Pilkington Glass - Kirk Sandall, Doncaster
Visited alone.
Our dear Muttley was the first to report on this site earlier this year. His report covers the history and details of the glass production processes employed at the site, as well as a nice video showing the factory in action.
A very brief history
Pilkington Glass was established in St Helens, Merseyside in 1826. The Doncaster site was opened in 1922 at its canalside location in Kirk Sandall. Pilkingtons had a large workforce and the small village of Kirk Sandall grew to provide housing for the workers. There was even a pub nearby named "The Glassmaker" (now rebuilt and re-named "The Glasshouse").
The site eventually ceased production in 2008.
The explore
My first attempt here had ended before it had even begun, when after gaining access to the yard I spotted a security guard on patrol only a few metres from me, so I made a hasty retreat. A few days later I was ready to have another bash at it. This was my first solo explore, so I was very cautious and went at a nice leisurely pace, spending roughly 3 hours on site. Whilst inside I did hear footsteps, voices and doors shutting on a few occasions, but thankfully that was all.
This place really is huge. The main room is somewhere in the region of 1000 feet in length and absolutely everything is covered in red dust from the glass polishing process. There is evidence of metal theft everywhere and everything that's left is pretty well trashed. There are however a number of nice big overhead cranes throughout the whole building which are easily accessible if you have a head for heights
All in all a nice, easy, enjoyable explore.
The photographs
Still being quite new to photography, this was my first time shooting in raw. I've experimented a little with the processing but I'm not sure if I'm happy with them, comments on this would be particularly appreciated.
Ta very much
:
Visited alone.
Our dear Muttley was the first to report on this site earlier this year. His report covers the history and details of the glass production processes employed at the site, as well as a nice video showing the factory in action.
A very brief history
Pilkington Glass was established in St Helens, Merseyside in 1826. The Doncaster site was opened in 1922 at its canalside location in Kirk Sandall. Pilkingtons had a large workforce and the small village of Kirk Sandall grew to provide housing for the workers. There was even a pub nearby named "The Glassmaker" (now rebuilt and re-named "The Glasshouse").
The site eventually ceased production in 2008.
The explore
My first attempt here had ended before it had even begun, when after gaining access to the yard I spotted a security guard on patrol only a few metres from me, so I made a hasty retreat. A few days later I was ready to have another bash at it. This was my first solo explore, so I was very cautious and went at a nice leisurely pace, spending roughly 3 hours on site. Whilst inside I did hear footsteps, voices and doors shutting on a few occasions, but thankfully that was all.
This place really is huge. The main room is somewhere in the region of 1000 feet in length and absolutely everything is covered in red dust from the glass polishing process. There is evidence of metal theft everywhere and everything that's left is pretty well trashed. There are however a number of nice big overhead cranes throughout the whole building which are easily accessible if you have a head for heights
All in all a nice, easy, enjoyable explore.
The photographs
Still being quite new to photography, this was my first time shooting in raw. I've experimented a little with the processing but I'm not sure if I'm happy with them, comments on this would be particularly appreciated.
Ta very much
:
