Pontardawe, Wales. May 2010.

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Waeffe

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Apr 18, 2012
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Location
Swansea
Economic Drums warehouse, Pontardawe, Wales. May 2010.

This was my very first venture into very unknown territory, and by myself too.


One of my best mates who lives in Pontardawe tipped me off about this place as it was due for demolition. Studied it lots the night before (aint street view great sometimes!) and got off my arse early one Saturday and went along for a gander.

The sun had barely limped above the horizon, it was pissing down so when I got inside it was terribly dark and gloomy. I had to wait an hour until the light became in any way useable for pics.

I started shooting and about half hour later while I was at the far end, some teenager popped up in the entrance. With a Tesco bag full of value cider and dog in hand, he didn't have a clue I was there. 'HELOOOO' I boomed....he froze and visibly shat himself. I beconned him in and he disappeared somewhere inside to his den of inadequecy. I didn't have the displeasure of seeing him again.

I carried on shooting around the place until I started to get really chilly, packed up and headed home feeling like I had scored a try for Wales.



The warehouse was situated on the area where there used to be many tin works. These have long since gone. Only one building remains of that era which is now a large sheltered complex run by some housing assoc. The area has been 'done up' and now includes a Tesco, a leisure centre, school and various large shops like Focus. The land near the leisure centre has held the Pontardawe festival for many years.


I went back there in January 2011 with my daughter to take some more (she is well into photography too), but to my horror it was just a pile of rubble!

I have searched for info about the building, the only thing I have found so far is that it was last owned/run by 'Economic Drums', I got that from the local library.

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I can still see Duke trying to roll under the fence without any luck here. It was like trying to push a egg through the eye of a needle, never gonna happen. Lolz.

Thanks for the snaps. Always wanted to know what was in there when it was standing.
 
I can still see Duke trying to roll under the fence without any luck here. It was like trying to push a egg through the eye of a needle, never gonna happen. Lolz.

Thanks for the snaps. Always wanted to know what was in there when it was standing.

I was very fortunate that my mate told me about it a few days before I went there as I had no idea about it....and evn more pleasing was that it was my first ever explore!

As it happens, when I went there the main fence/gate was laying flat on the floor.
 
nice work. what lens you useing there waeffe?

At the time I was using a fuji finepix S602 zoom....a £25 deal from e-bay.

It was a 35-210mm fixed lens, F2.8 - F3.1

It served me well, but I have now had a Canon EOS 550 for the past year.
 
Nice mate. I think this is one of the old tin works. Loving the press in pic 3 and the general derelict industrial-ness of the set. You've captured it well.
 
Might it be too much to ask that reports contain a little less "creative writing" in the future?

Or am I simply being Mr Grumpy again? ;)


Where is the 'un-thank' button when you need it?

...and yes...being rather grumpy methinks...and a boring old fart toboot ¦)
 

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