Price & Kensington Pottery, National Teapot Works, Stoke-on-Trent

History

Price's National Teapots (also known as Top Bridge Works) has been occupied by Price Brothers since the 1890s, becoming Price & Kensington after an amalgamation in 1962. Along with the Spode factory, the Top Bridge Works is the earliest surviving example of a fire proof pottery works. The main warehouse along the roadside and the one remaining bottle kiln are both listed buildings. Today part of the buildings are used by a mix of small businesses such as a gym, carwash and bric-a-brac shop.

Source:

https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/price-kensington-pottery-national-teapot-works-stoke-on-trent-august-2019.119432/

Esoteric Eric

HF4 Blast Furnace/ Compressor House, Charleroi, Belgium

History

Haut Fourneau 4, commonly known as just HF4 was part of the Cockerill-Sambre steel works, a vast industrial site in Belgium. Steel has been produced at the site since the early 1800’s. The blast furnace was used for smelting iron ore, and was the major technique used for the production of steel at the time. The iron and steel produced at HF4 was mainly used for car production, an industry that almost collapsed in 2008. Production at the steel works was halted and the plant placed on standby. The facility was sold to another company, however production was never restarted and in 2012 the site was closed down after a failed merger.

The Compressor House, or Turbo Blower House is an integral part of the HF4 Blast Furnace site in Belgium. The production of iron requires a constant supply of air to be blown through the blast furnace as high pressure – hence the name “blast” furnace. The process of compressing the air works just like a power station in reverse. Rather than high pressure gasses (usually steam) driving the turbines, which in turn drive an alternator in a power station, almost exactly the same equipment is used the other way around. The electricity powers the motor, which in turns drive the blades in the compressor to compress the air. The power and steam was provided from a near-by power station at Monceau-sur-Sambre (often called Power Plant IM) via a huge cable-run and pipeline connecting the two sites. A stand-by diesel generator is also housed in the turbine hall.

Source:

https://www.bcd-urbex.com/hf4-blast-furnace-belgium/

https://www.bcd-urbex.com/hf4-turbo-blower-house-belgium/

Esoteric Eric

La Turbine, Belgium

History

Albert Primez, a small industrialist in the area, who owned the Marmor Workshops, a small marble cutting and a shaping plant, decided to produce electricity by his own means. In 1909, he set up a small hydroelectric power plant in an old hammer forge established along the Biesme in the woods between Gougines and Sart-Eustache. This small unit was nicknamed 'The Turbine' by the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages. Later, Albert Primez also financed the installation of lighting in Gougines.

Source:

http://www.molenechos.org/molen.php?nummer=6176

Esoteric Eric

Castle of Cense au Bois AKA Chateau Cinderella, Belgium

History

This extensive chateau was built after the French Revolution during the 1860’s. It was owned by a wealthy family who resided here until 1984. In 1999 it became a hotel and restaurant and it was abandoned in 2005.

Source:

https://abandonedplaygrounds.com/2019/05/01/the-chateau-cinderella-abandoned-mansion-of-luxury/

Esoteric Eric

Military Vehicle Graveyard, Belgium

History

A variety of vehicles stored in a field on military land.

Esoteric Eric

Diesel Farm, Belgium

History

Diesel Farm is an unused black start power plant in Belgium. It was built in 1976 to run on diesel oil and later on palm oil. There were eight ACEC generating sets producing a total of 83 MW.

It was left as standby station for a number of years due to being non profitable and local pressure against the pollution. There was even a protest at the site about the palm oil that was sourced from Malaysia and its effects on the country.

It eventually closed in 2012 and the remaining staff were given positions at other sites around the country. 

Source:

http://www.darbiansphotography.com/diesel-farm-urbex

Esoteric Eric