Stannington Sanatorium Boiler House, Northumberland

History

Stannington Sanatorium was the first purpose-built children's tuberculosis sanatorium in the UK which officially opened on 5 October 1907 near to the village of Stannington, Northumberland.

The boiler house is all that remains.

Source: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stannington_Sanatorium

Esoteric Eric

Markinch Power Station, Scotland

History

Tullis Russell Paper Mill in Glenrothes, Fife produced paper and board for use in cards, covers and premium packaging. The Markinch Power Station was built to provide electricity and steam to the paper mill. Construction began in 1912 and was completed in 1914.

Originally consisting of a single Parsons turbine and generator unit, the power station was enlarged in 1921 to add another two units. The ability to co-fire oil along with coal was also introduced at the same time. The powerhouse was then expanded once again and a fourth, larger Parsons turbine was added.

In 1979 David Russell expressed his concerns about energy shortages and suggests that Tullis Russell must save coal. He devised a method of continuous working to avoid closing down at weekends which saved 70 tonnes of coal. He also started looking for an alternative to burning oil.

In 1999 one of the boilers was converted to run on gas, but it was realised that cleaner and cheaper energy was still required. In 2012 RWE invested in the Glenrothes site to build a biomass power station to replace the ageing coal plant. The new plant provided both steam and power to Tullis Russell, and made the old plant obsolete.

Source:

https://www.bcd-urbex.com/tullis-russell-markinch-power-house-scotland/

Esoteric Eric

Rosslynlee Hospital, Scotland

History

Rosslynlee Hospital was a mental health facility near Roslin, Midlothian in Scotland. The main hospital building is a Grade C listed building.

The hospital, which was designed by William Lambie Moffatt, opened as the Midlothian and Peebles Asylum in 1874. Two wings, designed by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, were completed in 1898. It joined the National Health Service as Rosslynlee Mental Hospital in 1948 and became Rosslynlee Hospital in 1960.

After the introduction of Care in the Community in the early 1980s, the hospital went into a period of decline and closed in 2011. Plans have been brought forward to redevelop the site for residential use.

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosslynlee_Hospital

Esoteric Eric

Ince B Control Block, Cheshire

History

Ince B Power Station built as part of the Dash for Oil in the UK during the 1960s, schemed as being a base load operating power station. The choice of the Ince site for a large new oil-fired station was politically influenced as the government wanted a station in the North West of England, which led to a rumour that the power station was built with the only purpose of creating jobs.

The station's construction suffered lengthy delays. Its transmission system was inadequate to handle the large flow of electricity from the nuclear power stations to the north. There were also faults with the station's rotors, which required them returning to the manufacturer's works. The station eventually used two notional spares. Low productivity among construction staff was also a problem, almost leading to the abandonment of the project. The station had eventually begun operating by March 1984, when it achieved the second-highest thermal efficiency in the country for a plant of its size, after Pembroke Power Station in Wales.

The station occupied a 125-acre (0.51 km2) site. Its boiler house measured 102.5 m (336 ft) by 49.5 m (162 ft) and was 61 m (200 ft) tall. The turbine hall was 123 m (404 ft) by 60 m (200 ft) and 32 m (105 ft) tall. There were two boilers rated at 447 kg/s, steam conditions were 158.58 bar at 538 °C with reheat to 538 °C. There were two 500-MW Parsons generators, along with two 25-MW Avon gas turbines. In 1993, one of the station's two units, Unit 5, was converted to burn orimulsion, its boilers being provided by Clarke Chapman Ltd. The station B had a single 152.5 m (500 ft) chimney, with a diameter of 12.5 m (41 ft) which tapered to 7.6 m (25 ft). The station used a single hyperboloid induced draft cooling tower, which stood 116.7 m (383 ft) tall.

Fuel oil was supplied directly to the station by a pipeline, directly from Shell's Stanlow Oil Refinery. Oil was also brought to the station by ship, via a berth on the Manchester Ship Canal.

The station was controlled by two GEC 2050 computers.

The B Station ceased generating electricity in March 1997 and demolition of the structures commenced a couple of years later. The station's chimney was demolished on 28 April 1999. The station's cooling tower was demolished on 5 December 1999 along with the A Station's remaining cooling tower.

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ince_Power_Station

Esoteric Eric