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Report - - Bucklands Sand and Silica - Surrey - November 2014 | Industrial Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Bucklands Sand and Silica - Surrey - November 2014

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Grom

Camera Drowner
Regular User
Hi all,

So today visited Bucklands Sand and Silica plant. I drive past this place on a daily basis, so it seemed fit I visit it. People have described it as a mini Redhill Fullers, but not having been to fullers yet, I can't quite compare.

History:
Bucklands Sand and Silica was a family run business that started in 1923. They extracted high quality sand for manufacturing processes in the UK.
It was acquired in 1978 by Amalgamated Roadstone Corporation, then acquired by Hanson in 1990, They nearby quarry is still in use, but the sand is processed somewhere else, leaving the Sand and silica plant unused and in decay.


The site

Finding the site was pretty easy and only required hoping over one fence and a short walk by some lakes. It's a reasonable sized place, we spent around an hour there.

Following a footpath, we came across the first gate that lead to the plant

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We followed the path a bit further..

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Finally we came out to the factory

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It's pretty overgrown and there is a big pond of water collecting at the lowest part.

And now inside:

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The lower level was damp, but not submerged like I'd seen in pictures of the place before

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An old Log bog of some kind, dated 1985.

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And then we went to explored the outside a little more

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We noticed fresh(ish) looking hay in the upper barn like part of the site. I guess the local farmer is using it as storage. There was bird feeder table things with fresh bird seed in, signs that it's not totally abandoned.

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Shortly after, we heard a quad bike somewhere off in the distance, so we decided it was time to make haste and leave.

The site is the most dangerous place I've explored so far with rickety damp ridden floors all over. Asbestos pipes and guttering has been left scattered around the floor too.
The quarry is expected to be depleted by 2015, so council are considering removal of the plant next year. See here


Thanks for reading my report!
 

Mr Sentimental

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Hi All,
I went for what I thought would be an easy explore here today but failed miserably!
The route that I believe Grom took down the lane from the main road and passed the lakes has now been made harder by the fact there is now barbed wire
all alone the fence line with keep out signs and signs that read "Police Dog Training Area" ! That did it for me! :confused:
So I came back out of the lane and headed up to approach from the other end passed Squires garden center to where I thought I could get through the trees on a bend in the main road.
Getting through the trees was ok but as I got to the track I was expecting to see, again more barbed wire, keep out signs and also there was a car sat there with occupants, this was basically on farmland!
Maybe I didn't try hard enough, but to be safe I gave up!
Was I unlucky or did they know I was coming?
Hmmmm!
 

Brewtal

28DL Regular User
Regular User
Hi All,
I went for what I thought would be an easy explore here today but failed miserably!
The route that I believe Grom took down the lane from the main road and passed the lakes has now been made harder by the fact there is now barbed wire
all alone the fence line with keep out signs and signs that read "Police Dog Training Area" ! That did it for me! :confused:
So I came back out of the lane and headed up to approach from the other end passed Squires garden center to where I thought I could get through the trees on a bend in the main road.
Getting through the trees was ok but as I got to the track I was expecting to see, again more barbed wire, keep out signs and also there was a car sat there with occupants, this was basically on farmland!
Maybe I didn't try hard enough, but to be safe I gave up!
Was I unlucky or did they know I was coming?
Hmmmm!
This was demolished a long time ago mate!
 

Mr Sentimental

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Oh, that's a shame.... I was only going on google maps and as the imagery in the bottom right said 2018
I assumed it was an up to date? Obviously not! :confused:
buckland.JPG
 

Brewtal

28DL Regular User
Regular User
Oh, that's a shame.... I was only going on google maps and as the imagery in the bottom right said 2018
I assumed it was an up to date? Obviously not! :confused:
buckland.JPG
I had the exact same thing and found out the hard way too mate! Still, it was a nice walk on a lovely day!
 

Mr Sentimental

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
That's true.... I did get some exercise! :D
Oh well... start planning the next adventure.
I did also pop over to the clockhouse brick factory for a looksie. Looks like its done up like fort knox!
Though it looked like there was a security guard somewhere so thought I'd chance my arm and ask if I could go in and take some pics
but couldn't find him... maybe a blessing in disguise!
Know much about that place?
 

Brewtal

28DL Regular User
Regular User
That's true.... I did get some exercise! :D
Oh well... start planning the next adventure.
I did also pop over to the clockhouse brick factory for a looksie. Looks like its done up like fort knox!
Though it looked like there was a security guard somewhere so thought I'd chance my arm and ask if I could go in and take some pics
but couldn't find him... maybe a blessing in disguise!
Know much about that place?
Me n @Grom did it ages ago just after they put the palisade up. He nearly got a nipple piercing from the fence as we were leaving!
 

The Explorer Returns

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Went to clock house 2 weeks ago, the building has been gutted, it’s one massive empty shell now with not a single bit of machinery inside, it’s 100% empty, the smaller building have been flattened and the main brickworks is on its way down as well. Rip clockhouse :/ happy I got to see it before this happened.
 

mookster

grumpy sod
Regular User
Oh, that's a shame.... I was only going on google maps and as the imagery in the bottom right said 2018
I assumed it was an up to date? Obviously not! :confused:
buckland.JPG

That's just the copyright for the image and updates every year. Some of the aerial imagery on Google maps is years out of date, for instance it still shows the Coal Research Establishment in Stoke Orchard as being there even though it was demolished seven years ago!
 

Mr Sentimental

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Went to clock house 2 weeks ago, the building has been gutted, it’s one massive empty shell now with not a single bit of machinery inside, it’s 100% empty, the smaller building have been flattened and the main brickworks is on its way down as well. Rip clockhouse :/ happy I got to see it before this happened.
Thanks for letting me know... I won't waste my petrol then ! ;)
 

Mr Sentimental

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
That's just the copyright for the image and updates every year. Some of the aerial imagery on Google maps is years out of date, for instance it still shows the Coal Research Establishment in Stoke Orchard as being there even though it was demolished seven years ago!
Ok, thanks.... I won't rely on that any more then! ;)
 
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