# Fullers Earth Works, Redhill - Surrey - November 2016



## Gromr (Nov 30, 2016)

Fullers earth works is one of those places in Surrey that most local 'Urbexers' has done a million times over. Its a colossal place and I'm sure you have all seen many pictures of it.

I've been a few time myself and I still find new things to see there each time.
Security seems to have given up, so its mostly free game for all that want to visit. Choo Choo, all aboard the tour bus. 

A few weeks ago I thought I'd pop down and check out the Admin buildings tucked away at the edge of the site that I've never taken the time to check out before. Fullers really is the gift that keeps on giving. 

This is by no means a comprehensive report of Fullers, just one showing the lesser seen parts of it. 


*History*

Copied from my last report:

"A greyish, mineral-rich clay, fuller's earth is well-known for its absorbent qualities and has many uses ranging from powder cosmetics to 'mud' used for drilling oil wells. Its best known use however is as cat litter, of which millions of bags are sold every year. Most of this is now imported from the Americas but until recently, fuller's earth was quarried from the Lower Greensand strata at Woburn (Beds.), at Baulking (Oxon.) and at Redhill (Surrey). On the Redhill deposit, the most successful quarry operating at the turn of the century was the Copyhold Works of the Fuller's Earth Union Ltd, established c.1860-70. Initially supplying the woollen trade, demand later shifted to the growing chemical and commodity sector with customers in the 1920s-40s including the Southern Oil Company Ltd, British Glues and Chemicals Ltd and Price's Patent Candle Co. 

In 1954 the works, by now employing 780 men, were bought by chemical company Laporte Industries. Production was stepped up to meet increasing demand and a large factory consisting of kilns, granulators, blungers, silos and transit systems on several floors was built. A large quarry existed to the east and in the 1970s this strange landscape stood in for various alien worlds in the BBC's Doctor Who series. In the 1980s, the Copyhold site was sending loose earths and packaged cat litter around the world. By 1995, however, due to falling profits it was announced that the company would close 10% of its 100 plants. Copyhold fell victim the following year and the Laporte Group was broken up with the majority share sold to an American private equity firm trading as Rockwood Holdings Inc. After the production lines were switched off, the 119 acre pit was purchased for use as a landfill site by Biffa Waste Services and continues to take waste from across Surrey. The factory was for a while used as a waste transfer station but this too was abandoned at some time in the last four years and the site is now derelict."


*The Explore*

A nice relaxed explore. The site is vast and is well vandalised so everywhere is open. I spent a little bit of time around the main building, but most of it down in the admin buildings on the South East corner of the site. Partly this was just an easy way of getting some nice subject matter for more photography practice. Trying to hone in my composure a little, so sites like this are nice place to do it.
































































Any one know how to crack a safe here?


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## Brewtal (Nov 30, 2016)

Great stuff again mate. Need to retry this place without getting caught at the entrance!


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## mookster (Dec 1, 2016)

Jeez the place is so utterly different from my first ever visit on my first ever explore weekend in June 2009. The offices/labs and social club were a mess back then even.


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## krela (Dec 1, 2016)

This is one of the few original tour bus locations that's still going, albeit with a bit of a break while the dodgy pikeys were around. It's been a staple for at least 15 years that I can think of, along with Nettleham. Some decent pics there Gromr.


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## Sam Haltin (Dec 2, 2016)

Nice pictures and a nice post.


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## mookster (Dec 2, 2016)

krela said:


> This is one of the few original tour bus locations that's still going, albeit with a bit of a break while the dodgy pikeys were around. It's been a staple for at least 15 years that I can think of, along with Nettleham. Some decent pics there Gromr.



Cwm Coke is another with a long long history on forums as well. Think that closed in 2002.

I can remember Fullers when there were only two tags in the entire factory area and there was minimal pikey stripping in there. When the small brick lab building was still there, and the office block hadn't been ravaged by fire. Seems like a long time ago, probably because it was!


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## krela (Dec 2, 2016)

Cwm cokeworks first started appearing in summer 2006, as did NGTE Pyestock, I can say that for both with some certainty.  

Anyway, shows what can happen in a few years!


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## Landie_Man (Dec 2, 2016)

wow she is WRECKED but still worth a look for the lovely external decay. Could we have a closer look at the 1994 prices in the bar please?


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## Gromr (Dec 2, 2016)

Landie_Man said:


> wow she is WRECKED but still worth a look for the lovely external decay. Could we have a closer
> look at the 1994 prices in the bar please?



Here you are!


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