Introduction -
The well documented Shorehame Cement Works, what a goodie! Me and my good friend Tom Ellis have been looking at this building from the outside for nearly 5 years, we decided to take the dive and here is what we have to show for it. Just to add, the background is that we went on a Monday, arriving at 6am.
A special thanks to the urbex community for influencing us on this, you've gain a regular
ps. If this post proves tragically bad, bare with as I hideously new to the documentation side, feedback would be welcomed with open arms!
History -
Shoreham cement works, sitting in the Beading chalk pit, was used from the early 19th century all the way up to 1991. Originally owned by the Beading portland Cement Company, the company forming in 1878 the first production started in 1883.
In 1902, the facilty was vastly expanded, bringing output from 144 tonnes of cement / week, all the way up to 800! Work continued until 1933, before being temporarily closed for the duration of World War 2.
Following that, due to the high demand for cement, the complex was rebuilt from 1946 - 1952, using the newest Vickers Armstrong rotary kilns, being 350ft long and 10ft wide! This was the first of its kind ever to be used and could burn at up to 1870°C! During these works, the complex was renamed "Shoreham Cement Works", the name we all love and hate till this day. This rebuild resulting in a total output of as much as 550 tonnes of cement / day, with minor reconfigurements increasing this all the way up until 1980.
From then until 1991, Shoreham Cement Works kept ticking along until its physical limits where eventually broken, and production was no longer suitable. I've heard this is due to the nature of the Vickers Armstrong kilns and the motors but I am unsure. These limits eventually began to prove the fact that it just wasn't quite viable for modern use, hence it was closed.
In 2006, Dudman was granted a 5-year loan by the Cambridge&Counties property bank for the purposes of redevelopment, meaning that the complex currently house a fleet of 56+ vehicles, of which are mostly trucks.
Here's one I prepared earlier...
Exploration -
After much toil to get in, as the clock struck 6am, we set foot in the complex just as the security arrived. Typical. Regardless, with as much anxiety as our brains could muster, we pushed on from mound to mound until we happened upon our first building.
Not much was done here, used almost exclusively for getting into the other buildings. It also imbued hatred for pigeons into us!
Next, we moved towards the second, much was the same. By this time, workers where doing there thing and so was the cortisol in our brains.
Yet again, no pictures other than the connecting tunnels.
After, yet more trouble, we happened upon the monolithic giant of a building, the place that houses the Vickers StrongArm kilns. The pictures speak for themselves.
Unfortunately, no shots from below, only a makeshift ladder and was very sketchy. Enjoy!
More are to come, as you can see, Tom has his own camera. These are just the gist. Hopefully this is enough to even quantify the just how gigantic this place is.
Even I would say quality was on the low side this run, I think next time I would stay calm and move on, prioritising the photos instead of "ew, rust". But until then...
Constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated!!! happy hunting friends.
Jxck.urbex signing out, Thanks for reading!
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