HF6.
Following on from This massive Power station we made our way across Belgium towards the industrial badness of the Meuse Valley.
Closed in 2009, this Blast Furnace was one of the many elements of the former Cockerill Industrial empire that twisted its way through the Meuse valley from France to Charleroi, Namur, Liege and Seraing joining the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt Delta in Holland.
The Cockerill family were instrumental in the Belgian Industrial revolution from 1805 onwards with their factories producing spinning engines and steel, steam engines (including air-blowers, traction engines, and engines for ships) and in 1835 Belgium's first steam locomotive. John Cockerill also had interests in collierys and mines such as those at Ougree, across the Meuse River from HF6.
The Cockerill group, following many different iterations of Cockerill Ougree, Cockerill Sambre, Usinor and Arcelor had their facilities absorbed into the mega Indian/Luxembourg conglomerate Steel giant, ArcelorMittal in 2008. Mittal then helpfully closed this Blast Furnace in 2009 and added further woe to Eastern Belgium’s already struggling economy leaving Liege’s GDP per capita hovering at some 20k Euros lower than the rest of Belgium’s average.
Liege and Seraing are pretty mucky towns, houses are tainted with industrial grime and things look generally a bit knackered. Every now and again the fairly nondescript skyline is punctuated by belching chimneys and structures such as this. Having the view (and smell) of Redcar's Blast Furnace from my bedroom window as a child, these enormous, fiery, rusty majestic structures have always held a certain allure and this was definitely not “just another splore”
Here are some pretty inspirational photographs taken by the Belgian Photographer Stephan VanFleteren that concentrate on the area and people, I'd highly recommend buying his book "Belgicum" Belgicum - Portfolio - Stephan Vanfleteren
The site itself is fairly secure for Belgian standards with actual razor wire and security, made for a funny challenge of getting in whilst not being spotted by a bloke mending his Citroen AX (who had a “funny arse” - Cregg) or making all the noise.
Photos:
Pieps
This was as far up as I got.
Changing and offices
Plus I now have a parking pass, so we can return without fear of being towed.
Following on from This massive Power station we made our way across Belgium towards the industrial badness of the Meuse Valley.
Closed in 2009, this Blast Furnace was one of the many elements of the former Cockerill Industrial empire that twisted its way through the Meuse valley from France to Charleroi, Namur, Liege and Seraing joining the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt Delta in Holland.
The Cockerill family were instrumental in the Belgian Industrial revolution from 1805 onwards with their factories producing spinning engines and steel, steam engines (including air-blowers, traction engines, and engines for ships) and in 1835 Belgium's first steam locomotive. John Cockerill also had interests in collierys and mines such as those at Ougree, across the Meuse River from HF6.
The Cockerill group, following many different iterations of Cockerill Ougree, Cockerill Sambre, Usinor and Arcelor had their facilities absorbed into the mega Indian/Luxembourg conglomerate Steel giant, ArcelorMittal in 2008. Mittal then helpfully closed this Blast Furnace in 2009 and added further woe to Eastern Belgium’s already struggling economy leaving Liege’s GDP per capita hovering at some 20k Euros lower than the rest of Belgium’s average.
Liege and Seraing are pretty mucky towns, houses are tainted with industrial grime and things look generally a bit knackered. Every now and again the fairly nondescript skyline is punctuated by belching chimneys and structures such as this. Having the view (and smell) of Redcar's Blast Furnace from my bedroom window as a child, these enormous, fiery, rusty majestic structures have always held a certain allure and this was definitely not “just another splore”
Here are some pretty inspirational photographs taken by the Belgian Photographer Stephan VanFleteren that concentrate on the area and people, I'd highly recommend buying his book "Belgicum" Belgicum - Portfolio - Stephan Vanfleteren
The site itself is fairly secure for Belgian standards with actual razor wire and security, made for a funny challenge of getting in whilst not being spotted by a bloke mending his Citroen AX (who had a “funny arse” - Cregg) or making all the noise.
Photos:
Pieps
This was as far up as I got.
Changing and offices
Plus I now have a parking pass, so we can return without fear of being towed.
......your too modest man 
.
