Haddon Tunnel, Derbyshire, November 2017

After a short break in explores I joined Tbolt and Snapt for chips and curry up in Matlock Bath followed by a quick mooch into the Haddon Tunnel in the failing light of the late afternoon Autumn murk.

Haddon Tunnel opened in 1863 and closed as part of the Beeching Report. Built to hide the railway from the sight of the Duke of Rutland as it passed his home, Haddon Hall. The now closed tunnel runs a total length of 967 metres.

Sadly I brought the wrong tripod for the job in hand.

Easy potter in, sadly I have been spoilt with tunnels and one gets a little complacent over time.

Sadly a 5/10 from me.

Bridon Wire Works, Ambergate - February 2016

Visited with Judderman and Zer01 on a mini tour of Derbyshire.



Opening in 1876, the factory closed in 1996. The Johnson family ran this factory manufacturing telegraph wires, fencing and suspension cables for sale on the global market. In the second world war Bridon manufactured telegraph cables laid underneath the English Channel as part of the UK war effort.

2016 and we have a vast empty building where shit graffiti artists come practice in the hope of some day becoming something near the standard of the Sheffield artists - gems do stand out, others are shockingly bad.



























I did for some reason had high hopes for this one and it was on my "to do" list for at least the last 12 months but sadly 2/10 from me being this its just a giant empty building - although probably ideal for wire wool spinning at night.

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Milford Mill, Derbyhire - July 2015

The final meeting of Team Weasel needed something of quality and for this we ventured to Derbyshire for some classic mill porn in a disused dyeing and bleach works.

A mill so good, they named the village after it.

Anyway myself, ZerO81 and the one referred to in Scotland as The Judderman The Clarty Wee Beastie decided to have a poke round this lovely place and finally test out my first aid kit with a bit of "man down, man down !" before the demolition squad move in this coming September.

First things first, we presumed the respirator was optional and so wandered in with our eyes open for prowling gas mask goons and HDR monkeys - thankfully none to be found, although a local gentleman whom loitered began ponder why three grown men of mature years would wish to potter in such a place.

Six areas are available for explorers - these range from ooh nice, boringly empty, yum, excellent, tank porn heaven and ending with boring pigeon poo derpington - so lets have a butchers on what Judderman is calling his favorite explore of the year, thus far (he skipped the boring pigeon poo derpington bit to be honest).

So on with the mooch.....



 

All in all a rather wonderful explore, so I'm giving the place a 9/10, a gem of a place which will be lost forever come September.

All photos of scantily clad women are as found on the premises and represent the changing views of acceptable working practices within the UK workplace and should be viewed as such, now being historical documents and not viewed as "lovely plumage squire!".


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Hartington Cheese Factory - March 2015

Cheese factory, I couldn't resist.

Back in the late 1990s I had a dream, a cheese dream. A friend and I wanted to be cheese magnets and we planned to open two cheese stalls on England's premier open market, Bury Market in Lancashire.

We found prime locations at either end of the market to maximize sales with our bespoke cheese emporiums. We brain stormed for a name, culminating after weeks (minutes) of deliberation with a simply inspired name to reflect our positioning in the market - Chris and Bob's Cheesy Ends.

Sadly our dreams crumbled and we never became big cheeses.

Anyway cheese factory, yes ! Time to get Team Weasel back together - myself, ZerO81 and the one only known as the Judderman.

Destination Derbyshire, Hartington Creamery home of the King's Stilton, named after King George V who had awarded a Royal Warrant to the factory for the manufacture of  Blue Stilton - sadly the factory closed in 2009 when the then owner Dairy Crest moved production to another Stilton production centre in Leicestershire and surprise surprise the building now sits in development hell.





So in we go....



and it has vast dark white walled rooms of nothingness

 

one has a hole in the roof.



then its white walled corridors and more corridors - I can see I'm not really selling the place very well, but to be honest it has been pretty much been stripped back to white walls through out.



Lets see what we can find

















It was time to go, as that was about that.

6/10, I'm not sure why but I rather enjoyed this place for some odd reason.

- oh,  the Chis and Bob's Cheesy Ends story is true.


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