Cambrian Slate Mine

12/2011

Visited with Ian, Johno and Vicki

Slate mines, my speciality.

Much of the workings are inaccessible due to a collapse on the main haulage level, and it's quite wet for a slate mine. most of the working are on one level, but overall, quite a nice mine to explore over a few hours. The sounds in there are fantastic as the water flows down the main haulage tunnel and over rocks, quite like the noises you would find in an active cave. There are are numerous open chambers, quite overgrown, that give the mine a 'jungle' feel to it.

Occupy Liverpool Tinlings building

 01/2012
Visited with Jay, Amyrumi, Blober and vicki

I'd been trying to get in here and on this roof for a few days now. In the end all it came down to was a big please from a girl. The guys here have every right to be wary of photographers I guess. After all, the press, as always is the case with anything controversial have portrayed the cause in a negative light. The views from the roof are not exactly the best in the city, but I was pleased to be up there and and chatting to a few of the occupy lads in order to try and understand what they are standing for and how exactly they mean to achieve it.

The BBC:

" A group of protesters from Occupy Liverpool has taken over an empty city centre building.The protesters, who were camped on St George's Plateau, occupied Tinlings Building on the corner of Crosshall Street and Victoria Street on Sunday.One of the group, James Adams, said they would stay "as long as possible". Merseyside Police said patrols were giving the area "passing attention" to ensure there was no disruption to traffic or pedestrians.Mr Adams said: "There are about 20 of us in here."We're here for an occupation and at the moment we are trying to make the place more liveable and communal."

Brymbo steelworks

12/2011

Visited with jay, Blober and Vicki

This is one that I have been meaning to do for years, but other sites have always interested me more. The plan was to get up early and check out a lead before heading back to Holywell hospital. Both were fails. Holywell hospital due to workmen being all over the show, looks like it's going to be redeveloped after all. With Blober sulking because he was tired and all of us feeling under the weather, we decided to visit Brymbo steelworks. With most reports on the site over three years old, i must say, i wasn't expecting much. However, I was pleasantly surprised.

History

The Brymbo Steelworks was a former large steelworks in the village of Brymbo near Wrexham, Wales. For much of its life it was a rather ordinary ironworks and later steelworks, but is significant on account of its founder, and as having one of a modest number of surviving blast furnace stacks. The works was founded by John 'Iron Mad' Wilkinson who built a blast furnace on the site in 1793, just after he bought Brymbo Hall.

Holywell Hospital

 12/2011

Visited with Jay and Blober

After battling with 24 hour security over the years, and then forgetting about the place for a while, we were finally in. The x-ray has gone, most of the room doors have been removed, but it was still well worth the effort of exploring. My only regret is not doing it sooner.

There is a lack of explorable asylums, hospitals and NHS faculties at the moment, due to most of the abandoned ones being demolished. Many of the old hospitals are listed buildings, but there seems to be a trend of owners leaving them to fall into a state beyond repair, thus leaving the only option of flattening the old hospital and redeveloping the land entirely. Could Holywell hospital be seen as a success story though? The building is a Grade two listed building and has sold for £275,000 at auction. However, this was in February 2011, and there is no evidence of work taking place on the site as of yet.

History

Lluesty Hospital was built between 1838-40 as a workhouse, for the Union of 14 parishes, by John Welch, architect of St Asaph and Surveyor to the Guardians. It was built by Thomas Hughes of Liverpool and the contracter was Samuel Parry. There may have been alterations in 1869 and it was enlarged to the right in 1902. There were also some modern extensions during it's conversion to hospital use. It has the standard workhouse grid plan with separate courtyards for men and women and transverse and spinal ranges with a linking central octagon. It closed after the Holywell Community Hospital opened in 2008.

Fluorspar

12/2011 

Visited with Jay, Blober and Vicki

With the weather being so bad at the moment, above ground exploration tends to take a back seat. For example, when it's -2 outside, it's very tempting to go down a mine where the air temperature is a constant 9 degrees. The decision was made to visit a little known about Fluorspar mine. Seven levels, all going off one main incline. 

Saunders-Roe Hangers

12/2011 

Visited with Jay and Blober

The thing about exploring in North Wales is, there is an abundance of mines to go down. Problem is, that means getting kitted up and getting dirty, and sometimes there just isn't the time in the evening to go underground. I find it increasingly difficult to find surface sites that interest me in the area, and I think that I have seen most of what North Wales has to offer. That said however, I am often pleasantly surprised.

After driving about for a bit and checking out a few possible leads that had come up in the area, we were running out of ideas. Blober suggested that we use one of his 'fall back' plans. A site of little interest that he had been many times he said. I wasn't expecting much, and was very impressed when we got to the site. There were huge post war Hangers, with plenty to photograph inside. Just goes to show, there are always interesting sites out there that an explorer hasn't seen.

History

The name was adopted in 1929 after Alliot Verdon Roe and John Lord took a controlling interest in the boat-builders S.E. Saunders. Prior to this (excepting for the Sopwith/Saunders Bat Boat) the products were Saunders, the A4 Medina for example dating from 1926. Sam Saunders the founder developed the Consuta material used in marine and aviation craft. Details can be found in the hardcover A Solent Flight by Ivor J. Hilliker.

Saunders Roe, commonly abbreviated Saro, concentrated on producing flying-boats, but none were produced in very large quantities – the longest run being 31 Londons. They also produced hulls for the Blackburn Bluebird. During the Second World War Saro manufactured Supermarine Walrus and Supermarine Sea Otters. Their works at Beaumaris, Anglesey, modified and serviced Catalinas for the Royal Air Force.

Laird (Anglesey) Ltd was formed in 1968 and incorporated the Beaumaris and Llangefni factories of Saunders-Roe and the engineering business of Birkenhead shipbuilders Cammell Laird. Laird developed the Centaur, which was half Land Rover and half light tank. The company is now known as FAUN Municipal Vehicles Ltd.having been taken over yet again. Today, FAUN manufactures portable aluminium roadways and runways at Llangefni under its TRACKWAY brand .