby, grumpy, tired and wet (the three other dwarfs decided not to come).

But at least security hadn't collared us. A fantastic site, very hard work, but well worth the effort.


TnM

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Tax rebate, woo!

Rather unexpected, too. Normally when a letter from HM Customs and Excise drops onto the doormat a cold shiver runs up my spine, 'oh, god, who told them?' lol. But as it turns out, I'm 47 quid better off thanks to a recent change of tax code, which is better than a kick in the bollox.

;->

TnM

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