Walkleys Clog Factory - West Yorkshire | 03/15

This one was a revisit of a previous attempted explore. Last time we came here we got busted and were told that the entrance we came through was to be boarded up. We were in the area recently though and the entrance had been torn back open so we gave it another go. We entered into what was a clog museum, with various dismantled exhibits and leaflets scattered around. We had a quick look around here and then proceeded towards the rest of the factory. There was lots of old machinery for clog making in this lower floor area and it wasn't much of interest to be made noted. It was when we went further into the building that things became a lot more exciting. As we pushed on the factory became more of a retail park with old run down shops on either side, mainly selling clothes. Mannequin heads and arms were hanging out of broken shop windows and clothing racks were still present. Things were a bit sinister looking down this retail corridor so we made our way upstairs.

Once we'd managed to get ourselves up the rotting stairs separating us from the rest of the building, we found ourselves in what was a suit shop. With signs still up for 'half price suits' and '20% off' and a storage compartment with boxes full of accessories left. The corridor then took us along towards the rest of the factory, where we suddenly found ourselves in a children's play area. There was a ball pit and an old style pram left near the entrance to this area.

We got a few pictures of this play area and had a go in the play gym before carrying on through the many halls and corridors until we reached a Christmas Shop. This place was a year long Christmas Shop with merchandise still in place such as little knitted Santa's and Christmas cards. This was weird to walk through, there was even a Santa's grotto with letters from children left pinned up on the board where santa used to sit. The grotto was like a walk through, you started at one end and followed a pathway down through the maze of presents and the snow landscape until you reached the end that came out near where we started.

We progressed onto the top floor where we encountered a Chinese market style shop, with the branding still embellished on the shop door. There wasn't much to record about the shop but we did find 2 more of the themed 'walks' like the grotto from earlier, a horror one and a rainforest one.

Everything about this place was weird. It morphed between clog factory, museum, retail park and children's play area. There was something new around every corner of this place and it was so much fun to explore. We finished up by scrawling our name on a blackboard that we found along the names of other groups that had been here before!

Not the highest of quality photos but I am coming to terms with the fact that I get far too into the explore and I need to calm myself down and actually look for shots!

We did another explore last week but I decided against posting it on 28DL (Hence the week absence, I'm sure none of you noticed) as I figured you'd be fed up with busted up shells of mills!

I got busted in here in 2012 - Very strange place, a real mish mash. Is the beam engine still on the ground floor? It was the best bit of the entire place. Nice pics

Wakey Lad said:

I got busted in here in 2012 - Very strange place, a real mish mash. Is the beam engine still on the ground floor? It was the best bit of the entire place. Nice pics

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Aye we'd been in there all of 5 minutes when two lads pulled up with a trailer behind their car to re-board the place up, was not a good start to the day! Yeah it's still there, but too dark to get a picture as I'd forgotten (couldn't be arse carrying) my tripod!

This is a name I had totally forgotten,I used sell Walkleys clogs in a small craft outlet I owned in the early 70,s
Great report and video and thanks for jerking my memory cells back to life!

Nice report! Good pics n well presented too! Nice all round, well done!

saw this on your website, very nicely done with some mish mash of shots, shame you couldn't stay long, good effort

A sad, and ultimately failed attempt to use an abandoned mill as a retail attraction - the in situ plant in the engine room warranting the on going efforts to keep this place secure. Personally I am saddened that you did not record the clog making department, would have been nice to see someone else's take on the manufactory side of the operation.

Dirus_Strictus said:

A sad, and ultimately failed attempt to use an abandoned mill as a retail attraction - the in situ plant in the engine room warranting the on going efforts to keep this place secure. Personally I am saddened that you did not record the clog making department, would have been nice to see someone else's take on the manufactory side of the operation.

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They were beautiful enough to potentially warrant a revisit with the tripod in hand! I'll keep you all posted!

mockingbird said:

saw this on your website, very nicely done with some mish mash of shots, shame you couldn't stay long, good effort

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Nice to hear you spotted it on the site before you saw it on here, glad people are viewing it

SlimJim said:

Nice report! Good pics n well presented too! Nice all round, well done!

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Cheers Slim, appreciate the feedback!

flyboys90 said:

This is a name I had totally forgotten,I used sell Walkleys clogs in a small craft outlet I owned in the early 70,s
Great report and video and thanks for jerking my memory cells back to life!

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It was a completely lucky find, I'd heard it's name in passing but had done no research into it and when we rolled up and I saw the signs throughout I realised what we'd come across! Ah no way, in the mill itself or elsewhere?
Cheers, our pleasure!

What an interesting place
top report

If this is the same place I am thinking, the alarm went off when we entered, so we saw nought. Such an intriguing place, full of wonders! Great report

Great that!!!, Really enjoyed your report of this.. Same place Sshhh... We were here a couple of months ago, just drove past and stopped well sealed up, just as we got near car, saw a board off that looked really fresh, we walked in ..... alarms went off , we scarpered quick

What a strange place, like five different explores in one!
Great stuff, thanks for sharing