Powergen Building Urbex
The site is the former headquarters of Powergen and lies in a prominent location, set at the busy junction of the Stratford Road (A34) and the Haslucks Green Road and at the entrance to Shirley town centre and to the Borough from Birmingham.
The site, since its vacation by Powergen in 1995, has become somewhat defined by a single planning application made by ASDA Stored Ltd in 1996 for the redevelopment of the site for a large scale food store and associated car parking.
The Council refused this application citing concerns regarding the impact of such a scheme on the vitality and viability of Shirley town centre, along with other local centres located on the the Stratford Road.
This site has been a dominant figure of this area in Shirley for as long as I can remember and whilst I hear nothing but bad reports of how this place is an ‘eyesore’ and ‘ugly’, I couldn’t help but admire the size and imposing stature of the site.
ASDA currently own the land, but as the developments of Shirley’s Parkgate Scheme continue I believe that it will only be a matter of time before the plot switches hands and is eventually redeveloped for the communities benefit.
I find it funny that people constantly moan about the site being left derelict and empty with no beneficial use for the community, yet when applications for an ASDA were put into place there was an uprising by Shirley residents, who prolifically marched in and around the area displaying “SAY NO TO ASDA” banners, thousands of people took part in these demonstrations and they were probably the largest the area has ever seen. Agreed, I’m not a huge fan of super sized commercialized infrastructures, like ASDA; as I believe they tend to be quite soulless, but you just cant seem to please some people…
Mi5/Mi6 Links?
Anyway, I have tried to research this places history and I haven’t had much luck in terms of dates and previous uses, however there was one link I stumbled across that reeled me in and made me more interested and determined to access and document this site.
The source is quite intense and it states it is a place to honour those young people who were abused, tortured and murdered whilst on the 1979 British Intelligence INSET course, which was based on the Powergen Site.
Some of the stories told are quite harrowing and explain of interrogation methods used on unwitting subjects on the 3rd Floor of the main building on this site.
Please take the time to read:
MI5 and MI6 Exposed 2
Also stories of Gerry and Kate McCann (Parents of missing child Madelaine McCann) have emerged with accusations that they were brainwashed at this site and gave the orders for their own daughter to be kidnapped…To be honest it sounds like a load of codswallop, with illuminati and Free Masons references, however like most urban explorers, I have to keep an open mind about the history of these sites, and whether true or not, it certainly heightens my motivation to actually get inside and have a look around for myself.
The Whistler: (a) Are Kate and Gerry McCann Victims of MKUltra Mindcontrol Programming?Updated:14.10.2009
To be honest, I cant clarify the legitimacy of these source due to the nature of their allegations of torture and brain washing, however it seems a well written source with plenty of emotion. Either way it made this site a lot more interesting.
BUT PLEASE, if ANYONE has any information that I have missed can you please post in the comments below, as I would love to hear anything you guys have to say/share.
With regards to the current state of the site, the surrounding areas are undergoing major redevelopments with the new ParkGate Scheme soon to be completed, and also major roadworks are currently causing havoc at the junction (which is soon to become a new roundabout).
Previously I had tried to gain access to the site, however I was only able to explore the outside before security promptly removed me with puzzling looks perpetuated on their faces. The main security office is located at the front of the site on the bottom floor of the main office block tower, however there are other offices located around the site.
Security presence is high, and I drove past on Christmas day 2012 to see that the security were still present on this day of all days. Either way, there was no doubt in my mind that in order to get inside would be risky, but like most places, once your inside you can pretty much have a free roam with just the outsides having the highest chance of being caught.
I teamed up with FYM (Free Your Mind) for this one and as far as I’m aware this is the first documentation of this site, particularly the insides of the complex which I have not yet seen any photos other than our own.
After years of interest and wondering what it was like inside, we decided to man up and go for it.
Armed with 2 digital SLR’s and a Panasonic video camera we managed to get inside with no trouble. Finally, we were inside and our main aim was to get to the rooftop, 9 stories up.
As you can see, the main feature of this site is the super imposing Office block styled building, which is now showing signs of decay amongst the oddly tinted mirrored windows which lace the structure.
Other than the sources I had managed to dig out, I had heard certain stories emerging from relatives and local residents. Some stated that a few years back a dead hobo was discovered inside the complex and also was the scene of some horrific rape incidents...again I have no way of telling if this is true, but I was also told that the Fire Services and Police Dog units use the complex as a training facility, to be honest it seems the perfect environment to do this form of training, I just hoped the feds and their mutts weren’t going to be here on this day…
This area was formerly a canteen, created to feed the hungry workers that would have been here in their thousands. Surprisingly the canteen had very interesting architecture and was far from any typical canteen I had ever seen.
It was time to start exploring the never-ending corridors and office departments. I took many photos whilst in here and to be honest would love to go again in order to document some things I may have missed. Anyway, we were at this time starting from the bottom and eventually wanted to end up on the rooftop of the main building.
In this picture you can see part of the layout of the site, the canteen located on the right, and the main block on the left in which where we were heading.
This fuckin’ scared the shit out of me when I first peeled round the corner, like seriously made me jump. I thought id found one of these dead hobos I had heard about. After closer inspection it was clear that this was a training tool for the Fire Service, obviously practicing on evacuating people from emergency fires. I tried to pick it up and believe me they don’t skip on the weight of these things; It was like trying to pick up a 14st person.
After we wondered as much of the lower complex as we could, we found the crossing on the pedestrian bridge that lead into the main tower block building. All I wanted to find was the 3rd floor, and see if I could find anything relating to these Mi5 & Mi6 stories which I had heard previously.
The site is the former headquarters of Powergen and lies in a prominent location, set at the busy junction of the Stratford Road (A34) and the Haslucks Green Road and at the entrance to Shirley town centre and to the Borough from Birmingham.
The site, since its vacation by Powergen in 1995, has become somewhat defined by a single planning application made by ASDA Stored Ltd in 1996 for the redevelopment of the site for a large scale food store and associated car parking.
The Council refused this application citing concerns regarding the impact of such a scheme on the vitality and viability of Shirley town centre, along with other local centres located on the the Stratford Road.
This site has been a dominant figure of this area in Shirley for as long as I can remember and whilst I hear nothing but bad reports of how this place is an ‘eyesore’ and ‘ugly’, I couldn’t help but admire the size and imposing stature of the site.
ASDA currently own the land, but as the developments of Shirley’s Parkgate Scheme continue I believe that it will only be a matter of time before the plot switches hands and is eventually redeveloped for the communities benefit.
I find it funny that people constantly moan about the site being left derelict and empty with no beneficial use for the community, yet when applications for an ASDA were put into place there was an uprising by Shirley residents, who prolifically marched in and around the area displaying “SAY NO TO ASDA” banners, thousands of people took part in these demonstrations and they were probably the largest the area has ever seen. Agreed, I’m not a huge fan of super sized commercialized infrastructures, like ASDA; as I believe they tend to be quite soulless, but you just cant seem to please some people…
Mi5/Mi6 Links?
Anyway, I have tried to research this places history and I haven’t had much luck in terms of dates and previous uses, however there was one link I stumbled across that reeled me in and made me more interested and determined to access and document this site.
The source is quite intense and it states it is a place to honour those young people who were abused, tortured and murdered whilst on the 1979 British Intelligence INSET course, which was based on the Powergen Site.
Some of the stories told are quite harrowing and explain of interrogation methods used on unwitting subjects on the 3rd Floor of the main building on this site.
Please take the time to read:
MI5 and MI6 Exposed 2
Also stories of Gerry and Kate McCann (Parents of missing child Madelaine McCann) have emerged with accusations that they were brainwashed at this site and gave the orders for their own daughter to be kidnapped…To be honest it sounds like a load of codswallop, with illuminati and Free Masons references, however like most urban explorers, I have to keep an open mind about the history of these sites, and whether true or not, it certainly heightens my motivation to actually get inside and have a look around for myself.
The Whistler: (a) Are Kate and Gerry McCann Victims of MKUltra Mindcontrol Programming?Updated:14.10.2009
To be honest, I cant clarify the legitimacy of these source due to the nature of their allegations of torture and brain washing, however it seems a well written source with plenty of emotion. Either way it made this site a lot more interesting.
BUT PLEASE, if ANYONE has any information that I have missed can you please post in the comments below, as I would love to hear anything you guys have to say/share.
With regards to the current state of the site, the surrounding areas are undergoing major redevelopments with the new ParkGate Scheme soon to be completed, and also major roadworks are currently causing havoc at the junction (which is soon to become a new roundabout).
Previously I had tried to gain access to the site, however I was only able to explore the outside before security promptly removed me with puzzling looks perpetuated on their faces. The main security office is located at the front of the site on the bottom floor of the main office block tower, however there are other offices located around the site.
Security presence is high, and I drove past on Christmas day 2012 to see that the security were still present on this day of all days. Either way, there was no doubt in my mind that in order to get inside would be risky, but like most places, once your inside you can pretty much have a free roam with just the outsides having the highest chance of being caught.
I teamed up with FYM (Free Your Mind) for this one and as far as I’m aware this is the first documentation of this site, particularly the insides of the complex which I have not yet seen any photos other than our own.
After years of interest and wondering what it was like inside, we decided to man up and go for it.
Armed with 2 digital SLR’s and a Panasonic video camera we managed to get inside with no trouble. Finally, we were inside and our main aim was to get to the rooftop, 9 stories up.
As you can see, the main feature of this site is the super imposing Office block styled building, which is now showing signs of decay amongst the oddly tinted mirrored windows which lace the structure.
Other than the sources I had managed to dig out, I had heard certain stories emerging from relatives and local residents. Some stated that a few years back a dead hobo was discovered inside the complex and also was the scene of some horrific rape incidents...again I have no way of telling if this is true, but I was also told that the Fire Services and Police Dog units use the complex as a training facility, to be honest it seems the perfect environment to do this form of training, I just hoped the feds and their mutts weren’t going to be here on this day…
This area was formerly a canteen, created to feed the hungry workers that would have been here in their thousands. Surprisingly the canteen had very interesting architecture and was far from any typical canteen I had ever seen.
It was time to start exploring the never-ending corridors and office departments. I took many photos whilst in here and to be honest would love to go again in order to document some things I may have missed. Anyway, we were at this time starting from the bottom and eventually wanted to end up on the rooftop of the main building.
In this picture you can see part of the layout of the site, the canteen located on the right, and the main block on the left in which where we were heading.
This fuckin’ scared the shit out of me when I first peeled round the corner, like seriously made me jump. I thought id found one of these dead hobos I had heard about. After closer inspection it was clear that this was a training tool for the Fire Service, obviously practicing on evacuating people from emergency fires. I tried to pick it up and believe me they don’t skip on the weight of these things; It was like trying to pick up a 14st person.
After we wondered as much of the lower complex as we could, we found the crossing on the pedestrian bridge that lead into the main tower block building. All I wanted to find was the 3rd floor, and see if I could find anything relating to these Mi5 & Mi6 stories which I had heard previously.
Last edited:
August 2013 
