When I did York sugar beet, with Tims about a year ago now, I always got a nag from Tims saying how much i should come down to Bardney Sugar beet in the Lincs. Well, finally I made the trip down with Brickman, I was more than eager to get here though, I'd heard stories of ferns, control panels, sugar dust and Lights to match!!!
Like Most Sugar factories, Bardney was constructed in 1926, after the 1925 Sugar act. Unlike York though, Bardney didn't have much modernizing. From the start of its life, it recieved deliveries from the Railway, road, and canal. This new proccess of extracting sugar from beet was highly sought after. Bardney went on to produce sugar up until 2001, after Ipswich's closure in 1998 (Kidderminster was next to follow in 2002). Now the Railway lines have gone, the canal is silent, and its only the occasional truck which enters the site. The wagons for the packaging area at the front of the plant, and the odd drop off of slurry.
Like Most Sugar factories, Bardney was constructed in 1926, after the 1925 Sugar act. Unlike York though, Bardney didn't have much modernizing. From the start of its life, it recieved deliveries from the Railway, road, and canal. This new proccess of extracting sugar from beet was highly sought after. Bardney went on to produce sugar up until 2001, after Ipswich's closure in 1998 (Kidderminster was next to follow in 2002). Now the Railway lines have gone, the canal is silent, and its only the occasional truck which enters the site. The wagons for the packaging area at the front of the plant, and the odd drop off of slurry.
With some directions from Tims we where in the site and running around the Silos, unfortunately though, our planned access had changed. but its a Sugar factory, there is bound to be some stupid access which security have failed to see... and there was.
When we entered, we where greeted by everything still in situ, the lights where on, the ferns where there, and the control panels where covered with the much sought after dust!
Something i have always wanted to do, stand ontop of the HUGE rotating slicing drum.
After having a bit of a cream around this level of production, we mooched around some of the domestic rooms at the centre of the plant.
I couldnt resist the control panels any more though....
However, we knew time was short for us, as we had to be back on the road, latest being 4pm. So we pressed on through the filtering areas, and up to the top. The Weather couldtn make its mind up though, you would find yourself in a warm sunset like glow, and then slowly floating snow would trickle through the roof above you, then melt, leaving sounds of trickling water in the distance, truly awesome experience.
Flash is the future!
This is the top level, some great stuff lying around here.
Evaporators
We reached the labs a bit lower down, bit of a shame though as they are mostly stripped, but we did find the cupboards surround were filled to the brim with scientific equipment.
The ground floor
We were pushing time now, and we really needed to go, a few exterior shots later, we where stuck at the top of the Lime Kiln, a completely rotten tube, there was a plywood board covering a dead drop, which its self couldn't hold a feather, its at this point one of the suspect lorries comes around and unloads some slurry for storage, along with a routine security patrol (with flashing amber ligths mind, these guys where clearly good, that light signified a lot) we decide to stick it out at the top of the freezing Kiln, 20 minutes hes still there, so its a quick run down, past the lorry and a swift exit with no one non the wiser
The rear of the factory...
Thats all for now, but there is still a fair bit i would like to see, moah control rooms, more process, maybe the silos.
Big thanks to Tims for keeping me in the loop.
When we entered, we where greeted by everything still in situ, the lights where on, the ferns where there, and the control panels where covered with the much sought after dust!
Something i have always wanted to do, stand ontop of the HUGE rotating slicing drum.
After having a bit of a cream around this level of production, we mooched around some of the domestic rooms at the centre of the plant.
I couldnt resist the control panels any more though....
However, we knew time was short for us, as we had to be back on the road, latest being 4pm. So we pressed on through the filtering areas, and up to the top. The Weather couldtn make its mind up though, you would find yourself in a warm sunset like glow, and then slowly floating snow would trickle through the roof above you, then melt, leaving sounds of trickling water in the distance, truly awesome experience.
Flash is the future!
This is the top level, some great stuff lying around here.
Evaporators
We reached the labs a bit lower down, bit of a shame though as they are mostly stripped, but we did find the cupboards surround were filled to the brim with scientific equipment.
The ground floor
We were pushing time now, and we really needed to go, a few exterior shots later, we where stuck at the top of the Lime Kiln, a completely rotten tube, there was a plywood board covering a dead drop, which its self couldn't hold a feather, its at this point one of the suspect lorries comes around and unloads some slurry for storage, along with a routine security patrol (with flashing amber ligths mind, these guys where clearly good, that light signified a lot) we decide to stick it out at the top of the freezing Kiln, 20 minutes hes still there, so its a quick run down, past the lorry and a swift exit with no one non the wiser
The rear of the factory...
Thats all for now, but there is still a fair bit i would like to see, moah control rooms, more process, maybe the silos.
Big thanks to Tims for keeping me in the loop.
