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28DL and UE in the News - Bristol Evening Post 03/05/07 | 28DL and Urban Exploring in the News... | 28DaysLater.co.uk

28DL and UE in the News Bristol Evening Post 03/05/07

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Rookinella

I should have danced all night
28DL Full Member
Here's the text and some photos as I don't have a scanner.

"The final days of an historic chocolate factory have been capturedby a bristol photographer who documents derelict and abandoned buildings. The pictures show chocolate-making machinery on the production line at the Elizabeth Shaw factory in Greenbank. The shots were taken by a photographer called Rookinella, who got into the building through an open hatch.

The current owners of the factory have said security has been stepped up since the pictures were taken. The style of taking pictures in derelict and abadoned buildings is called urban exploring and Rookinella has also photographed the Courage Brewery on Victoria Street and Churchill House in Bath.

She said: "I am really interested in exploring derelict buildings and documenting them before they disappear for ever. The Elizabeth Shaw factory is an important local landmark. There are not many chocolate factories around these days, so it will be a shame to see it go as there is a lot of history that will be lost. It was very easy to get into the building, as a hatch was open, and it was very exciting to explore. I would never break into a building-I would only go into a place that is open. There is a lot of machinery still inside, and parts of the production line and still there and there is chocolate everywhere."

Developers want to knock down the Greenbank Road plant, which shut last September with the loss of 145 jobs, and build 108 homes. But campaigners want to see the victorian building preserved and transformed into an "eco-friendly" development which could include low-energy homes, workshops,a cafe, a folk house and a garden centre linked to the neighbouring allotments.

Persimmon Homes has applied for plannng permission to demolish the 100-year old factory, but the plan has been refused by Bristol City Council. Persimmon has appealed against the decision and a planning inquiry is set to open on June 5 to run for four days.

Last month, the Evening Post spoke to people living near the factory, who said that doors are left open and a hole has appeared in the perimeter fence, allowing people to walk out with copper and lead pipes, cables and even an old catering trolley. They claim the company has no incentive to stop the damage as it does not want to keep the buildings anyway-but Elizabeth Shaw strongly denies it is allowing the site to be wrecked.

Executive chairman Malachy McReynolds said: "Given that the photographs were taken by an iunauthorised ntruder, I am not going to comment on the equipment photographed in this location. However I can confirm that the buildingd was subjected to a significant level of criminal activity over the six-week period leading up to Easter. At the Easter weekend, Elizabeth Shaw moved its remaining 20 employees off site to a new office location in Pucklechurch. At that stage the owners of the site, Shortwood Partners, were able to undertake the building work needed to re-secure the site, and engaged a 24-hour, seven day security service with guard dogs. Since then, the security contractors have been 100 per cent successful in keeping out or evicting intruders. We have been co-operating closely with the police"

no mention of prettyvacant or 28dayslater but a positive article! They've added bits that I didn't say like getting in via a hatch? And saying that no intruders have been in since they stepped up security (I went there last night with no problems and met a load of pikeys) and the fact that I'm from bristol! A double page spread with old pictures of how the factorey used to be.

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