Report - Redhill Mystery warehouse and Blue Prince Mushrooms - December 2014

[Grom]

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.

 

[Oxygen Thief]

About the first building, if it was abandoned, it would look somewhat like the second building.

It's a big place, but I can't work out how they get substantial vehicles there. One way seems to now be a gated private estate, the other way is a byway. I can't find any info on it at all. Looks like a power station to me, minus a chimney.

RCED ? Redhill Corporation Electricity Department?

 

[Bertie Bollockbrains]

That's a pair of Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus)you have in one of your photos there.

It's amazing just how many of these exploring sites are fantastic little nature reserves.

 

[Grom]

A guy over at Derelict Places found what the first place was. Glad I gave it a miss now! turns out it was a massive electrical substation.


'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/...es/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,'

 

[Grizzley]

Those are cooling radiators for the transformers. Looking at it on google earth, there's one each end of the smaller building so the actual transformers are likely to be in there.
There's a lot of glass missing from the roof of the main building so that possibly is abandoned but definitely a smart move not to mess with it just in case.

My guess would be it's a substation and a disused stores depot on the same site. The development near the road looks fairly new, maybe they sold some land off for that when they stopped using the site on a regular basis?

 

[Ojay]

Thanks for the extra info

 

[Oxygen Thief]

...Looks like a power station to me, minus a chimney.

RCED ? Redhill Corporation Electricity Department?

...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 large warehouse type building is interesting as it used to house coal powered generating equipment and supply power to the local town.

...The building almost certainly had a chimney but this has now been demolished...

Hey I didn't do too badly.

Fair play for anyone that found the info because I searched for hours.