History:
The building was constructed in 1934 and was the first site to be built on Southampton's Western Docks.
It was abandoned in 2018 after Hovis Ltd announced a £11.7m loss after tax and was done in an attempt to cut costs and save the business.
Along with its closure came the losses of 71 jobs in Southampton, with a further 29 losses in High Wycombe where the company was based.
In 2009 it was locally listed, but was never nationally listed, meaning its demolition is inevitable and currently underway.
The Explore:
Another one from the road trip with @The Excursionists and @UrbandonedTeam.
At around midday we began our entry which involved elaborate planning consisting of multiple hi-vis jackets, walkie-talkies and an abundance of confidence.
Once on the site we began our entry. It appeared easier than it was, as we mistakenly entered the wrong part of the building twice before hitting the jackpot.
Unfortunately all power had been cut, so in some parts we had to light-paint, though for the most part the building was sufficiently luminous.
The first main room we came too contained these rolling-style devices.
Reminiscent of a paint factory and smothered in darkness was this next room on the floor above; there were innumerable pipes which chiefly led to other floors where they conjoined to form a complete loop of infallible culinary production.
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The foregoing room is also pictured here: a long, dark passageway at the edge of the room. On the left is a production line and just out of shot is the conveyor also pictured above.
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The exuberantly coloured pipes made for brilliant chromatic photographic opportunity, and one can't help but marvel at the precision and elaborate construction which must have occurred for this building to function at all, with pipes going in any conceivable direction.
A personal highlight of the site was this room. The light effortlessly flooding in through the windows since this was the top floor alongside the multitude of colours for the machines that was presented.
The final part of the site we came to were the labs which were evocative of a science classroom in a high school, though obviously still very much part of the Hovis factory site.
Another part of the labs contained a large heating device.
Pictured here is the last shot of the campus I got which boasts what appears to be a closed gas cabinet and visor for chemical work.
Thanks for reading!
The building was constructed in 1934 and was the first site to be built on Southampton's Western Docks.
It was abandoned in 2018 after Hovis Ltd announced a £11.7m loss after tax and was done in an attempt to cut costs and save the business.
Along with its closure came the losses of 71 jobs in Southampton, with a further 29 losses in High Wycombe where the company was based.
In 2009 it was locally listed, but was never nationally listed, meaning its demolition is inevitable and currently underway.
The Explore:
Another one from the road trip with @The Excursionists and @UrbandonedTeam.
At around midday we began our entry which involved elaborate planning consisting of multiple hi-vis jackets, walkie-talkies and an abundance of confidence.
Once on the site we began our entry. It appeared easier than it was, as we mistakenly entered the wrong part of the building twice before hitting the jackpot.
Unfortunately all power had been cut, so in some parts we had to light-paint, though for the most part the building was sufficiently luminous.
The first main room we came too contained these rolling-style devices.
Reminiscent of a paint factory and smothered in darkness was this next room on the floor above; there were innumerable pipes which chiefly led to other floors where they conjoined to form a complete loop of infallible culinary production.
The foregoing room is also pictured here: a long, dark passageway at the edge of the room. On the left is a production line and just out of shot is the conveyor also pictured above.
The exuberantly coloured pipes made for brilliant chromatic photographic opportunity, and one can't help but marvel at the precision and elaborate construction which must have occurred for this building to function at all, with pipes going in any conceivable direction.
A personal highlight of the site was this room. The light effortlessly flooding in through the windows since this was the top floor alongside the multitude of colours for the machines that was presented.
The final part of the site we came to were the labs which were evocative of a science classroom in a high school, though obviously still very much part of the Hovis factory site.
Another part of the labs contained a large heating device.
Pictured here is the last shot of the campus I got which boasts what appears to be a closed gas cabinet and visor for chemical work.
Thanks for reading!
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