# The Mushroom Factory - North Yorkshire



## TK421 (Oct 24, 2010)

I planned on visiting a paper mill in Selby this morning, but when I arrived it was virtually demolished, and what was left was being ransacked by pikies, so it was time to implement 'operation mushroom', my back up plan!

I have passed this place on the train so many times, but never knew what it was for, what interested me was the little boom on a length of rail that seemed to travel backwards and forwards spraying stuff. Having seen a few other reports on this place, and also having languished in my exploration of late, I decided to get my sorry ass out this morning for an explore of Monaghan Mushrooms, at Gateforth, just south of Thorpe Willoughby.

I might be wrong here, but whilst there is lots of tunnels for the growing of mushrooms, there is also some nissen type huts within the complex, looking at Google maps, the site is a few miles north of what was RAF Burn, so I wonder if this was an outbase for the airfield at some distant point in the past.

The business ran from 1981 through to August 2008, and was not without its problems, in that the composting process caused terrible smells that the local residents complained about. It turns out that little boom on rails I had wondered about was used to spray the compost to keep the smell down. The site has suffered from many arson attacks, lots of fly tipping, and it is clear from some of the rooms that local chavs frequently visit. The Selby Times has a report dated September 2009 stating it might reopen, but there is no evidence at the site currently.

It is astonishing the volume of crap dumped at this site, as the photos show, you can also have good fun with the light in the tunnels, ladies and gentelmen, please enjoy:

Colourful tunnel:







Large pipe, like some tentacle:



















































RAF Driffield has a sofa escaping from a window, Monaghan Mushrooms has a chair appearing from the ceiling






Growing crates, to say that there are lots of these is a massive understatement:






Final one from me, a colourful room in a nissen hut:






Loads more on my flickr site.

Cheers


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## krela (Oct 24, 2010)

nissan = car

nissen = hut


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## TK421 (Oct 24, 2010)

hahahha! fair point boss!


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## evilnoodle (Oct 24, 2010)

Looks an interesting mooch, does this. Love the first pic


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## LulaTaHula (Oct 24, 2010)

The first shot is ace!


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## Alansworld (Oct 24, 2010)

Love the ceiling/chair!!

A


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## ceejam (Oct 24, 2010)

Cracking set of pics there mate, as others have said the 1st is a cracker.


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## Black Shuck (Oct 24, 2010)

Nice work TK, this reminds me of Broaland Mushrooms in Martham, I explored last year.


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## tommo (Oct 24, 2010)

LulaTaHula said:


> The first shot is ace!



echo that, first shot looks wicked and the rest of the place looks cool also, great find


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## chaoticreason (Oct 24, 2010)

The first four shots all had me thinking: Magic! 'alice in wonderland' mushrooms.Fly Agaric! and the good ole depedendable (an less dangerous) Psilocybic shrooms... Most disheartened...but!
Chairs hanging from the ceiling holds a certain place in my heart,whilst vandalism is not cool,I can't help but admire the artistic desire of some vandals,they do have imagination!
Great shots of a pretty unusual site,very nice to see,many thanks.


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## Foxylady (Oct 24, 2010)

Gorgeous pics as always, TK. Still some interesting nooks and crannies to see. Nice one.


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## KooK. (Oct 24, 2010)

Nice one, great pics, did you find any toadstools around the caretaker's cottage?


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## tommo (Oct 24, 2010)

KooK. said:


> Nice one, great pics, did you find any toadstools around the caretaker's cottage?





*what like this lol*


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## chaoticreason (Oct 24, 2010)

Those Little gnome shrooms don't grow often enough...?


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## Foxylady (Oct 24, 2010)

chaoticreason said:


> Those Little gnome shrooms don't grow often enough...?


It's the ones with tiny doors and windows in that you have to watch out for!


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## TK421 (Oct 24, 2010)

Thanks everyone for your kind comments, glad you liked the photos!

Kook, I was going to have a butchers round the bungalow, but a dody geezer in a pikey van turned up, what with me being the founding member of 'chickens anonymous' I bid a hasty retreat!!


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## KooK. (Oct 24, 2010)

Yeah there was a van there when we turned up, I reckon its probably a well known dumping ground. You didn't miss much in the actual cottage, its pretty trashed. Just liked the toadstools


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## theoss (Oct 24, 2010)

Lively spot at times this place.

Couple of news items;

Human remains;

http://www.selbytimes.co.uk/community/human_remains_found_at_mushroom_farm_1_1502895

Fire;

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/8327081.Arsonists_strike_again_at_former_mushroom_farm/

Theft;

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/8319840.Mushroom_farm_thieves_are_fined/


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## Mad Larkin (Oct 25, 2010)

tommo said:


> *what like this lol*



there's a few of those growing at pyestock!


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## Black Shuck (Oct 25, 2010)

Mad Larkin said:


> there's a few of those growing at pyestock!



That's a brill shot Larkin, a Fly Agaric I believe!!!


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## Mad Larkin (Oct 25, 2010)

oh no i didnt take that shot.

i did take this one with a point and click though -


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## no1rich (Oct 25, 2010)

Sounds pics Looks like it was a big place...


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## KooK. (Oct 28, 2010)

hehe, yeah I reckon the extra competition nearby was making them toadstools grow big!






It's nearly the size of jjsten)


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## wirelessmast (Nov 14, 2010)

nice work, glad its getting some exposure. I went out there today for a recce, didnt go on site as had my little lad with me and we were exploring the new plantation nearby. Its only some half hour walk from me

Im planning on giving it a good doing in a week or two with an ex-work mate. Ive done the smaller part of the site and the caretakers house before but no pics im afraid.

Theres an added incentive for this place - i got a flyer yesterday from the parish council, starting up a action group. Seems theres a planning application gone in for this place, to convert all 15acres into 'showmans accomodation', with ride storage, workshops, HGV etcs, and (i quote) '10x 1acre plots, with between 7-8 _families_ per plot', now i make that (assuming family means two adults and around four offspring) some 480 people, travellers, pikies or the like!

Best get the place documented

anyway, heres a few long shots of the place, shows a bit of the scale













and the most derelict thing we explored close up -


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## woody65 (Nov 15, 2010)

wirelessmast said:


> Theres an added incentive for this place - i got a flyer yesterday from the parish council, starting up a action group. Seems theres a planning application gone in for this place, to convert all 15acres into 'showmans accomodation', with ride storage, workshops, HGV etcs, and (i quote) '10x 1acre plots, with between 7-8 _families_ per plot', now i make that (assuming family means two adults and around four offspring) some 480 people, travellers, pikies or the like!



i see the nimbys are starting to make things up


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