Another epic explore with and many thanks to @albino-jay
Local Myths and Legends
Robert Fletcher and Sons probably needs little introduction as an old abandoned paper mill in the moorland village of Greenfield. But, it is so very much more than that, particularly to generations of the local residents. For those residents it’s a tremendous source of continuing controversy and by a continuing source of controversy what I really mean is, some of the locals don’t half like raising their pitchforks and complaining about the goings-on at the mill. It started life as a bleachers and paper maker as far back as 1829. Then it was owned by the Crompton family. The now infamous Robert Fletcher would not join the firm until 1830, but he did so in his 20s and either had something over the Crompton’s or they liked him a lot and the mill was left to him as trustee. The firm was incorporated as a Limited company in 1897 and continued to do very well. However, with increasing energy and materials costs things started to go pear shaped at the end of the 1990s. Fletchers had a turnover of £17 million in 1997, but that plummeted £8.2 million by 1999. Shareholders funds halved in the same period, from £8.2 million to a little over £4 million. And by 2001 Fletchers was completely and utterly fucked. Creditors applied to formally wind up the company and it closed, literally overnight.
So back to the winging and the moaning. Early griping concerned the dumping of white pulp residue just off the Chew Road. But, since the dumping had been taking place for longer than there had been a National Park, nothing could be done but complaining, moaning and general pitch fork raising. The chemicals used on the plant were and are a continuing part of the folklore. No one has ever managed to get to the bottom of whether the site is really contaminated or not. Even freedom of information requests have been declined by local government, which only adds to the mystery. But, and seemingly largely because of the acrid smells the plant used to give off, people believe the site is heavily tainted with the chemicals Fletcher’s stored and used at the mill. And that, in part, is apparently why locals don’t like urban explorers poking about in there – in case they spread the contamination and Saddleworth becomes ground zero. This isn’t helped by the level of security on the site, because – so the rumour mill goes – they wouldn’t need so much security unless there really was a problem. And every photographer I know has a story about that one time they walked past the front of the mill and were asked by the security what they were doing when all they were dong was taking photos of something completely innocuous.
But despite this alleged problem with the serious contamination of the site, there is talk of the site being developed into a load of new houses. And that, of course, is another source of tremendous controversy. Because the locals do not like, “comer inners”.
However, the added bonus of having security that does do more than hoover the security office in their Y-Fronts, is that the site doesn’t get trashed by utter bellends. So it makes for a cracking mooch.
Me, I am a, “comer inner”, and that is why this is such a special explore for me.
Photographic Evidence
I’ve decided to put my snaps up in no particular order.
The Lab
This is where the staff of Robert Fletcher checked to see if the chemicals were strong enough to contaminate the site.
I quite liked this massive machinery and the control panels.
This machine was so big is seemed to span two stories.
Lots of little pieces of paper.
Moar paper!
As close to an arty shot as I got on this particular adventure...
This is the front of the very big machine with a massive rollers and all the control panels.
Some of the older machinery...
And a selection of photos from my favorite part of the areas I explored. It has a nice mix of industry and just the right level of decay and nature reclaiming the site.
Cheers for reading. Hope you enjoy the report.
EOA
Local Myths and Legends
Robert Fletcher and Sons probably needs little introduction as an old abandoned paper mill in the moorland village of Greenfield. But, it is so very much more than that, particularly to generations of the local residents. For those residents it’s a tremendous source of continuing controversy and by a continuing source of controversy what I really mean is, some of the locals don’t half like raising their pitchforks and complaining about the goings-on at the mill. It started life as a bleachers and paper maker as far back as 1829. Then it was owned by the Crompton family. The now infamous Robert Fletcher would not join the firm until 1830, but he did so in his 20s and either had something over the Crompton’s or they liked him a lot and the mill was left to him as trustee. The firm was incorporated as a Limited company in 1897 and continued to do very well. However, with increasing energy and materials costs things started to go pear shaped at the end of the 1990s. Fletchers had a turnover of £17 million in 1997, but that plummeted £8.2 million by 1999. Shareholders funds halved in the same period, from £8.2 million to a little over £4 million. And by 2001 Fletchers was completely and utterly fucked. Creditors applied to formally wind up the company and it closed, literally overnight.
So back to the winging and the moaning. Early griping concerned the dumping of white pulp residue just off the Chew Road. But, since the dumping had been taking place for longer than there had been a National Park, nothing could be done but complaining, moaning and general pitch fork raising. The chemicals used on the plant were and are a continuing part of the folklore. No one has ever managed to get to the bottom of whether the site is really contaminated or not. Even freedom of information requests have been declined by local government, which only adds to the mystery. But, and seemingly largely because of the acrid smells the plant used to give off, people believe the site is heavily tainted with the chemicals Fletcher’s stored and used at the mill. And that, in part, is apparently why locals don’t like urban explorers poking about in there – in case they spread the contamination and Saddleworth becomes ground zero. This isn’t helped by the level of security on the site, because – so the rumour mill goes – they wouldn’t need so much security unless there really was a problem. And every photographer I know has a story about that one time they walked past the front of the mill and were asked by the security what they were doing when all they were dong was taking photos of something completely innocuous.
But despite this alleged problem with the serious contamination of the site, there is talk of the site being developed into a load of new houses. And that, of course, is another source of tremendous controversy. Because the locals do not like, “comer inners”.
However, the added bonus of having security that does do more than hoover the security office in their Y-Fronts, is that the site doesn’t get trashed by utter bellends. So it makes for a cracking mooch.
Me, I am a, “comer inner”, and that is why this is such a special explore for me.
Photographic Evidence
I’ve decided to put my snaps up in no particular order.
The Lab
This is where the staff of Robert Fletcher checked to see if the chemicals were strong enough to contaminate the site.
I quite liked this massive machinery and the control panels.
This machine was so big is seemed to span two stories.
Lots of little pieces of paper.
Moar paper!
As close to an arty shot as I got on this particular adventure...
This is the front of the very big machine with a massive rollers and all the control panels.
Some of the older machinery...
And a selection of photos from my favorite part of the areas I explored. It has a nice mix of industry and just the right level of decay and nature reclaiming the site.
Cheers for reading. Hope you enjoy the report.
EOA
