# Farley Building, Millbay, Plymouth Jan 2008



## Scrub2000

Farley's Health Products Ltd, Plymouth [1893-1972] 

It was an early start, we need to be ‘on site‘ before sun up. We met at the rendezvous at mega early and started our short walk of about 4 mins to the building.
This would be my first Urban Exploration experience!

It was heavy with typical Plymouth mist, which hung in the air like film! The building came in to view from the mist and looked very sinister to say the least.







Scotty had surveyed the building at least twice before during the week so he knew good entry and exit points.

Good news, solid concrete floors would help with the safety aspect. After I got in we proceeded up the metal spiral staircase to the second floor to be greeted with pretty much the floor full of Farley baby cereal tins stacked neatly. These were opened, unused tins, which appeared ready to fill and ship out.











We moved to the back of the 2nd floor to find a huge pile of tins thrown in a pile. There was some order here though with colours being separate. 











Next floor up we go. This one was filled with what appeared to be rubbish. Of course on closer inspection there was a toboggan (how random), some chairs (comfy sofa types – missing cushions) and number plates of the models of old Ford cars. Scotty found a lovely brochure offering various Ford and Motorcraft items which one could purchase, in the late 80’s/early 90’s.































Next floor up and we were met with more Farley cans. Ah, there is the other Sofa chair to match the others on the second floor. Phew.











Roof time now, and what great views. Mist had cleared a bit and it was getting fairly light now. A few panoramic pics of Plymouth and no sooner we did that the mist started again. 






We checked out a couple of lift motor rooms finding various machinery and a full intact lift motor, cable still in place.
There were two lift shafts in this building. One lift had been removed, the other still in-situ.
Very random item was a half empty bottle of mineral water.












Ah, there are the cushions for the sofas we have been seeing. Complete set!






Time to exit now. Getting pretty light and Plymouth would be waking up soon.


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## Foxylady

Excellent report and photos, Scrub. Some really interesting and quite bizarre things left in there. Good stuff!


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## Scotty

this building was being surveyed last week, we are hoping to go back to get some more pics and better ones.


+


Foxylady said:


> Excellent report and photos, Scrub. Some really interesting and quite bizarre things left in there. Good stuff!


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## King Al

Very nice pics Scrub, like the shot of all the jars (Pic 4)


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## Scotty

Since this was the 1st explore me and scrub ever done together.
i wanted to go back see if it changed and see if my picture taking skills has improved.

i did not think there was going to be any thing new and i was limited to a hour to explore.
so i ran around looking for something missed. a couple of things but nothing that sparked my interested. not as much as a room that i have not been in.

getting to the room involved lidding down the spiral shots (i loved every min of it) to get to the entry. 

when i got in to the room, i was meet by a very sorry, abused, on its back AMI XJDB-200.

here is the pics.


























Bits of jukebox and records





Wonder if i could recover the mech for mine 






this is what it should look like

i think it was put away in a fully working order with all the bits but over the years as squatters, chavs and vandals got in to the building they completly fucked it.
wish i had room to take it home and restore it.​


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## Neosea

Looks like a valve amp built into that sucka


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## Scotty

Neosea said:


> Looks like a valve amp built into that sucka



yup.

1962, such a sorry sight .
going back soon and i'll have more time to look at it


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## Neosea

Scotty said:


> yup.
> 
> 1962, such a sorry sight .
> going back soon and i'll have more time to look at it



Just love the tone of those amps, shame to see it like that.


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## v-w-chick

wud love to check out among others.
see if u can see this, found this from a mate on facebook
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=79840&id=509032629#/photo.php?pid=1727812&id=509032629


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## Scrub2000

*Update*

This building maybe going soon.

Get in if you still wanna see it. Demo crew are clearing the contents and one building has already gone to the side of Farley.

All the tins are being removed and other scap value is being removed!

ABP is also being cleared!


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## Badoosh

Scrub2000 said:


> This building maybe going soon.
> 
> Get in if you still wanna see it. Demo crew are clearing the contents and one building has already gone to the side of Farley.
> 
> All the tins are being removed and other scap value is being removed!
> 
> ABP is also being cleared!



It will be a shame to see the luggage store get demolished. Some interesting features left in there.


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## steve_o

Indeed, went past it yesturday on the way to work. JCB is to one side, and they have already assembled a skip shoot tube thing from the top floor right down. Demolition has well and truly started!

As Scrub has said the old railway shed and platforms have now been flattened


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## SteveSutton

Wonderful find  The Farleys rubbish contents of the place look rather dated to. Any idea when it closed and how long it's been left like that


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## tbkscott

Great report Scrub and nice photo's, its nice to see the memory of farrah Fawcett still lives on with the hair of the women in that catalogue eh lol


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## steve_o

SteveSutton said:


> Wonderful find  The Farleys rubbish contents of the place look rather dated to. Any idea when it closed and how long it's been left like that



From what ive been told its been shut for a quite a while. It basically shut and was relocated to a site in the Manadon area of Plymouth. This new factory has since closed (i think when Heinz brought out Farleys) and the site has for many years now been a morrisons supermarket!


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## graybags

*Farley's*

The smell as you drove past was awesome, the rusks being baked ........

Some more info here


http://www.plymouthdata.info/Business Houses-Farley.htm

G


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## escortmad79

Sh*t!! Had I known about the Ford memorabilia in that place I would've been down there like a shot! 

Too late now with demolition about to commence


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## PinkMini

Still a few days left if your around Plymouth, I drive past it every day on my way to work and there hasn't been any one working on it for a week or two, although the surrounding area has been flattened. I'm tempted to take a trip around there one night this week....


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## escortmad79

Nowhere near Plymouth at the moment!


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## extrogg

escortmad79 said:


> Nowhere near Plymouth at the moment!



Beat you to it!! I had a good scour through it all and most of it is not very exciting at all. Mostly bills and invoices for parts and ledgers with servicing info that dates back to the late seventies. The Ford advertising is mostly for Motorcraft parts and accessories. Unfortunately there was no car brochures or any other interesting bits. There was quite a few ford parts still in thier packaging but again nothing exciting.

One thing about this building which i have to correct people on is that it was built by the Great Western Docks as a luggage store to serve the liner traffic that used to pass through Millbay Docks. Inside are the original wooden lined electric lifts and also there is a Helter Skelter style shute that goes from the top floor to the bottom where luggage would have been sent down. On the ground floor level there is a railway siding and this would have passed on through Milbay Station..long since demolished. With the demise of the Liners and the railways in the docks in about the early seventies Farleys used the building as a store and loading dock. There is/was lots of evidence of the railway connection with posters and fixtures and fittings that all indicate its former use. 
All the Ford stuff was dumped there by Vospers which used part of the site as a car valetting area which is also next door to Ferry Port Motors Ford dealership...my Dad used to work there!! 
Shame its being pulled down..another part of Plymouths history lost forever.


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## Landie_Man

So those cans of baby food have sat there since 1972??


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## extrogg

The cans have probably sat there since Farleys stopped using the store. When that was i havent found out yet. My guess is that it was probably sometime in the late seventies early eighties.


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## lost

Those old Ford Boutique brochures are qual'!


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## strokesboy21

shame i didnt get chance to see this


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## dangerous dave

its still there minus the cans if u get a move on it will be doable


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## v-w-chick

just so people know. a mate of mine, went in for pics and got locked in by the squatters, he then had to call the old bill, to open it. this one is way to risky now, cctv all around.


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## steve_o

dangerous dave said:


> its still there minus the cans if u get a move on it will be doable



3/4 of it is still there. The rear 1/4 of the building is now entirly demolished. from the road it looks complete but drive round and is very much a pile of rubble.


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## kernowexpeditionary

v-w-chick said:


> just so people know. a mate of mine, went in for pics and got locked in by the squatters, he then had to call the old bill, to open it. this one is way to risky now, cctv all around.





lol, obviously didnt get in/out the way scotty, scrub and i did


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## v-w-chick

kernowexpeditionary said:


> lol, obviously didnt get in/out the way scotty, scrub and i did



well mayb he did, but as i say the ppl on the outside boarded it up behind then even puttin padlocks on was insain really.


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## steve_o

Sadly the Roof level is now gone, and only about 1/4 of it still remains! Will probily be all gone by end of play tuesday


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