Report - Luneside East Fire, Lancaster 11 May 2012

Idle Hands · May 11, 2012

You don't often see reports of this place, and since it's in my city I was hoping to be able to rectify that. I was on my way to the quayside with a mate this evening anyway and could hear kids from the road round the back of this mill complex, and saw the smoke. Oh, i thought, seems like an easy explore - there's kids in there having a bonfire... Sadly not. We followed the road round to the front just as some of the widows blew out in front of a passing cyclist (who was unhurt fortunately). Various people called the fire brigade, who arrived not long after we got there, but it was well alight and the wind blowing flames from one side to the other.

This is part of the Luneside East regeneration scheme that is supposed to be imminent. Didn't have my DSLR with me but took a few with my phone, below. Not sure how it started or how long it had been burning but several appliances and a couple of aereal ladders were there when we left 2 hours (plus a meal and some drinks) later. Unless it's salvageable, it looks like Lancaster may have just lost another chunk of its heritage

While in the pub though we did get chatting to a guy who used to work in James Williamson's mill further down, which was a nice insight into how it used to be. Every cloud, and all that...