Spillers Millenium Mills - May 2011
Set out for an early start with my old mate Skeleton Key and met up with some intrepid explorers from Kent by the names of Wevsky,Space Invader,Obscurity and Silver Rainbow.
The History Bit
Spillers Millenium Mills lies isolated and imposing occupying a fifty nine acre site along the Royal Victoria Docks in the south east of London.
Founded in 1905 The Mills is one of London’s few remaining relics paying homage to Britain’s post-industrial Landscape and overshadows the famous ExCel exhibition centre located opposite across the river.
The Royal Victoria Docks were home to London’s largest flour Milling industry and as the survivor of three vast Mills including Rank Premier and CWS Mills, Spiller’s Millenium Mills is perhaps most popularly associated with it’s pet food brands such as ‘Bonio’ dog biscuits and ‘Shapes’.
By 1984 the Royal Docks closed definitively, however the Millenium Mills have become a much loved icon representative of post-industrial Britain and has been used as a backdrop in many films and television shows
On with the piccies.
The size of the building really cannot be understood from Google Earth or Bing Maps, the nearer you get to it, the more it grows until it is just a massive wall that you have to bend your head back at a right and and squint to see the top.
In through a rabbit hole and then it was on to meeting my feared nemesis, The Leap of Faith, this had given me more than a few worries and a sleepless night although in the end it wasn't too bad, especially with SK and Space Invader grabbing me and hauling me across after my feet left the window ledge.
So with this out of the way (at least until we had to get out), it was smiley faces and straight up to the roof.
Spent a while up here getting to know my new found mates then it was down through the hatch to explore the rest of this iconic building.
It's probably worth mentioning at this point that the place is a death trap, with holes everywhere, some caused by rotted wood but mostly by machinery that had been removed leaving drops of up to three floors
Then we came across the famous perpetually spinning fan, its totally disconnected and spins slowly on the gentle breeze coming in though the broken windows. I had seen many long exposure photos of this on other peoples reports, but you know what it's like, you just have to take your own!!
We had a bit of cat and mouse with sec, he knew we where in there but he couldn't come in, so he just lay in wait.
And finally, The Cheese Room, brilliant!!!
I must say an endless thanks to Skeleton Key for scooting off on his own and scouting for an alternative way out. Wevsky and myself were more than happy not to have to do the 'Leap' again!
!The History Bit
Spillers Millenium Mills lies isolated and imposing occupying a fifty nine acre site along the Royal Victoria Docks in the south east of London.
Founded in 1905 The Mills is one of London’s few remaining relics paying homage to Britain’s post-industrial Landscape and overshadows the famous ExCel exhibition centre located opposite across the river.
The Royal Victoria Docks were home to London’s largest flour Milling industry and as the survivor of three vast Mills including Rank Premier and CWS Mills, Spiller’s Millenium Mills is perhaps most popularly associated with it’s pet food brands such as ‘Bonio’ dog biscuits and ‘Shapes’.
By 1984 the Royal Docks closed definitively, however the Millenium Mills have become a much loved icon representative of post-industrial Britain and has been used as a backdrop in many films and television shows
On with the piccies.
The size of the building really cannot be understood from Google Earth or Bing Maps, the nearer you get to it, the more it grows until it is just a massive wall that you have to bend your head back at a right and and squint to see the top.
In through a rabbit hole and then it was on to meeting my feared nemesis, The Leap of Faith, this had given me more than a few worries and a sleepless night although in the end it wasn't too bad, especially with SK and Space Invader grabbing me and hauling me across after my feet left the window ledge.
So with this out of the way (at least until we had to get out), it was smiley faces and straight up to the roof.
Spent a while up here getting to know my new found mates then it was down through the hatch to explore the rest of this iconic building.
It's probably worth mentioning at this point that the place is a death trap, with holes everywhere, some caused by rotted wood but mostly by machinery that had been removed leaving drops of up to three floors
Then we came across the famous perpetually spinning fan, its totally disconnected and spins slowly on the gentle breeze coming in though the broken windows. I had seen many long exposure photos of this on other peoples reports, but you know what it's like, you just have to take your own!!
We had a bit of cat and mouse with sec, he knew we where in there but he couldn't come in, so he just lay in wait.
And finally, The Cheese Room, brilliant!!!
I must say an endless thanks to Skeleton Key for scooting off on his own and scouting for an alternative way out. Wevsky and myself were more than happy not to have to do the 'Leap' again!
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