Report - Hemel Hempstead Gas Holders - Hertfordshire - September 2014

[Rik UE]

My Visit

Had my eye on these for a while, access seemed a pain in the butt at first, but in the end found an easy way in.
Visited twice solo, I did think about walking on the middle of these 100yr+ holders and did attempt it, but being on my own, they felt a bit "too spongy" so I thought better of it!

Climbing the gasholders was not the easiest, I am quite tall though, but short asses would struggle a little bit as the ladders had been chopped for obvious reasons, no problem though for myself even when intoxicated.

Got on the gasholders and they were pretty awesome, climbed the ladders on both, hoping to take an "epic" shot from the top, struggled up the ladders to the top with the tripod, and it just wasn't happening, I needed a clamp which I didn't have, so apologies for no shot from the top.

Another visit was planned to get that shot from the top with my local fellow explorer, but the demolition team got to these holders before we arranged it, we should have pulled out fingers out...

Anyway hope you enjoy the report, photographs not great, wide angle lens needed really.

Glad to have got this one under the belt though before it went......

If you have a gasholder near you my advice is, don't leave it, visit it ASAP as they are all being demolished very quickly!

History

Gasholder 55 built in 1927 & Gasholder 54 built in 1905

This last photograph Copyright Ray Bill

Thanks for looking!​

 

[dweeb]

Nicely captured, in the nick of time too!

 

[Punk]

Nicely done

 

[ACID- REFLUX]

Nice report mate

Funny i always imagined them to use thicker steel for the construction

 

[Rik UE]

Thanks folks!

I thought the demolition would have been longer, but they were no match for those claws on those excavators, only took them about a week in total and that's for both holders and there was a smaller third one down the road, all gone now sadly.

 

[Xan_Asmodi]

Beautiful and crisp night shots, shame about the sodium illumination but you can't do any thing about that!

 

[Rik UE]

Relatively happy with photographs, white balance is a bit off, I blame the shandies As soon as you climbed the ladder another security light shone right on you, which was a bit off putting, shame its gone though, would have liked to have got better shots

Thanks for comments folks!

 

[Els]

Very nice, one down the road from me I looked at years back.

 

[GAJ]

Good stuff & a bit of a shame to see more gone. Glad you got up them in time

 

[The Lone Ranger]

Great pics with the orange light pollution glow, look as if they were fun while standing.

 

[Rik UE]

They really were a good explore while they were standing, shame I never got back for the definitive shot from the top, have to be quicker in future Thanks for comments folks

 

[norfolkexplorer]

Looks lush mate