History
The Nobel explosives works in North Ayrshire was once a major supplier of dynamite to the mining, quarrying and defence industries, with the company being founded by Alfred Nobel (of "Nobel Prize" fame) in 1871. The works would go on to specialise in explosives, propellants and nitrocellulose-based products, eventually merging into ICI in 1926. The site employed over 13,000 at it's peak, boasting it's own rail & bus networks, as well as various amenities (dentists, grocers etc) as part of the workers' village on-site. After the de-merging of ICI in the 90s, the site was taken on by the Japanese firm Inabata, and later the Chemring Group, before fully closing in the late 2000s
Due to to the volatile nature of many of the processes that occurred in explosive production, the site sprawled across miles of the Ardeer Peninsula, with buildings and departments being separated by large sand dunes and blast walls, connected by small rail networks, the remains of which can be seen all across the site. Areas of the site include labs, test sites, pressing houses, docks and a power station, with the latter being the focus of this report. The power plant was built in the 1950s, boasting a stated output capacity of 16MW from two Bruce Peebles and Co steam-powered turbines which were used to power the entire site.
The Explore
I've spent a couple of days exploring the site and still have massive chunks I haven't got round to seeing yet, report of the rest of the site will follow once I get the majority of it covered! My first visit was a general recce of the area, and I spent ages looking around the older buildings in the woodland, so was left short for time when I got round to the power station. I couldn't see any obvious ways in after a quick scoping of the exterior, so decided to call it a day having covered 12 miles according to my step-counting app, mentally planning my next visit on the trip home. I returned a couple of weeks later, with the power station being my number 1 target for the day, and after a couple of iffy-looking entry points, I had a little "lightbulb" moment and found myself inside the belly of the beast. Having read through some of the reports from the past 5 years or so, the continual decline at the site is evident, not to mention the brilliant pictures from 2009/2010 reports that are incomparable to the station's current state. Regardless of the inevitable decay and erosion, the station is still well-worth a visit if you're into your industrial stuff and you can easily pull a 12-hour shift covering the wider site while still having bits you've missed.
The Southern face of the power station, behind the row of windows sits the turbine hall, with one turbine being stripped and the other lowered to the ground floor just behind the large mound of dirt and sand.
The Macawber "Ash Conveying System" . Plenty of control panels, gauges, and buttons to follow.
Combustion boilers courtesy of NEI International
Pipes, valves and other contraptions.
The turbine hall.
The resting place of the remains of turbine #2, sitting just below the main hall.
I like this panel!
Alternators.
The full shebang.
A quick climb around the boilers lead me to the upper sections of the plant, plenty of gangways and platforms in amongst the array of pipework and machinery.
A nice little window shot from the corridor adjacent to the electrical switchgear room.
I've not posted many pictures from the ground floor as it was pitch-black down there, essentially it was a continuation of the pipework and condensers / hoppers from above, with a trashed locker room and what was once the entrance to the office/lobby area.
Thanks for having a mooch, I'll need to return at some point in the near future to get some better photos of the lower areas and a couple of other bits I wasn't satisfied with, any feedback appreciated. Cheers!
The Nobel explosives works in North Ayrshire was once a major supplier of dynamite to the mining, quarrying and defence industries, with the company being founded by Alfred Nobel (of "Nobel Prize" fame) in 1871. The works would go on to specialise in explosives, propellants and nitrocellulose-based products, eventually merging into ICI in 1926. The site employed over 13,000 at it's peak, boasting it's own rail & bus networks, as well as various amenities (dentists, grocers etc) as part of the workers' village on-site. After the de-merging of ICI in the 90s, the site was taken on by the Japanese firm Inabata, and later the Chemring Group, before fully closing in the late 2000s
Due to to the volatile nature of many of the processes that occurred in explosive production, the site sprawled across miles of the Ardeer Peninsula, with buildings and departments being separated by large sand dunes and blast walls, connected by small rail networks, the remains of which can be seen all across the site. Areas of the site include labs, test sites, pressing houses, docks and a power station, with the latter being the focus of this report. The power plant was built in the 1950s, boasting a stated output capacity of 16MW from two Bruce Peebles and Co steam-powered turbines which were used to power the entire site.
The Explore
I've spent a couple of days exploring the site and still have massive chunks I haven't got round to seeing yet, report of the rest of the site will follow once I get the majority of it covered! My first visit was a general recce of the area, and I spent ages looking around the older buildings in the woodland, so was left short for time when I got round to the power station. I couldn't see any obvious ways in after a quick scoping of the exterior, so decided to call it a day having covered 12 miles according to my step-counting app, mentally planning my next visit on the trip home. I returned a couple of weeks later, with the power station being my number 1 target for the day, and after a couple of iffy-looking entry points, I had a little "lightbulb" moment and found myself inside the belly of the beast. Having read through some of the reports from the past 5 years or so, the continual decline at the site is evident, not to mention the brilliant pictures from 2009/2010 reports that are incomparable to the station's current state. Regardless of the inevitable decay and erosion, the station is still well-worth a visit if you're into your industrial stuff and you can easily pull a 12-hour shift covering the wider site while still having bits you've missed.
The Southern face of the power station, behind the row of windows sits the turbine hall, with one turbine being stripped and the other lowered to the ground floor just behind the large mound of dirt and sand.
The Macawber "Ash Conveying System" . Plenty of control panels, gauges, and buttons to follow.
Combustion boilers courtesy of NEI International
Pipes, valves and other contraptions.
The turbine hall.
The resting place of the remains of turbine #2, sitting just below the main hall.
I like this panel!
Alternators.
The full shebang.
A quick climb around the boilers lead me to the upper sections of the plant, plenty of gangways and platforms in amongst the array of pipework and machinery.
A nice little window shot from the corridor adjacent to the electrical switchgear room.
I've not posted many pictures from the ground floor as it was pitch-black down there, essentially it was a continuation of the pipework and condensers / hoppers from above, with a trashed locker room and what was once the entrance to the office/lobby area.
Thanks for having a mooch, I'll need to return at some point in the near future to get some better photos of the lower areas and a couple of other bits I wasn't satisfied with, any feedback appreciated. Cheers!
