Report - Millennium Mills, Docklands, London - Feb 2015

[keaha]

Finally I've decided to pay a visit to such a classic site, to see what it is like, to get more familiar with post-industrial Britain and of course, to fulfil my architectural interest ​

History of the site​

The Millennium Mills is a derelict turn of 20th century flour mill in West Silvertown on the south side of the Royal Victoria Dock, between the Thames Barrier and the ExCel exhibition centre alongside the newly built Britannia village, in Newham, London, England. Along with Millennium Mills, there remains a small section of the now destroyed Rank Hovis Premier Mill and a restored grade II listed grain silo, labelled the ‘D’ silo. Described as a "decaying industrial anachronism standing defiant and alone in the surrounding subtopia", the Millennium Mills has become a well-loved icon of post-industrial Britain and has made its way into many aspects of popular culture, being used as a backdrop in films and television shows such as Ashes to Ashes and Derek Jarman's The Last of England. (Wikipedia, 2015)

Exploraton

The day was great, the weather was great, my mood was great
Everything was set right for an interesting adventure.
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After getting in, I walked towards the building, coming across the "D" Silo I got quite surprised by the good condition it remains in, and by absolute destruction of the pontoon platform sitting on the water in front of it.

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After taking a walk around it I didn't find any ways to get in, this didn't upset me much as the main target was still a couple hundred metres away from me.


After following an old path filled with plants covered in spikes I was standing right in front of it - The Millennium Mills building. For some reason it looked so different from the pictures - it is such a massive building with structures of high complexity for the time it was erected.
I took a walk around before getting in.

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It must have been a vast amount of work for the engineers to come up with a solution to make erection of such a big and heavy structure right on the bank of a river possible.

Getting in. We're being greeted with an old, industrial environment. Broken window frames, rusty parts of old mill machinery and pigeon nests all bring that dark atmosphere. Wooden partition walls, personnel changing rooms - all these elements bring a strong feeling about the place. You can imagine people working, chatting, having a lunch together, it all makes you think of how different the society and life in general used to be back then.

I keep on going upstairs slowly inspecting every floor.

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This site is under the demolition process so extra care should be taken when stepping on any slabs and stairs.

The building has got a lot of it's own unique secret corners and is real fun to explore. I would recommend trying to imagine a wireframe picture of the building in your head. The layout of the floorplan in fascinating. It's so unusual to see some of the architectural approaches used in this structure.

I am not a great writer, so I will just let the pictures speak for themselves.

Here is my photobucket folder with full set of raw, unedited pictures from that day

Thanks for reading!
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did
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[Ojay]

A good first report, was only here myself the other week at sunset

There is an active dog unit here now and being as it's on the direct flight path for the airport, don't be surprised if the whirly bird shows up too

 

[Punk]

Nice first report Millennium Mills is certainly a big start

 

[Cantthinkofacoolurbexname]

There is an active dog unit here now

That was almost a very unwelcome surprise on Sunday!

left it for then, need to re-think this spot, but must do it before it's gone!

 

[Ernietron]

I've been trying to grow a pair and get inside this for years and only recently I started seeing more security which really shunned my growth. I hope I can get into it soon before it's gone, even with the growing presence of security.

don't be surprised if the whirly bird shows up too

That could lead for some very exciting photos.

 

[ACID- REFLUX]

Nice first report
I"d intended this myself recently, but solo and Dogs don"t mix i"ve found so i"ll leave it to the youngsters

 

[Rik UE]

Some lovely different aspect photographs here, you certainly have an eye for the shot.

I was going to ask for an update regarding this place, see there is a dog unit, I'm great with dogs though so perhaps another visit is in order

Nice report