Unknown Building, Hopton Woods, Derbyshire-Jan 09

[85 Vintage]

Also found this place whilst having a mooch about the Hopton Wood Quarry.

I'm no sure what it is, that's why I put it in here. The only thing I can think of with a big chimney like it has and the shape of the part with the light coloured bricks, is some sort of kiln. I suppose it could be something to do with the quarry.

This is the other side of the wall with the orangey/red mark up it

Pulley on the chimney

Roof slates?

Right next to the chimney building

Supports for something big?

This was in between the chimney and 'hut'

Pipe leading from it

You may be able to see where this is in the 1st pic

More piping near it

I really haven't got a clue what it could be

 

[Foxylady]

Ooh, that's nice. Can't help you much on what it is exactly but I can make a wild guess.
I was wondering if it might have been part of an old engine house. The concrete plinths look as if they may have been for a generator. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will be able to say for sure.
Very nice find, Vintage.

 

[infromthestorm]

Interesting find and if the link is correct maybe those stone plinths are headstones..just a thought
http://www.wirksworth.org.uk/A19-HOPT.htm

 

[oldscrote]

Possibly a compressor house.The metal tank looks like an old air reservoir,could be steam powered but chimney don't look anywhere tall enough.

 

[85 Vintage]

Interesting find and if the link is correct maybe those stone plinths are headstones..just a thought
http://www.wirksworth.org.uk/A19-HOPT.htm

I can see why you thought that, but might just be able to make out the remnants of bolts sticking out of theclosest plinth.

Possibly a compressor house.The metal tank looks like an old air reservoir,could be steam powered but chimney don't look anywhere tall enough.

Interesting idea. Any thought on what the light coloured brick structure might be? Just seems a bit strange for it to be inside another wall. Probably isn't strange, depending on what it was

 

[Black Shuck]

Iw ould go with the steam engine house. Looks like an engine house that would have housed a Stationary Steam Engine I wold taker an Educated guess and say a Winding engine on an inclined railway plane for hauling wagons up the side of the quarry.

 

[Sabtr]

Don't know why but this is the first time I've seen this!

Definately a steam boiler set-up. The boiler looks odd because it is "old" technology as far as steam goes. The chimney is low because that was good enough then!
The metal plates nearby look (I'm probably wrong!) like "turning plates". Small metal wheeled trolleys/tubs would be pushed to these on rails. They exited the rails onto the hard metal sheets which were on the floor. This is when the tub could be turned or slid in the direction you needed it. basically like "condensed points".
The concrete walls inside the metal roofed shed point towards an engine mount of sorts.


I think that the site was indeed a winder of sorts. Not huge or powerful but capable.

 

[85 Vintage]

Thanks for the info guys, tis interesting.

The road that this is next to, leads to Via Gellia, which was built by the family that owned the quarry. The road is on a bit of an incline, so maybe it was used to pull wagon up the hill that had returned from cromford wharf.

Sausage, you say the boiler is 'old' technology as far as steam goes. Would mid to late 1800's be about right?

 

[james.s]

It seems to be some sort of engine house, the tank is probably an old lancashire boiler or steam reservoir. There is a mounting plinth for the engine and remains of the boilerhouse. Nice find!

 

[Sabtr]

Again I'm guessing but I would say yes! It looks that way to me because of the way the plates are joined together. There is some serious plate bending going on there along with what looks like an older type of riveting. Saying that - I have seen them round this way but they are being used to store water. Perhaps they failed their testing and were put to other use? A good example of this use is at Tanfield Railway next to the station platform. A twin set-up stands there and is now used for filling the tenders.