Willington Cooling Towers, Derbyshire - June 2015

KM Punk · Jun 8, 2015

Visited with 2 non-members

History

In the 1950s, two coal-fired power stations were built on a site off Twyford Road, between Willington and Findern. The stations were privatised and sold to National Power in the early 1990s and eventually closed in the mid-1990s. Although most of the stations were demolished at the turn of the millennium, the five cooling towers continue to dominate the skyline of the local area. The site[6] is earmarked for a large residential development, pending the results of a public inquiry. The construction plans have been met with local opposition, perhaps due to the site's proximity to the River Trent's flood plain.

In the mid-1990s a pair of peregrine falcons nested in one of the site's huge cooling towers. Unlike many bird of prey breeding sites, this was widely publicised because of its impregnable location.

Explore

I originally came here in February 2013 with The Wombat, but never got round to posting a thread. So on our way to meet some mates in Kimberley, we decided to have a few sneaky explores. After nearly ending up Melton Mowbray due to our driver’s inability to follow instructions and 2 fails, we finally arrived in Willington. It was a nice easy stroll, but the shear size of these things still have me in awe.

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