Monks Park Quarry

[tommo]

this was not what we where expecting!!

meet up with dan (urbanjunky),jake,mark (spungletrumpet),ian (marks dad),fredd

now this is still live in a way as it is an emergency exit for a site near by so they would use this to get out and up the slope shaft in the case of an emergency,i dont want to say to much about that

plan was to do ridge as mark, fredd and ian havent done it yet, so after a couple of hours walking round, monks park came up in a conversation, know i have heard of it and know where it was but didnt know what it was or what was in there.

know there was us expecting a browns folly or a box type quarry.

from what we could work out, monks park was reopened around 2000 for a special project to extract some stone for a building, i think i heard something about a church but then someone did say about windsor castle or something, i am sure some one will put us right lol

so after getting in and having a little look round, me and dan where taking a pic of a mint saw bench and the other went on ahead, then mark came running round the corner "u guys had best come with us, this is epic"

with that we grabbed our kit and went running after him thinking he had found a crane or dinosaur!! lol

then we came round this corner to find these mint concrete stairs in front of us, so with that we walked down them to find an amazing place

now my pics dont do this justice, and i am sure every one else has something good

then after we had finished, dan stumbled on the top side buildings on the way home, so he rang me back up and said " mate u need to come back" so i wnet back to find all the old machinery for cutting and the slope shaft entrance which is sealed but only form the out side as it serves as an emergency exit for a site near here
:thumb

there where big machines ,small machines, massive chain saws for sutting stone and jack hammers the lot there is alot of old machines left behind

this place looks like it has just been left for the weekend and they will return on monday to start work again, u can even hear a fan or generator still going down there

cheers for a top day out guys and will have to do again to see what else we can find :thumb


http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9323Medium.jpg


http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9351Medium.jpg


http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9392Medium.jpg


http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9407Medium.jpg

surface air shaft
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9388Medium.jpg

compressor
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9381Medium.jpg

jack hammers
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9325Medium.jpg


http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9492Medium.jpg


http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9460Medium.jpg


http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9418Medium.jpg


http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9476Medium.jpg

some old saws and old tools as well as alot of new stuff
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9456Medium.jpg

this folklift truck is amazing
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9353Medium.jpg

safe haven, a place to retreat to incase of emergency lol
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9504Medium.jpg


http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9383Medium.jpg


http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9432Medium.jpg


http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9429Medium.jpg

this was massive, about 30ft hight
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w100/t_o_m_m_o/IMG_9489Medium.jpg

[spungletrumpet]

Nice one Tommo - really good day out mate!

Here's a few more piccies:-


A fairly modern elsan:
http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr311/spungletrumpet/Other%20Wiltshire/Monks%20Park/28dl/DSCN1499.jpg

Cute little loco:
http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr311/spungletrumpet/Other%20Wiltshire/Monks%20Park/28dl/DSCN1502.jpg

Gantry near the slope shaft:
http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr311/spungletrumpet/Other%20Wiltshire/Monks%20Park/28dl/DSCN1511.jpg

Lots of plastic sheeting, providing ventilation to the more recent working areas:
http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr311/spungletrumpet/Other%20Wiltshire/Monks%20Park/28dl/DSCN1582.jpg

Nice mobile crane:
http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr311/spungletrumpet/Other%20Wiltshire/Monks%20Park/28dl/DSCN1593.jpg

The site office, looking like the quarrymen could return at any point.
The paperwork revealed that the site was last worked in 2004:
http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr311/spungletrumpet/Other%20Wiltshire/Monks%20Park/28dl/001.jpg

We were 'just visiting' :)
http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr311/spungletrumpet/Other%20Wiltshire/Monks%20Park/28dl/002.jpg

RIP:
http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr311/spungletrumpet/Other%20Wiltshire/Monks%20Park/28dl/DSCN1529.jpg

Ian made an interesting comment, he said that quarrymen tend to be quite superstitious. They tend to leave things looking like they could return to work at any time, thereby warding off the 'evil spirits' who inhabit abandoned workings. Make of that what you will.

A couple of these pics were provided by Freddyokel, I reckon he must have taken hundreds :thumb

[zerocool]

epic :) need to see this

[Budice]

It's pretty cool down there isn't it guys. Did any of you peer under the doors there? When we went last year one of the guys peered under one of the doors which had light coming from under it and swears blind he saw an axe there lol

[tommo]

It's pretty cool down there isn't it guys. Did any of you peer under the doors there? When we went last year one of the guys peered under one of the doors which had light coming from under it and swears blind he saw an axe there lol

yeah we did look under the door with the light on, and it makes sense for an axe or somekind of emergency stuff to break out if u need it but i didnt see a thing

there are 3 doors there, well thats what it shows on the map lol

[Budice]

i think we saw one single door and a pair of double doors mate

[markymark]

looks good guys.fancy a bit of this again soon if im honest

[pauln]

Nice one. I tried to work out the way through to this bit once before but was doomed to fail without any sort of map or directions. Will have to try again one day.

As Dark Prince says though best to stay well away from the emergency exits. The other place does not like uninvited visitors.

[stepping lightly]

That is top deck , back seats...