Tag: Ruined

By Joe Mander

Shornemead Fort

Shornemead Fort was one of many built along the Thames to protect London from an invasion. The fort was built on the site of a previous battery which started to be built in 1847 however after six years of intense building, the marshes couldn’t support the weight so a new re-designed fort, Shornemead, was built instead. The…

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By Liam Heatherson

RAF Rochford Pillboxes

Back in Easter 2014, the two BTP boys, and occasional accomplice Jack, set off to investigate pillboxes once defending Rochford airfield – now Southend airport. This is when the article was written and most of the photographs taken at this time – since then, ongoing development has changed much of the farmland but the pillboxes…

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By Liam Heatherson

Camden Catacombs

So we began blowing up an inflatable canoe on the side of Regents Canal footpath much to the confusion and amazement of passers by. When it was finally ready, we hopped in and nearly got crushed by a large tourist boat why proceeded to tell us ‘we were on the wrong side’, despite having seen…

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By Liam Heatherson

Tonedale Mills

Tonedale Mills in Wellington was once the largest woollen milk in South West England. It famously produced Taunton serge fabric and later produced the khaki dye used in British Army service dress following the Second Boer War. The factory opened in 1790 under the Fox Brothers at the height of the industrial revolution, but the…

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By Liam Heatherson

Benfleet Sewage Works Ruin

These peculiar concrete remains are located in the wooden area west of the current sewage works, just north of the waterline. We came across the mysterious ruins for the first time in early 2013, and they were indeed quite impressive! It was a privilege to be the first to photograph the construction although it wasn’t…

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By Joe Mander

Slade Green HAA Battery

The Slade Green HAA site (also known as ZS1) was the most easterly anti-aircraft site built inside the London Inner Artillery Zone. Dating back to the late 1930’s, it was possibly built as a prototype to be used as a last resort should any aircraft have passed by the other defences along the river Thames….

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By Liam Heatherson

The Occidental Jetty

The Occidental Jetty is a Canvey Island landmark that we quite admire. It was built with the intention of pumping oil from ships into the semi-complete Occidental Oil Refinery, abandoned due to the 1973 Oil Crisis’ legacy. You can see the pipes alongside it today. Two industrial containers rot ontop to this very day –…

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By Joe Mander

Grain Tower

Known as 1, The Thames – this 19th century fort is situated 500 meters out into the mouth of the River Medway and was built to protect local dockyards from the potential invasion from the French. In 2014 the fort was up for sale and was sold for around £400,000 but the Grade II listed…

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