PROSNIPER
Well-known member
My bash baja takes a visit to fullers earth works in Redhill
History
A greyish, mineral-rich clay, fuller's earth is well-known for its absorbent qualities and has many uses. 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 woolen trade, demand later shifted to the growing chemical and comodity 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 ceased fuller's earth production altogether in 1997. 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 was abandoned at some time in the last four years and the site is now derelict.
Thinking it would be a wicked place for photos for my new baja build i set off Friday morning with baja in the boot on a hand made trolly as it was to heavy to carry round the whole site, on getting to the site i was scouting for an easy way in when i spotted a hole in the fence going back to get the baja i spotted a gray van and too ppl sitting in it i went and asked them if i could go in the easy way with them and the answer was " no mate theirs been lots of problems here and we have to fix the fencing :wanker. ...but if you call my boss on the number on the sign he might say yes ... quick as a flash i rang him turns out hes was a rc car fan :thumb and he let me in for a wander round and what a wander it was !
After getting clearance to enter the site i was away snapping photos everywhere like a Chinese man with a new camera the place was very smashed up and after what the guys were saying in the van i can see why that's why they were doing fencing, anyway i got on with picking points out to chuck the baja for pics and having a nose at the same time .
anyway getting in after the main gate was very easy and as soon as i got onto the site i was amazed with the total size of the site and the damage that kids have made over the last few months ( looking at members posts ) the site is very easy to hide in from the biffa land fill next door but i had no worrys there in fact i was standing where the digger is outside the main yard and three ppl walked down the road with clip boards and put there hand up to say hi then i remembers i had permission to be there i told them what i was doing and they made a note of my name and moved on chatting and looking back now and then * as i have said before the kids busting stuff and causing fires ect has made everyone on the lookout.
The site have lots to offer a budding explorer and i did feel i was cutting my teeth coming here looking at all the places that ppl had been i did feel cheated that i wanted to be the first here as it was hard to see the beauty of the place with all the rubble lol .
The place was very quite apart from the odd bird flying about from hole to hole in the roof you could feel the workers around you in the time it was going filling boxes and forklifts racing about indoors loading lorrys ect it was good just to stand still in the main big hall and feel that and in the same way feel bad at the sense of abandonment it has now.
In all i took over 100 photos most were of the car but a large part was the massive spaces inside the building where it looked like a rave or two had gone one given all the graffiti tags everywhere but it added the theme i wanted after an hour went past went set off back to the car and logged off my the guy who let me in-case there was a fire and they went looking for me.
Here's a few of the shots i took of the car and buildings:-
As i said i know this place has been over done but this thread is more of a
A greyish, mineral-rich clay, fuller's earth is well-known for its absorbent qualities and has many uses. 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 woolen trade, demand later shifted to the growing chemical and comodity 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 ceased fuller's earth production altogether in 1997. 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 was abandoned at some time in the last four years and the site is now derelict.
i know this site has been over done now
but i just wanted to let you all know that the site is being looked at but the security company.
Its now totally fenced off and dog patrols happening on a unplanned time every day / week as they have been aware of young kids on you tube smashing thinks up so they have spoilt it for everyone :realmad:
but i just wanted to let you all know that the site is being looked at but the security company.
Its now totally fenced off and dog patrols happening on a unplanned time every day / week as they have been aware of young kids on you tube smashing thinks up so they have spoilt it for everyone :realmad:
Thinking it would be a wicked place for photos for my new baja build i set off Friday morning with baja in the boot on a hand made trolly as it was to heavy to carry round the whole site, on getting to the site i was scouting for an easy way in when i spotted a hole in the fence going back to get the baja i spotted a gray van and too ppl sitting in it i went and asked them if i could go in the easy way with them and the answer was " no mate theirs been lots of problems here and we have to fix the fencing :wanker. ...but if you call my boss on the number on the sign he might say yes ... quick as a flash i rang him turns out hes was a rc car fan :thumb and he let me in for a wander round and what a wander it was !
After getting clearance to enter the site i was away snapping photos everywhere like a Chinese man with a new camera the place was very smashed up and after what the guys were saying in the van i can see why that's why they were doing fencing, anyway i got on with picking points out to chuck the baja for pics and having a nose at the same time .
anyway getting in after the main gate was very easy and as soon as i got onto the site i was amazed with the total size of the site and the damage that kids have made over the last few months ( looking at members posts ) the site is very easy to hide in from the biffa land fill next door but i had no worrys there in fact i was standing where the digger is outside the main yard and three ppl walked down the road with clip boards and put there hand up to say hi then i remembers i had permission to be there i told them what i was doing and they made a note of my name and moved on chatting and looking back now and then * as i have said before the kids busting stuff and causing fires ect has made everyone on the lookout.
The site have lots to offer a budding explorer and i did feel i was cutting my teeth coming here looking at all the places that ppl had been i did feel cheated that i wanted to be the first here as it was hard to see the beauty of the place with all the rubble lol .
The place was very quite apart from the odd bird flying about from hole to hole in the roof you could feel the workers around you in the time it was going filling boxes and forklifts racing about indoors loading lorrys ect it was good just to stand still in the main big hall and feel that and in the same way feel bad at the sense of abandonment it has now.
In all i took over 100 photos most were of the car but a large part was the massive spaces inside the building where it looked like a rave or two had gone one given all the graffiti tags everywhere but it added the theme i wanted after an hour went past went set off back to the car and logged off my the guy who let me in-case there was a fire and they went looking for me.
Here's a few of the shots i took of the car and buildings:-
As i said i know this place has been over done but this thread is more of a
WARNING
to all to watch out and beware
to all to watch out and beware
Hope you enjoyed seeing fullers from a different angle
PROSNIPER
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