This is my first go, so please try to be gentle... I'm not much of a photographer either...
Not sure if this should be in the epic fail bin, as there's huge parts of this site, that I haven't as yet managed to get into, although I do have a few ideas about that. This place is covered in cameras, and not very friendly security guys. Most of the occupied units seem to contain dodgy scrap metal merchants, who are not too keen on people snooping around. And a gun club, that runs underneath the main warehouse. However, I did get chatting to a couple of nice mechanics, who gave me some great info, which has inspired me not to give up trying to get into the main buildings..
In 1884 Sir William Pickles Hartley, moved his jam factory from Bootle, to this new site in Walton. 2 years later building a small village to house some of it's staff. Built around a center green containing tennis courts. Sadly this has been concreted over. The whole site is huge, consisting of the main factory, plus warehouses, a lodge to supply the steam engines with water (this is just visible through the trees, but now belongs to the adjoining Jacobs biscuit factory who's staff protect it with massive fences. rightly so in my opinion, as it's beautiful without shopping trollies), and also a lot of railway infrastructure, as trains used to branch off the mainline and drive right into the factory, via a gatehouse.
The main factory was knocked down in the 60s I think, along with the owners grand mansion, and has been replaced with a bed warehouse! But the main warehouses, massive chimney, dining hall, and most of the houses still remain and have now been protected. The whole place looks like some amazing crumbling castle. I love this place, and I'm so lucky, its just down the road from where I now live. So on with the pics...
Inside the "green" at the back of the houses.
The gatehouse that the trains would have come through to enter the factory.
Outside train platform.
These are the doors to the train unloading bay's, inside are massive train platforms, and the gun club from the first pictures is actually underneath the platfoms. There's an open door to the side of it, but sadly it's all bricked up inside, not a way in.
The dining hall. I did go inside here, but it's all boarded through on the inside and you cant see any original features.
The main factory entrance.
So there you have it.
Hope you enjoy.
Goagal.
Not sure if this should be in the epic fail bin, as there's huge parts of this site, that I haven't as yet managed to get into, although I do have a few ideas about that. This place is covered in cameras, and not very friendly security guys. Most of the occupied units seem to contain dodgy scrap metal merchants, who are not too keen on people snooping around. And a gun club, that runs underneath the main warehouse. However, I did get chatting to a couple of nice mechanics, who gave me some great info, which has inspired me not to give up trying to get into the main buildings..
In 1884 Sir William Pickles Hartley, moved his jam factory from Bootle, to this new site in Walton. 2 years later building a small village to house some of it's staff. Built around a center green containing tennis courts. Sadly this has been concreted over. The whole site is huge, consisting of the main factory, plus warehouses, a lodge to supply the steam engines with water (this is just visible through the trees, but now belongs to the adjoining Jacobs biscuit factory who's staff protect it with massive fences. rightly so in my opinion, as it's beautiful without shopping trollies), and also a lot of railway infrastructure, as trains used to branch off the mainline and drive right into the factory, via a gatehouse.
The main factory was knocked down in the 60s I think, along with the owners grand mansion, and has been replaced with a bed warehouse! But the main warehouses, massive chimney, dining hall, and most of the houses still remain and have now been protected. The whole place looks like some amazing crumbling castle. I love this place, and I'm so lucky, its just down the road from where I now live. So on with the pics...
Inside the "green" at the back of the houses.
The gatehouse that the trains would have come through to enter the factory.
Outside train platform.
These are the doors to the train unloading bay's, inside are massive train platforms, and the gun club from the first pictures is actually underneath the platfoms. There's an open door to the side of it, but sadly it's all bricked up inside, not a way in.
The dining hall. I did go inside here, but it's all boarded through on the inside and you cant see any original features.
The main factory entrance.
So there you have it.
Hope you enjoy.
Goagal.
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