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Report - - Agecroft 'A' Power Station, Manchester, June 2019 | Industrial Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Agecroft 'A' Power Station, Manchester, June 2019

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The Amateur Wanderer

28DL Regular User
Regular User
Agecroft 'A' Power Station, Salford Manchester, June 2019

Introduction:

Finally TAW is back in the game, having loosing my license through injury last year, I've finally managed to get it back and the first thing on my list was Agecroft. I can remember speaking to @Speed about this place back in 2017 but alas other circumstances must have let this one drop but fair one for @albino-jay for getting there and cracking it!

The place really is epic, by far the earliest station I've ever had the fortune to witness, it actually amazes me that the place is still standing let alone all geared up, I guess that live transformer in the basement is the reason and what we all owe a thanks to...

All I can say looking at this place is that a look at Ferrybridge 'A' is required next!

History:

I suppose been rather late compared to pretty much everyone else, little history is needed, but here's the basic to make up the report.

Agecroft 'A' Power Station was opened on the 28th of September 1925 by the then Mayor of Salford for the County Borough of Salford Electricity Department , she was equipped with x4 25MW Metropolitan Vickers Turbo Alternators reaching up to 100,000KWV aka 100MW on max load. I haven't managed to pick up any information on Boiler Production but of course as expected in the 20's they where chain grated boilers. Again a little bit hard to find out just when the 'A' station actually stopped generating, way before the 1993 closures of the 'B' & 'C' stations but when? I'm not sure. When the 'A' station boilers were converted from Coal to Oil I know that the 'A' station did provide steam to the 'B' station for some time but again little information available regarding how long this happened for. What I can tell you is that all generation to the grid from the Agecroft complex was finished by 1993 with the closure and imminent demolition of the 'B' & 'C' stations. The 'A' station still has a fully live transformer in the Substation Basement and as such has so far been the main reason for the preservation of the remaining structures, be nice if they managed to grab a preservation order like Ferrybridge 'A' as a listed building in the future though if they haven't got this already.

Pictures:

Starting off in the substation...

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Love the way the Busbars have been painted to the top of the holders, very old school.

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There's little to see in the Substation as cool and decayed as it is, sadly not too much in the way of epicness, but as we all know that's coming up!

In the meantime, crossing the bridged corridor to see what the admin block has got to offer us.

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Pigeon Holes...

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The classic tiles and window offices in here, nioceee

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The first look at the Control Room which awaits us!

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1925 showing off in it's usual classy manor, lovely.

Thanks to @BrainL for clarifying on the Control Room, did my usual of finding the hardest of accesses and struggling with the simple ones!

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Metropolitan Vickers fitting out the electrical systems, I mean this is Manchester, it'd be rude not to!

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The AEI set to the right of this image been a modern addition to the control room, obviously added in the mid 60's, maybe something to do with the work connecting the 'A' station to 'B'? Behind this cabinet is a bricked up doorway, once leading into the no longer existing Turbine Hall.

The background shows another bricked up doorway, but check out the art deco entry and stairway.


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Myself enjoying the presence of some vintage Metro-Vick machinery...

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Behind the back of the controls is interesting, plenty of labels pointing out the customers!

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and a final shot of this great control room, would have been nice to have seen her in her glory days for sure!

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Thanks for looking,
Definitely an enjoyable explore this one, tourist or not!
TAW :)
 

The Amateur Wanderer

28DL Regular User
Regular User
Very nice report so all the Hoohar about security and metal sheets I guess it’s not that secure.

Absolute rubbish the lot mate, if anything it must be easier now then ever!

Someone's obviously got too close to the transformer in the basement at some point (which alone is quite frightening) and caused a cluster fuck because that thing is covered in alarms and sensors...
 

Speed

Got Epic?
Regular User
The place got raped by pikeys after Jay put his report up the other year. Even the cams in the basement had been smashed to smithereens. I guess they have gone in and secured that bit again. Couple that with the less than obvious but very easy way in the control room I'm sure you found eventually its probably created a bit of a myth of it being 'metalled up'.... it was always metalled up!!! lol

A couple of years back the place still had active cams with a shouty man. It was fairly formidable for what looked like a derp but then one day before one of the manc meets we turned up for an quick check and all that seemed to have been done away with, big hole in fence, climb to control room but my ladder didnt reach the main bridge that time and I never got around to going back until it popped up on here..

The A station hasn't generated for a long time as the cegb training school building that's built on the old turbine hall has been there since the early 70s I think.

Theres got to still be a few out there to find!
 

The Amateur Wanderer

28DL Regular User
Regular User
The place got raped by pikeys after Jay put his report up the other year. Even the cams in the basement had been smashed to smithereens. I guess they have gone in and secured that bit again. Couple that with the less than obvious but very easy way in the control room I'm sure you found eventually its probably created a bit of a myth of it being 'metalled up'.... it was always metalled up!!! lol

A couple of years back the place still had active cams with a shouty man. It was fairly formidable for what looked like a derp but then one day before one of the manc meets we turned up for an quick check and all that seemed to have been done away with, big hole in fence, climb to control room but my ladder didnt reach the main bridge that time and I never got around to going back until it popped up on here..

The A station hasn't generated for a long time as the cegb training school building that's built on the old turbine hall has been there since the early 70s I think.

Theres got to still be a few out there to find!

Yeah it's a massive shame really, a place like this should have really done a decent run through NP in my opinion, in fact if it was down to me it'd still be in there! I suppose you can do as you choose been the first in though. Was killing me watching the damage but having no way of getting out there! Yeah seems like they've repaired the transformer cams but everything else is more open than ever before. Interesting to learn about the CEGB training school there, only ever heard of the ones at Harrogate and East Yelland, must have finished up early the 'A' station, Ferry 'A' surprises me to still be generating up to '78!
 

albino-jay

g00n Buster
Staff member
Moderator
Nicely done mate. It is a beauty and Yeah i still kick myself for not putting it NP. I dont know why but i just didnt think it would have got the attention it did. Other than from the likes of yourself or speed. I think we can say I deffo fucked up there. Its not looking too much different from when i got in though, a few gauges here and there but on the whole not too bad. Seems a few bits are more easily accessible now too.

Its a shame the training buildings dont look to be offering much. Still I’d imagine theres some old boxes of goodies stashed away somewhere to have a rummage through.
 

Baggy trousers

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Holy jesus, I'd kinda put this one to bed with all the recent reports of it being sealed up and the likes. Great to see it again and now back on the list of things to do.
Brilliant report that from you fella!
 

The Amateur Wanderer

28DL Regular User
Regular User
Nicely done mate. It is a beauty and Yeah i still kick myself for not putting it NP. I dont know why but i just didnt think it would have got the attention it did. Other than from the likes of yourself or speed. I think we can say I deffo fucked up there. Its not looking too much different from when i got in though, a few gauges here and there but on the whole not too bad. Seems a few bits are more easily accessible now too.

Its a shame the training buildings dont look to be offering much. Still I’d imagine theres some old boxes of goodies stashed away somewhere to have a rummage through.

Aye, it's still gleaming like, and I'm a little surprised as well as to how many people took an interest in the place! Be right, as you say it's still got plenty to show.
 

TheTimeChamber

Torch Wavker
Regular User
I have to say, when I see photos from here it makes me want to see it badly. Great set of photo, nice to hear it isn't sheeted up (which put me off making a 400 mile round trip this weekend dammit)
 

Shades

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
It's a long time since I saw fluorescent tubes with caps covering the ends, they used to flicker badly around the heaters.
 

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