Redhill Mystery warehouse and Blue Prince Mushrooms - December 2014

[Gromr]

Hi all,

Some time back, a friend of mine told me about a warehouse like building in Redhill near the train line that he said had been abandoned for years. I did a bit of scouting out and it seemed to be empty and boarded up.

So today as the sun was out, and it was good day for a proper look round. I've also just bought my new 35mm F1.4 Fujinon Lens and its a great excuse to give it a good try (PIC HEAVY WARNING)

We circled round a couple times, finally finding the best way down to the site.
Descending down a steep grass bank I found myself at the side this big brick warehouse.

There is a newish looking fence going round the entire perimeter with electrical warning signs all over.

There was a buzzing noise that could be heard where ever we went. A bit further round the perimeter we came across what looked a little like a large transformer.

It appeared that this site isn't as abandoned as I thought. Not wanting to dice with death, we made a hasty retreat back up the hill and back to the car for Plan B
If anyone knows any more information about this place I'd like to know more about it.


PLAN B: Blue prince mushroom farm - Horley

There was still a couple hours daylight left and Horley isn't very far from Redhill.

This is a place that I found on Derelict Places and had on my list to visit for sometime.
It's set just off the M25 very near Gatwick Airport and is easy to find. It's laughably easy to get into aswell, which explains the awful condition this place is in.

To put it simply, it is wrecked.

From what I can find on the History, this factory was one of several owned by the British Mushroom growing company: Blue Prince Mushrooms. Eventually a decline in business through foreign competition caused the closure of this factory in 2003 and eventually the entire company in 2009.

Some Deer had got stuck inside the perimeter fence somehow. Managed to get a picture before they ran.

The offices were in a pretty sad state. All the windows had been smashed and graffiti was all over the walls. There had also been a fire upstairs and roof had collapsed.
The top floor felt stable enough to walk on however.

 

[Mikeymutt]

Really nice report there and that chair shot in the warehouse is ace,showing the nice blur of the f1.4..

 

[mookster]

The 'warehouse' is an old train shed which was then repurposed into a waste incinerator used by the police, I gave it a nose a couple of years ago but found it freshly sealed. From the photos my mate who lives in Redhill showed me it's empty inside but pretty nice.

 

[stu8fish]

The first site is the Former Reigate Corporation Electricity Works power station built under the Reigate
Electric Lighting Order 1897 and completed in 1901. The order was introduced to help introduce the new power of electricity that spelt the demise of coal gas as a form of fuel.
Currently in use as a primary electrical distribution site. Power is fed to this site at 33kv and transformed down to 11kv and then fed out to local substations where it is transformed down to normal domestic mains voltages 230/400v feeding your house etc.
There are live high voltage compounds on the site and active security patrols visit frequently.

The large warehouse type building is interesting as it used to house coal powered generating equipment and supply power to the local town. Located next to the railway for coal deliveries there was probably a series of gantries on the embankment there to off load the coal.
A 1:200 os map shows what were probably the concrete bases for these. The building almost certainly had a chimney but this has now been demolished.
Within the building there were various structures for mounting boilers, generator sets and associated cabling. All mostly removed to enable other uses for the building but parts are still visible. Post generation it was mainly used for storage and as a fitters shop for maintaining electrical switchgear.
The building is now listed. http://www4.reigate-banstead.gov.uk/aksreigate/images/att6012.pdf
There are similar buildings in other towns though few have survived without being developed. The Guildford Electric theatre is a great example of sympathetic reconstruction.
There are some other notable old electrical sites out there but please be careful,
It may look quirky and old but it could easily kill you.
Live electric here.
Dr Who or what? by stu8fish, on Flickr
Live electric here.
Not Battersea. by stu8fish, on Flickr

If it says Danger of Death on the gate and it hums leave it well alone.​

 

[Big C]

Yeah, you wouldn't stand much chance brushing with 11kV and above...

 

[Gromr]

I'm glad I decided against going in now. 11Kv doesn't sound like a lot of fun..

 

[The Wombat]

Good report, thanks for sharing
I'd like to have seen the cinema at redhill, but I think it's gone now

 

[Snips86x]

Great series of reports and I love that 'Dr Who or What' image. A quirky looking object

 

[stu8fish]

The Dr Who or what photo is in fact the enclosure for an air cooled 2kv/230v single phase transformer. Built at the turn of the century and still in use today.

 

[UrbanX]

Still some nice light in the warehouses tho.
Looks a good day exploring, thanks for sharing!

 

[Ruggedscot]

240v would do you harm, let alone 11kv... Oh and no it doesnt need to be humming for it to be dangerous, Ive seen open live bus bars in an old switch room years ago that looked decrepit and dead... but they were far from dead. and if you had touched them you would be dead. ;-) Always always always treat any electrics as live. and stay well away from.

 

[gtwibell]

As the old saying goes, it's volts that jolts but mils that kills. Voltage is pretty much irrelevant but it will give you a nasty jolt. It's the available current and its ability (or not) to flow through a human body that's the real killer.

 

[Hayman]

As the old saying goes, it's volts that jolts but mils that kills. Voltage is pretty much irrelevant but it will give you a nasty jolt. It's the available current and its ability (or not) to flow through a human body that's the real killer.

Just think of the voltage passing through a petrol engine's spark plugs - I've had many shocks when accidentally touching a spark plug lead. High volatage, very little current. And I've had a few 240v mains shocks - but am still around.