Can honestly say that this place has been at the very top of my list since I stumbled across Simon Cornwells site, when first researching places to explore. As a lover of all things industrial, this place above all others was the one I most wanted to see. After much planning a date was set, a night of sleep was sacrificed in favour of a long drive south, with 2 pick-ups en-route. Explored in the excellent company of Priority 7, Coverturbex, Urbanekul, lizm73 and MonkeyDan.
This is without doubt my favourite explore ever . . . so far! Little had I realised just how exhausting a whole day of running and climbing would be after no sleep, but for me it was worth every minute and after the spending the equivalent of a working day in there and with so much more still to see I cannot wait to go back.
Yes, I know it's a popular site and there have been many reports posted recently, but I hope you will indulge me by allowing me to share my take on this fantastic place.
Special kudos to MonkeyDan and he knows exactly why
Now for the bit that just about everyone will already know, but a report isn't a report without at least a little bit of history
Straight out of Wiki:
For over 50 years Pyestock was at the forefront of gas turbine development. It was probably the largest site of its kind in the world. V bomber, Harrier and Tornado engines were tested on site. The power of the air house allowed Concorde's engines to be tested at 2,000*mph. Every gas turbine installed in Royal Navy ships was checked here; captured Soviet engines were discreetly examined. NGTE Pyestock closed down in 2000 and decommissioned to make way for a business park.
Pyestock was used for several scenes in the 2005 film Sahara. Internal sections of Cell 3 and Cell 4 were reworked for the film's supposedly solar powered waste disposal facility and evidence of this can still be seen today.
The pics
The Plant Room
Cell 4
Cell 3
Not normally into taking pictures of ourselves on explores, as there are far more interesting things to photograph . . . but with those doors it had to be done
Cell 20
The Air House + roof
It was a very windy day and I almost didn't do the climb to the roof of the Air House, but the views across the site were spectacular so very glad I did
Thanks for looking!
This is without doubt my favourite explore ever . . . so far! Little had I realised just how exhausting a whole day of running and climbing would be after no sleep, but for me it was worth every minute and after the spending the equivalent of a working day in there and with so much more still to see I cannot wait to go back.
Yes, I know it's a popular site and there have been many reports posted recently, but I hope you will indulge me by allowing me to share my take on this fantastic place.
Special kudos to MonkeyDan and he knows exactly why
Now for the bit that just about everyone will already know, but a report isn't a report without at least a little bit of history
Straight out of Wiki:
For over 50 years Pyestock was at the forefront of gas turbine development. It was probably the largest site of its kind in the world. V bomber, Harrier and Tornado engines were tested on site. The power of the air house allowed Concorde's engines to be tested at 2,000*mph. Every gas turbine installed in Royal Navy ships was checked here; captured Soviet engines were discreetly examined. NGTE Pyestock closed down in 2000 and decommissioned to make way for a business park.
Pyestock was used for several scenes in the 2005 film Sahara. Internal sections of Cell 3 and Cell 4 were reworked for the film's supposedly solar powered waste disposal facility and evidence of this can still be seen today.
The pics
The Plant Room
Cell 4
Cell 3
Not normally into taking pictures of ourselves on explores, as there are far more interesting things to photograph . . . but with those doors it had to be done
Cell 20
The Air House + roof
It was a very windy day and I almost didn't do the climb to the roof of the Air House, but the views across the site were spectacular so very glad I did
Thanks for looking!
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