British Sugar silos, Kidderminster - 06/02/08

Well, we were in the area to go on the tour of the Drakelow Tunnels complex (it was a former Rover shadow factory during WW2, then a RGHQ, and then a RSG). It finally shut up shop for good in 1992.

The tour was fantastic, the chap leading us round was a fountain of knowledge on the history of the place and you could tell he really held the complex close to his heart. He didn't even seem to mind when we kept wandering off to mooch about when we shouldn't have been.

A top class place, it just a shame the current owners don't allow photographs of the interior, I could have had a field day in there.

So following the slightly extended two and a half hour tour (probably 'cos our little group kept wandering off) we thought we'd head over to Kidderminster's British Sugar factory.

The factory is being demolished at the minute but the only thing we wanted to do was the silos, so after finding access to the site we headed straight for them.

Upon my first glance I got a rather sick feeling in my stomach, not having much of a head for heights, they seemed very tall. However, there apeared to be an interior staircase that went straight to the top, so I thought it might not be too bad. And it wasn't, until the very last ladder.

Everything you touch in the silos building is sticky with sugar, it was like being in some cheap nightclub mooching about, the sound of your footsteps was comedy as they shclurrp off the floor. And the staircase handrails were absolutely horrible, sticky with sugar, then throw in a handfull of pigeon poo!

But, eventually we made it to the very top, and the views, well, they were OK, nothing special really, but at least I'd done my first silo, although I definately prefer to keep my feet on the ground. I probably will do in future too.

Visited with Bungle and Havoc, Jaff Fox was there for the Drakelow tour.

TnM ;->

Share This Post