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Report - - Hepworth Refractories- Loxely- June- 2014 | Industrial Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Hepworth Refractories- Loxely- June- 2014

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JaneEyre

The clumsiest explorer in Yorkshire!
28DL Full Member
Its been a while since we did this one but sadly I managed to break my laptop again!

So this was a nice easy explore to try and get used to a shiny new (for new see 'nicked off Grandad!') Nikon Camera :D

We got a bit of a shock with this one, we walked in to find random solar, radio, satellite type thingys (I am a technophobe) but Rincewind explained what they were and we carried on anyway. Not a tonne here but its a big site and there appears to be a further site of something further down the river that had flooded and made for some pretty awesome wide shots! The area is also popular with dog walkers and has a big old house on the way down to it but we decided it looked about as safe as a fiddle match with a Grim and therefor elected to miss it

So here is a brief history, (paraphrased from about 4 different sources!)

The first mills in Loxely were set up on the River Loxley in the 17th Century. There were steel and iron forging as well as rolling mills. These became the main manufacturing processes with the Loxley Steel Works, the Green Wheel Steel Works, the Little Matlock Rolling Mill and the Olive Rolling Mill all becoming established industries by the river. There are still tonnes of Mill ponds and 'flashes' around the area from these sites, most are pretty good for going to feed the duckies and occasionally fishing!

Sometime in the 1800s the Loxley Valley became a major producer of refractory bricks for the steel industry in Sheffield. These bricks were used to line the furnaces and were made from ganister, which is like sandstone and was prevalent in Loxley. Many ganister mines existed in the area and they supplied the local firms like Thomas Wragg, Siddons Bros., Hepworths and Thomas Marshall. Refractory production ceased in the area in the 1990s.


And now for some photos...yay!

Funky looking dooferywotsits

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Some of the more battered warehouses/factory houses

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Someone mentioned there had been fires, I assume that is what happened to this building... Also RATS, very brave rats that waltz past and make a 5 foot fatty jump like an Olympian!

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Some of the buildings are in better nick and have a few bits that made me smile, left over bricks and switches and stuff

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And then these are the further down the river, flooded sites I mentioned... Not much to them but they were very pretty on a sunny day :)

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So thanks for looking! I know there was offices and stuff further up but after a few laps around they seemed pretty tight so we left it at these! If anyone is in the area there a good potter around but not worth a trip, however Loxely has a few bits to look at if your driving through :)

Much Love
x
 

White Python

28DL Member
28DL Member
Looks like a place I'd like to visit.

Is there works around it that are still operational? On the map, things look pretty new in places...

(Sorry, newb questions)
 
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