Element Labs - Sheffield, April 2018

Visited with Tbolt and Snapt on one of our many trips to Sheffield.

Sadly it would seem that Sheffield's long held official title of City of Derp is rapidly coming to an end and finds of any quality are ever increasingly thin upon the ground.

Sadly this one was a tad meh.

Dear Ofo, do you offer rewards for the return of your pedal cycles ? I keep finding them dumped everywhere I go in Sheffield. Please understand I'm not holding them hostage, but clearly you must be missing a hell of a lot of them missing ???


3/10 

Rayne Precision, Froghall - November 2017

A little derpy engineering workshop. Small, easy and not a bad little mooch for what it is.

Visited with Tbolt and Snapt.

 

Nothing overly exciting to be honest, but killed half an hour and was a tad better than decorating with the Mrs at home.

2/10

Highways Department, Johnstown, Carmarthen - June 2017

We spotted this place on the side of a busy main road in Wales. After a frustrating day we popped our heads in.

Looked like an old school which had been later used by the Highways Department for offices. Not much to say about the place to be honest. It had potential from the road side but ultimately crap, thrashed to within an inch of its life.

Visited by Snapt and Tbolt between rain showers.

Given that Wales is obviously a country of milk and honey we did find it a little strange that the lights where left on despite the building being "alfresco" and looking empty for years.

Posted to save you the time and effort 2/10

Loxley Brickworks, Sheffield - January 2017

Tucked away in Loxley Valley, just outside Sheffield is what was Loxley Brickworks. The height of industry in the 1800s, closure of the factory occured around 1999, but builder Bovis have had the site sitting in development hell since 2006.

Visited with Tbolt and Snapt in search of some illusive artwork by Rocket.

It was bitterly cold, we went home as it started to snow.


3/10 not the best of explores, trust me it looks better that it is.

HM Prison Shrewsbury

A nice distraction came along Sunday morning in the form of Tbolt and a drive to Shrewsbury.

The present prison was built in 1877, this Grade II listed Victorian prisons closed in March 2013, the building is currently open for access by the public pending building development work in 2017.

The prison has recently been used as a filming location for the television series The Lucky Man and the second series of Prey.

I rather liked this place, given we where simply allowed to wander around the place at our leisure.

8/10
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The Mission, Bolton - July 2016

Following a top tip off from Tbolt, Zer081 and myself popped in for a little nosey.

I could find little or no information on the Mission Hall or Christian Mission, apart from some over priced photos from the 1950s available to buy from the Bolton News.

;

Tbolt didn't rate this place, but I rather liked it for what it is, going to give it a possible controversial 5/10.

Just wish I could find some history, even just a little bit.

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Rylands Mill, Wigan - April 2016

I was rather taken aback at the entry to this place, the gates wide open was a little different. However the mill itself overlooks the Mesnes Park in Wigan and has nothing to stop even the smallest kids from wandering in from the park a killing themselves - NOTHING, it even has steps up from the park into the place.

And they did, well wander in not kill themselves (yet), Tbolt persuaded two not to climb the 164 ft up the ladder inside the mill chimney - one of the young lads was about 70 ft up the chimney at the time.

Rylands Mill has gone under a number of names over the year being Pagefield Mill and Gildow Works and now sits in development hell.

Built in 1866, this Grade II listed building operated as one of Lancashire's many cotton mills and in 1985 the building was taken over by Wigan Technical College, closing in 2007.

A recent fire, leaves the upper floor open to the elements, but on a day like we had its rather photogenic.

 

I rather like this place, but access is far, far too easy and a child is going to get killed or a best seriously injured.

7/10

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