Bit slow in posting this one up! 
I was somewhat anxious going back to Pyestock after recent reports of explorers being busted... but after a failed attempt in London with Hydra, and having not seen alot of what I had visited before, we decided that another visit was on the cards. A date was set; I collected Hyrda from outer London and we sped down the M3 to Fleet.
I had visited Hellingly a few days before, but Pyestock is a different experience. With patrolling security that do both the perimeter and inside the buildings it puts everything on edge - stealth is of most importance, whispered conversations, always being on the look out and just the sound of the buildings gets the adrenalin flowing...
Wwe headed to Cell 3 - I wanted to show Hydra some of the highlights that I had seen on my previous visit - I had visited Pyestock solo for my first time; this time giving someone a tour of what I had seen and what I had read up on since really enriched the visit.
1. Stealth....
We used the iconic pipes to head to Cell 3. I had only touched on this building last not realising that most of it had been constructed undeground.
The test engines were lowered into place and various subjected to various conditions.
I hadn't managed to gain acces to Cell 4 or the Computer Buiding on my last visit and having read about Monks Tunnel was determined to find it. A busted door a quick look around and we came up truimps!
What step?
The tunnel took us under Weir Road and as I had hoped straight into Cell 4. A quick detour into the LV room brought back to me what exploring is all about... you open a door and a whole host of things just jump out at you.
"Restricted - Unclassified"
Proper old skool Switch Gear:
Up through the concrete passage we went to be met by an engineering feat of vastness that this photo cannot do justice.
Both Hydra and I stood in awe and just gawped at what met us. Although Cell4 had been bastardised for a film in the past, the engineering in here cannot fail to impress:
This was the place where they tested the engines for that great British icon of the 20th century - Concorde.
Time was getting on and we wanted to head over to the Computer Building using Monks Tunnel. On the way a quick look into another room and we found another control room.
And onto Monks Tunnel and the Computer Building...
We walked around the ground floor finding nothing but modern offices and a main frame room. I had heard that the Control Room for Cell 3 had been situated here but things were looking faily stripped. Up to the 1st floor and bingo!
Next onto the Air House. Getting in here was a bit exposed but the view of the cavenous space that greets you makes it worthwhile.
Somehow I had mised the control room in here on my last visit it wasn't that hard to find. It was an opportune place to stop and have a spot of lunch as it's well soundproofed and out of the way.
Nice to see that each turbine had it's own electric meter!
And I had to admire the lengths Hydra would go to to get a certain photo!
Next was Exhauster No 10.
It wouldn't surprise me to find that we no longer have the foundrys in this country to forge something like this:
And the old skool pneumatics were a nice find!
All in all a great trip to Pyestock - thanks to Hydra for coming along!
I was somewhat anxious going back to Pyestock after recent reports of explorers being busted... but after a failed attempt in London with Hydra, and having not seen alot of what I had visited before, we decided that another visit was on the cards. A date was set; I collected Hyrda from outer London and we sped down the M3 to Fleet.
I had visited Hellingly a few days before, but Pyestock is a different experience. With patrolling security that do both the perimeter and inside the buildings it puts everything on edge - stealth is of most importance, whispered conversations, always being on the look out and just the sound of the buildings gets the adrenalin flowing...
Wwe headed to Cell 3 - I wanted to show Hydra some of the highlights that I had seen on my previous visit - I had visited Pyestock solo for my first time; this time giving someone a tour of what I had seen and what I had read up on since really enriched the visit.
1. Stealth....
We used the iconic pipes to head to Cell 3. I had only touched on this building last not realising that most of it had been constructed undeground.
The test engines were lowered into place and various subjected to various conditions.
I hadn't managed to gain acces to Cell 4 or the Computer Buiding on my last visit and having read about Monks Tunnel was determined to find it. A busted door a quick look around and we came up truimps!
What step?
The tunnel took us under Weir Road and as I had hoped straight into Cell 4. A quick detour into the LV room brought back to me what exploring is all about... you open a door and a whole host of things just jump out at you.
"Restricted - Unclassified"
Proper old skool Switch Gear:
Up through the concrete passage we went to be met by an engineering feat of vastness that this photo cannot do justice.
Both Hydra and I stood in awe and just gawped at what met us. Although Cell4 had been bastardised for a film in the past, the engineering in here cannot fail to impress:
This was the place where they tested the engines for that great British icon of the 20th century - Concorde.
Time was getting on and we wanted to head over to the Computer Building using Monks Tunnel. On the way a quick look into another room and we found another control room.
And onto Monks Tunnel and the Computer Building...
We walked around the ground floor finding nothing but modern offices and a main frame room. I had heard that the Control Room for Cell 3 had been situated here but things were looking faily stripped. Up to the 1st floor and bingo!
Next onto the Air House. Getting in here was a bit exposed but the view of the cavenous space that greets you makes it worthwhile.
Somehow I had mised the control room in here on my last visit
it wasn't that hard to find. It was an opportune place to stop and have a spot of lunch as it's well soundproofed and out of the way.
Nice to see that each turbine had it's own electric meter!
And I had to admire the lengths Hydra would go to to get a certain photo!
Next was Exhauster No 10.
It wouldn't surprise me to find that we no longer have the foundrys in this country to forge something like this:
And the old skool pneumatics were a nice find!
All in all a great trip to Pyestock - thanks to Hydra for coming along!
Last edited:
