Urban Exploration: Huncoat Power Station (Demolished)
We are Urban Explorers, we are not vandals. We take nothing besides photographs and leave nothing but footprints.
It really is an anti-climax when you have been trying to photograph a place, done your research, failed more than once due to whatever circumstances then when you finally get there it’s too late.
Yes, Huncoat Power Station is no longer there. A building did remain until I thought quite recently and maybe it was last Sunday when I tried to infiltrate the place it all happened.
That day the gates were open and a load of burly blokes were milling about the entrance. Was that demolition day?
Just my luck.. sheesh!
It still is exciting to get somewhere you have been planning to nonetheless. This is the official entrance. It is lovely and inviting wouldn’t you agree?
There's a hole in the gate fence as you can see, and I might have been able to fit through while ripping my jacket but that's wasn't the way in for me.
Trust me there are easier ways than using the main road entrance and attracting a lot of unwanted attention. That's all I will say about that little topic.
Scrambling through dense undergrowth is something you need to learn to live with if you want to do this. Before entering the target area you also need to be vigilant.
- Is there anybody else around?
- Are there any cameras?
In this case, it was a double negative. But at this point, I believed what I was looking for still existed. Where the hell is the building?
The place was a wasteland. Large sections of tarmac were everywhere with moss and shrubbery taking over,
Sections of fencing were everywhere, some with barbed wire attached and others you could just walk through.
Once upon a time this place might have been locked down and inaccessible. There used to be a building here that was full of really cool graffiti. That is what I was looking for.
The talent of some of these artists is wonderful. Below is about all I saw, not so good.
The building behind was heavily guarded with solid fences, emitting a buzzing sound of electricity and had some camera's in view. That place is still being used and was not my target. I kept well away.
What is it with tyres? They seem to have babies in these types of places with the amount of them lying around.
This is the inside view of one of the old official entrances. I don’t think it’s been used for some time.
I couldn’t find a road that was clear of rubbish which begs the question, ‘How did the demolition team get the heavy gear in here to tear it down?’
Maybe my intelligence is wrong and it’s actually been gone for some time.
Disappointed I left after around 20 minutes. It's great when you can successfully get in somewhere, but when you find it’s no longer there it’s a real bummer.
After exiting on the other side of the road I found another chained fence with similar scenes of nothingness behind it and this sign.
Does this mean people are allowed to vault the fence and walk in there if they don’t ride quads?
Police signs make me stand to attention. I’m not going in there even for a stroll!
UrbEx locations sometimes don’t last too long, and you need to be quick to get in there and take your photographs before the place is history.
I read that in 2019 this place will be completely flattened and a housing estate will be built. So I caught the last remains of something that will soon be forgotten. At least that is something.
[//]:# (!steemitworldmap 53.775435 lat -2.339064 long Urban Exploration: Huncoat Power Station (Demolished) d3scr)
If you found this article so invigorating that you are now a positively googly-eyed, drooling lunatic with dripping saliva or even if you liked it just a bit, then please upvote, comment, resteem, engage me or all of these things.
It actually looks like quite a beautiful property - the ruins of a past time just make it that much cooler! Too bad there weren't more buildings standing around, but still it looks like a cool piece of land to do some photo/video work for sure!
The tires: I don't know about UK, but here there is an 'environmental tax' of at least $4 on every one. I know at least three piles of tires that people dumped in the desert for that very reason. When there is no money left the tires seem to come to the surface...
There was a lot in Quartzsite that had an absolute mountain of tires. Turns out some guy had been collecting the 'recycle fees' and never got around to anything but stacking them. We are talking tens of thousands when he declared bankruptcy and walked away. Then there was a serious pile over in SoCal that caught fire and burned for more than two years. Pretty environmentally responsible...
Even if there was nothing there, it's a good UX. It's the doing that counts, not the results. Thanks for bringing this one to us.
I love doing these places, talk about getting your pulse racing. Perfect for someone who needs a little more excitement without actually breaking any laws.
That's a strange about the tyres. Maybe its similar here and why they always propagate in these areas.
It really looks like whatever buildings used to be there, they have been gone for quite some time. Either that or the crew did a really, really good job of cleaning everything up, which I kind of doubt. I think I would have expected to see less growth in the areas where the building would have been.
Yes, in retrospect I think it was long gone.
FOR TSE: I love this series you're doing -- and I hope you don't 1) run out of places to investigate or 2) lose your nerve or 3) get in trouble. The aura around old, crumbling, dilapidated building is just special. Vicariously visiting them with you is such a treat.
@bigtom13 did one quite a while back on a ghost town in either Nevada or Utah and the feeling in his pictures of despair and shattered hopes still haunts me today. As few of yours are finding a place right next to those. The derelict mansion, especially.
Keep going!! But be careful!!
Congratulations! This post has been chosen as one of the daily Whistle Stops for The STEEM Engine!
You can see your post's place along the track here: The Daily Whistle Stops, Issue 305 (11/07/18)
Congratulations! Your high-quality travel content was selected by @travelfeed curator @for91days and earned you a partial upvote. We love your hard work and hope to encourage you to continue to publish strong travel-related content.
Thank you for being part of the TravelFeed community!
Learn more about our travel project on Steemit by clicking on the banner above and join our community on Discord.
What mixed feelings that must have been finally getting in and the building being gone
This is a great series and I love urban exploring. I will get some pics on of my explorations here in Thailand where half the buildings seem to be abandoned!
Of course we have different fears when exploring than you do. We are not so worried about the police, but we definitely worried about snakes !!
Is Clayton hospital still an Urban explorers favourite in Wakefield?
You should do some, I find these places spooky and exciting. This one was was bit crap though.
The hospital still seems to be about: https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/clayton-hospital-wakefield-july-2016.104220/
Be careful of the trespass laws, you need to know you are not doing illegal stuff.
Hello @slobberchops, thank you for sharing this creative work! We just stopped by to say that you've been upvoted by the @creativecrypto magazine. The Creative Crypto is all about art on the blockchain and learning from creatives like you. Looking forward to crossing paths again soon. Steem on!
Good effort pal. You can't win em all