Skeleton Factory, Belgium

History

The printing factory opened in 1935 and slowly expanded to the site that is here today. The original products were postcards of the Belgian coastline which were actually images taken by the owner. The business developed to cater for demand and eventually closed in 2004 after American companies took over and never invested in to the site. 

Skeleton graffiti by Belgian street artist KIaas Van Der Linden.

Source:

http://www.darbiansphotography.com/skeleton-factory-urbex

Esoteric Eric

Sport Vlaanderen Centre, Hofstade, Belgium

History

The domain originated in the 1920s around a few lakes. The lakes had formed in the wells left behind by excavation works for the construction of the nearby freight line. In 1937 it was decided to completely redesign the domain and place it with the newly established Ministry of Health.

In 1939 the domain reopened its doors, now with a 750 meter long beach with associated beach building, a boathouse with jetty and an outdoor swimming pool with changing rooms and a cafeteria.

The bath and the surrounding buildings were designed by Charles Van Nueten in a sleek and functional modernist style. It was 100 meters by 50 and filled with 7,500 m³ of water. For a long time it was one of the largest open-air baths in Europe.

In 1955 the swimming pool was given a purification installation and a new entrance was added. When the complex no longer met hygienic standards in 1978, 39 years after opening, it closed its doors.

Although the rest of the Bloso domain has always been in use, the swimming complex has been dwindling since its closure. The hard stone edge of the bath was almost completely stolen over the years and the buildings suffered heavily from damp and vandalism. The swimming pool and the surrounding buildings were protected as a monument in 2001 and will be included in the development plan for the Sport Vlaanderen centre.

Source:

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2017/07/24/permanent_geslotenhetopenluchtzwembadinhofstade-1-3029159/

Esoteric Eric

Sno-Cats (Antarctic Expedition 1966), Belgium

History

These are the Tucker Sno-Cats Type 743s, which were used from 1964 to 1967 during the Belgian-Dutch Antarctic Expedition. 

Esoteric Eric

Power Plant IM Cooling Tower & Gas Holder, Charleroi, Belgium

History

Power Plant IM was originally built in 1921 and when it was finished, it was one of the largest coal-burning power plants in Belgium. Water would be let into the cooling tower where it would be cooled by the wind that swept in from portals in the base of the tower, releasing billowing columns of hot air. By 1977 the power plant and its massive tower was the main source of energy in the Charleroi area and is said to have been able to cool down 480,000 gallons of water per minute. By the 1970s new components were even added to the power plant that could also use gas power. However, the power plant’s days in the sun were numbered.

After years of service, a report found that Power Plant IM was responsible for 10% of the total CO2 emissions in Belgium. Due to this, protests from Greenpeace in 2006 gave the power plant a lot of negative attention and it closed in 2007.

Source:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/power-plant-im

Esoteric Eric

Cockerill-Sambre 'Blue' Power Plant, Charleroi, Belgium

History

A power station for a large abandoned steel works with a large array of turbines of varying ages, ranging in output from 6.5MW to 75MW.

The oldest turbine being the Ingersoll Rand and the newest the Escher Wyss, with several other designs from Alsthom, ACEC and Oerlikon. 

Esoteric Eric 

Chatterley Whitefield Colliery, Staffordshire

History

Chatterley Whitfield Colliery is a disused coal mine on the outskirts of Chell, Staffordshire in Stoke on Trent. It was the largest mine working the North Staffordshire Coalfield and was the first colliery in the UK to produce 1,000,000 tons of saleable coal in a year. The colliery and pithead baths complex are on Historic England's Heritage at Risk register due to being in very bad condition and not in use.

For a comprehensive history see:

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

Esoteric Eric