After a bit of tunnel rat activity in Sarre, I decided to check out Richborough Power Station as it is only a few miles from there, hopefully before the rain set in for the afternoon.
I had always seen this in the distance as a kid on the way to the beach, so it was great to get a chance to go here and see it up close.
The History Bit
In brief:
- The station opened in 1962, originally burning coal from the Kent coalfield.
- It was converted to burn oil in 1971.
- In 1989 it was converted to burn Orimulsion imported through Port Richborough.
- After growing concerns over the environmental effects of the fuel, leading to court cases, the 360MW station ceased generating in 1996.
The Site & Buildings Bit
Typical structure found on the site
The site is pretty much just a shell now. Along with the main cooling towers, full of water underneath, there are a variety of old rotting buildings, sheds, water filled pools and various industrial equipment. Most if not all of the plant has been removed, along with big chunks of walls in some cases.
It's a shame the walls in the main large warehouse have been removed, meaning there is no real access to get higher up, or into the old admin and offices, like there used to be. (You can see these in some of the threads linked to below, including an excellent Flickr set.)
Part of the site has been sectioned off and is a live electricity site for the Thanet Wind Farm, and is very well protected (and rather boring anyway).
I nearly called off my visit as the torrential rain hit just as I arrived, but after waiting it out with a sandwich and coffee, the rain eased and I decided to go and at least have a reccy - knowing full well I was going to get soaked! But when you're on a reccy, have all your camera gear, and spot an entrance, it's kinda rude to pass up the opportunity.
A quick check to see if there were any security, police or dogs, and I was in...
The Pictures Bit
Who stole the walls?!
All the office, admin and worker space is in these windows - but no way up these days
Looking up
Anyone know what this space was used for? It's a walled (on three sides) space about the size of a football pitch...
I'm not even going to guess what this is/was!
Grafitti - the walkways have been removed now though
Now this typeface screams "Seventies Industrial Power Station" to me, definitely
As ever, there are more pics in the Flickr set.
The More Info Bit
Full Flickr set
Previous Richborough Power Station threads: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
Other links
Google maps: Richborough Power Station
Flash Earth: Richborough Power Station
The Blatant Plugging Bit
Other reports from me to date:
- St. Augustines Asylum - Chartham 2010
- Leyborne Grange Colony - Maidstone 2010
- Cliffe Fort - Cliffe 2010
My Flickr
Thanks for reading!
I had always seen this in the distance as a kid on the way to the beach, so it was great to get a chance to go here and see it up close.
The History Bit
In brief:
- The station opened in 1962, originally burning coal from the Kent coalfield.
- It was converted to burn oil in 1971.
- In 1989 it was converted to burn Orimulsion imported through Port Richborough.
- After growing concerns over the environmental effects of the fuel, leading to court cases, the 360MW station ceased generating in 1996.
The Site & Buildings Bit
Typical structure found on the site
The site is pretty much just a shell now. Along with the main cooling towers, full of water underneath, there are a variety of old rotting buildings, sheds, water filled pools and various industrial equipment. Most if not all of the plant has been removed, along with big chunks of walls in some cases.
It's a shame the walls in the main large warehouse have been removed, meaning there is no real access to get higher up, or into the old admin and offices, like there used to be. (You can see these in some of the threads linked to below, including an excellent Flickr set.)
Part of the site has been sectioned off and is a live electricity site for the Thanet Wind Farm, and is very well protected (and rather boring anyway).
I nearly called off my visit as the torrential rain hit just as I arrived, but after waiting it out with a sandwich and coffee, the rain eased and I decided to go and at least have a reccy - knowing full well I was going to get soaked! But when you're on a reccy, have all your camera gear, and spot an entrance, it's kinda rude to pass up the opportunity.
A quick check to see if there were any security, police or dogs, and I was in...
The Pictures Bit
Who stole the walls?!
All the office, admin and worker space is in these windows - but no way up these days
Looking up
Anyone know what this space was used for? It's a walled (on three sides) space about the size of a football pitch...
I'm not even going to guess what this is/was!
Grafitti - the walkways have been removed now though
Now this typeface screams "Seventies Industrial Power Station" to me, definitely
As ever, there are more pics in the Flickr set.
The More Info Bit
Full Flickr set
Previous Richborough Power Station threads: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
Other links
Google maps: Richborough Power Station
Flash Earth: Richborough Power Station
The Blatant Plugging Bit
Other reports from me to date:
- St. Augustines Asylum - Chartham 2010
- Leyborne Grange Colony - Maidstone 2010
- Cliffe Fort - Cliffe 2010
My Flickr
Thanks for reading!
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