# Quenby Price/Cargills Grain Store, Bedfordshire - September 2010



## sYnc_below (Sep 20, 2010)

Explored with Winch It In

In 1910 R.Quenby & Sons were first listed as millers after buying a 21 year lease on a local mill in Bromham, Bedfordshire. In 1938 they became a registered company as Quenby Price Limited. In 1969 they moved out of the mill and into nearby Turvey Station that had closed in 1962 (the last train left this station in March 1962) as a result of Dr. Richard Beeching's 'Beeching Bombshell' report that resulted in more than 4,000 miles of railway and 3,000 stations being closed over a 10 year period. (During 1962 780 miles of track were closed across the country). The station buildings were used as offices but sadly they did demolish most of the platform.

In 1971 Quenby Price Limited leased the orignal Bromham Mill buildings, mill house and 6½ acres of land to Bedfordshire County Council as a picnic site, selling them to the council two years later. After Quenby Price moved out, the Mill was taken over by artisans making pottery and leather goods until a fire broke out on 20 Feb 1974. Bromham Mill is now a popular Bedfordshire tourist destination 

The Turvey Station site grew over the years under the name Quenby Price and many of the original buildings were demolished and rebuilt to keep up with mechanisation and modernistation techniques in agriculture. The company changed hands several times over the years, falling into the hands of Unilever under the name United Agricultural Merchants (BOCM Silcock Ltd). I was lucky enough to have a tour of the site in the early 1980's when it was fully operational and remember visting the old silo building and climbing the ladders to a high dusty gallery (long demolished). 

The site changed hands again several times before being finally taken over by Cargills PLC and then ultimately its closure several years ago, it now lays derelict having been 'made safe' and also fairly well stripped by travellers. 

The site comprises of two wet grain storage bins, a pre-cleaner, two grain driers, six storage silos with 10,000 tonnes of grain storage and two despatch bins. Everything is linked with grain elevators, conveyors and horizontal augers. In addition to this are workshops, admin buildings offices and a Laboratory.


*UPDATE - March 2011
This site has been levelled to the ground over the last three weeks, totally demolished, nothing exists. 

There was a development company involved who bought the site several years ago and I suspect it will soon be redeveloped as a residential site.*

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy the pix


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## Winch It In (Sep 20, 2010)

Here's my pictures from the Grain Silo's, it was well worth the walk Hal...









































Thanks for looking..


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## nij4829 (Sep 20, 2010)

Great place and a great find.
I dont blame you with the lack of info. It looks so unmolested TBF


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## hydealfred (Sep 20, 2010)

Excellent report and shots - glad you never met that Mega Mite


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## King Al (Sep 20, 2010)

Mega Mite (pic 32) :arghh::arghh::arghh:

Good stuff Winch and Hal


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## stuck247 (Sep 21, 2010)

Great pics Hal,like the egg detail...already seen yours Winch but they still look good!

Nicely done on an undisturbed find


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## Foxylady (Sep 21, 2010)

That is one helluva nice explore. Excellent stuff, guys. 
As well as the Mega Mite, I rather like the idea of Grain Socks. My weird train of thought would also like to add woolly hats for wheat ears during the cold weather.


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## sYnc_below (Sep 21, 2010)

Foxylady said:


> I rather like the idea of Grain Socks



I prefer your wacky theory but the sad reality is a Grain Sock is a tarpaulin like trailer attachment...much more boring


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## Foxylady (Sep 21, 2010)

Hal Chase said:


> I prefer your wacky theory but the sad reality is a Grain Sock is a tarpaulin like trailer attachment...much more boring



Ah, I was actually thinking along the lines of a hopper-type sock. Yes, much more boring.


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## krela (Mar 23, 2011)

Shame this is gone now


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## sYnc_below (Mar 23, 2011)

*UPDATE - March 2011*
This site has been levelled to the ground over the last three weeks, totally demolished, nothing exists 


I've kept this place quiet for a very long while to try and avoid getting it 'chavved', I also intentionally left out most of the history when I first posted my report.

Now its been demo'd I've added the full history/location in my original post as to my knowledge this site has never been reported anywhere else online so the historical info is now vital.

I will also add a couple of photo's here of its final sad state in the next few days.

The aerial shot below is what used to be there...


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## Tstranger1066 (Mar 23, 2011)

Wow, thanks for sharing that. I'd driven past that many moons ago, and often wondered what the story was on it, now I know!


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## nelly (Mar 23, 2011)

I like that, thanks


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## skeleton key (Mar 27, 2011)

Nice one guys 
i missed this when first posted
and agree great shame its gone me and T starnger looked at this last summer but was short on time and kept meaning to get back  same old story
Looks like there was alot more to it than i thought .
Ps still waiting on the lift tower will shout out if i get possitive reply 

SK


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## sYnc_below (Mar 31, 2011)

Here we go, last piece of the jigsaw....this is the site as of last night 


















Apologies to Priority7 who I was due to take up there this month


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## Priority 7 (Mar 31, 2011)

No drama Tocsin bud, you win some you lose some...hopefully I win more than I lose and meet some top lads and lasses on the way....


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## Winch It In (Mar 31, 2011)

Nice one Hal, Glad we got up there when we did.....


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## John_D (Mar 31, 2011)

Good report and great pics, shame it's all gone now


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