Hi all,
So today visited Bucklands Sand and Silica plant. I drive past this place on a daily basis, so it seemed fit I visit it. People have described it as a mini Redhill Fullers, but not having been to fullers yet, I can't quite compare.
History:
Bucklands Sand and Silica was a family run business that started in 1923. They extracted high quality sand for manufacturing processes in the UK.
It was acquired in 1978 by Amalgamated Roadstone Corporation, then acquired by Hanson in 1990, They nearby quarry is still in use, but the sand is processed somewhere else, leaving the Sand and silica plant unused and in decay.
The site
Finding the site was pretty easy and only required hoping over one fence and a short walk by some lakes. It's a reasonable sized place, we spent around an hour there.
Following a footpath, we came across the first gate that lead to the plant
We followed the path a bit further..
Finally we came out to the factory
It's pretty overgrown and there is a big pond of water collecting at the lowest part.
And now inside:
The lower level was damp, but not submerged like I'd seen in pictures of the place before
An old Log bog of some kind, dated 1985.
And then we went to explored the outside a little more
We noticed fresh(ish) looking hay in the upper barn like part of the site. I guess the local farmer is using it as storage. There was bird feeder table things with fresh bird seed in, signs that it's not totally abandoned.
Shortly after, we heard a quad bike somewhere off in the distance, so we decided it was time to make haste and leave.
The site is the most dangerous place I've explored so far with rickety damp ridden floors all over. Asbestos pipes and guttering has been left scattered around the floor too.
The quarry is expected to be depleted by 2015, so council are considering removal of the plant next year. See here
Thanks for reading my report!
So today visited Bucklands Sand and Silica plant. I drive past this place on a daily basis, so it seemed fit I visit it. People have described it as a mini Redhill Fullers, but not having been to fullers yet, I can't quite compare.
History:
Bucklands Sand and Silica was a family run business that started in 1923. They extracted high quality sand for manufacturing processes in the UK.
It was acquired in 1978 by Amalgamated Roadstone Corporation, then acquired by Hanson in 1990, They nearby quarry is still in use, but the sand is processed somewhere else, leaving the Sand and silica plant unused and in decay.
The site
Finding the site was pretty easy and only required hoping over one fence and a short walk by some lakes. It's a reasonable sized place, we spent around an hour there.
Following a footpath, we came across the first gate that lead to the plant
We followed the path a bit further..
Finally we came out to the factory
It's pretty overgrown and there is a big pond of water collecting at the lowest part.
And now inside:
The lower level was damp, but not submerged like I'd seen in pictures of the place before
An old Log bog of some kind, dated 1985.
And then we went to explored the outside a little more
We noticed fresh(ish) looking hay in the upper barn like part of the site. I guess the local farmer is using it as storage. There was bird feeder table things with fresh bird seed in, signs that it's not totally abandoned.
Shortly after, we heard a quad bike somewhere off in the distance, so we decided it was time to make haste and leave.
The site is the most dangerous place I've explored so far with rickety damp ridden floors all over. Asbestos pipes and guttering has been left scattered around the floor too.
The quarry is expected to be depleted by 2015, so council are considering removal of the plant next year. See here
Thanks for reading my report!
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