N.G.T.E Pyestock

[King Al]

Great pics, I like the computer, I wonder what windows update.com would make of it

also is that last picture a giant toilet

 

[smileysal]

hehehe. glad you said that, I was thinking the same thing lol.

Sal

 

[Lightbuoy]

Fabulous pictures Chelle
Wish I could get to see this site, but other commitments prevent this
Thanks for posting some photos -seeing other's pics is the next best thing!
Glad you had a good explore -from what I've heard, time is ticking for Piestock ("every little helps" and all that!)

Lb

 

[Lightbuoy]

Great pics, I like the computer, I wonder what windows update.com would make of it

That'll be windows '76!

also is that last picture a giant toilet

Perhaps it was a communal toilet?

 

[King Al]

Perhaps it was a communal toilet?

 

[mr_bones]

Really excellent writeup and pictures! nice one

 

[chelle]

To all you viewers of Pyestock out there,i have never been there or even want to go there my other half Stuart loves it there & he is the one who must take the credit for the pics not me

 

[chelle]

Ok...Stu here,not Chelle.....the ballvalve is in a giant open tank that feeds I know not what but it smelt terrible and has a growth living happily on the surface that Mulder n Scully need to check out...

Control panel in cell 3 west
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p://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/3803/2092312090053353449S600x600Q85.jpg

Strange controls in the plant house


Inside test cell 1


Same place

Rear of cell 1..this door opened up via pully...

Then was held in place by this

Left over scenery by Sahara film makers...its plastic sheets are all over the end of cell4

This structure was made by the film makers to carry the toxic waste

More sets...the open duct leads to the 7 foot pipe we went in

I wont bore you any more...hope these are a bit different from the usual pics of this place

 

[smileysal]

Cheers for the pics Stu, you've got some excellent ones there. Wish i lived near to this place, think id be there most days. looks fascinating after seeing all the pictures of it. I can see why you love the place so much.

Thanks again.

Sal

 

[Lightbuoy]

Thanks for sharing your brilliant pics with us all -really enjoying looking through these!

Lb

 

[Lightbuoy]

...........i have never been there or even want to go there...............

Go on Chelle, go now before it's too late!!!

 

[chelle]

No chance of me goin there it just doesn't interest me,i like the asylums best...Stu went to the stock on Sunday really early i stayed at my mum's in Basingstoke as we we stayed there Saturday night after comin back from the George Michael concert at Wembley.......i feel i know Pyestock anyway with all the pics Stu has taken of it

 

[chelle]

I think i need to change my name to the Pyestock widow!!!!!

 

[strangely_brown]

From what I've managed to find out about the various cells, Cell 4 was the first to be shut down, and that was in the 80's(early). I have seen info that describes it as being "mothballed", which according to the key, means several millions would have had to be spent to re-activate it, and as I have said trhis was in the 80's. I think cell3 and cell3w were the last to be used, testing eurofighter engines I believe. The remaining cell in the active area is for noise reduction testing and is at present mothballed. There is one cell which seems to have been demolished, the glen test house. I have pics of the thrust ssc engines being tested in there. It was a purely sea level test cell and from some of the documents in the cathedral building there seems there was a serious fire in there as a result of engine malfunction. Whether the place was demolished because of that or some other reason I'm not sure. Any info anyone?

 

[Dan]

I visited Pyestock during my apprenticeship and was told about the filming of Red Dwarf, so it was still active then, but winding down no doubt. This is when it was all DRA/ DERA, about 1997-8, split now to mostly Qinetic and a small presence of Dstl - the MoD retained people. QinetiQ got all the tasty assets, see.

 

[petermerritt]

I'm quite up for a visit, and live fairly closeby (Bracknell) ... anyone else fancy it ?

 

[Dan]

I'm certainly gonna try. Not sure when, it's about 50 miles from me, nice easy drive up the good old A32.

 

[Simon]

From what I've managed to find out about the various cells, Cell 4 was the first to be shut down, and that was in the 80's(early). I have seen info that describes it as being "mothballed", which according to the key, means several millions would have had to be spent to re-activate it, and as I have said trhis was in the 80's. I think cell3 and cell3w were the last to be used, testing eurofighter engines I believe. The remaining cell in the active area is for noise reduction testing and is at present mothballed. There is one cell which seems to have been demolished, the glen test house. I have pics of the thrust ssc engines being tested in there. It was a purely sea level test cell and from some of the documents in the cathedral building there seems there was a serious fire in there as a result of engine malfunction. Whether the place was demolished because of that or some other reason I'm not sure. Any info anyone?

Cell 4 was completed in 1965. Its brief was to be able to simulate supersonic altitude conditions e.g. MACH 2 at 100,000 feet. It was designed purely to test the aerodynamic properties of the power plant (engine and intake) of the engine being tested. Shortly after being built, it's capabilities were expanded for the Concorde programme.

It was the only test cell in the world which could 'fly' a Concorde power plant.

CEGB used to be informed when Cell 4 was being run up. In one circumstance in the early 1970s, they threatended to disconnect Pyestock from the grid as its power consumption was affecting the electricity supply.

However, it was too specialised and once the supersonic engine testing programme had finished, it had few uses. Cell 4 was mothballed in 1980, after only 15 years use.

That's why parts of it look so 'derelict' e.g. the concrete dripping through the ceiling of the 'document' room.

All the best,
Simon

 

[petermerritt]

I'm in Bracknell, which is quite close really .. I'm not too keen on visiting it alone! - but Dan you up for it?

 

[CitadelMonkey]

Visited again for the second time and managed to see lots of stuff I missed on my first visit a couple of months ago. One thing that did piss me off though is the amount of wanton destruction which has taken place all over the site.:icon_evil Why people do this i'll never know!!!
Anyway...thought i'd share a few pics with you all.