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Report - - Sleaford Bass Maltings - Lincolnshire - January 2015 | Industrial Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Sleaford Bass Maltings - Lincolnshire - January 2015

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Idavoll

Who?
28DL Full Member
I started the year with a jaunt up north to Sleaford; bit of a drive but well worth it. :) I had often seen pictures of the helix staircase here but never knew much about the place though I must say it was rather lovely! The maltings themselves have obviously seen better days but they are still very impressive.

History
The Bass Maltings were constructed from 1892 and opened fully in 1905 by Bass Ratcliff & Gretton’s chief Engineer and Architect Herbert A Couchman; they are considered Couchman’s best work. The frontage of the buildings span nearly 1,000 feet in length and are made entirely of brick. The original design for the maltings complex was twice as large, with a further 8 malt houses to the south mirroring the current 8 blocks. Couchman was know for his meticulous standards and personally oversaw the entire project. 60 houses were built from the brick he rejected, testimony to his high standards.

The maltings at Sleaford was an attempt to centralise malt production in an efficient way, making use of economies of scale and steam power for moving barley around the site. For the first few decades the site was able to produce malt far cheaper than any other, however with the advent of pneumatic malting in the 1940-50s, Sleaford fell into decline, ceasing as a maltings in 1959.

A fire severely damaged the buildings in 1974, though it remained structurally intact. In the 1970s, G.W. Padley (Property) Ltd. bought the site and used it to rear chickens. The buildings were abandoned again in the 1990s, with further damage sustained in a fire in 2014.​

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Thanks for looking.
 

Telf

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Nice report :thumb I wrecked a pair of pants on barbed wire at this one :(
 

Idavoll

Who?
28DL Full Member
Any photos of the belts and pulleys in this place?

I actually didn't see any, or at least, not close up. There's some at the top of the buildings (you can see some of the machinery in one of the window shots) but I believe getting there involved crossing rotten floor boards which were already sodden from the rain - I wasn't willing to risk it this time around.

Building wise, only 2 of old maltings (excluding the water tower) were accessible, another building had collapsed in on itself. There were a further 3 buildings I didn't gain access to so they may have had more inside. Some of the buildings are joined by "bridges" but I often couldn't find access to these.
 

LINESHAFT

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
I actually didn't see any, or at least, not close up. There's some at the top of the buildings (you can see some of the machinery in one of the window shots) but I believe getting there involved crossing rotten floor boards which were already sodden from the rain - I wasn't willing to risk it this time around.

Building wise, only 2 of old maltings (excluding the water tower) were accessible, another building had collapsed in on itself. There were a further 3 buildings I didn't gain access to so they may have had more inside. Some of the buildings are joined by "bridges" but I often couldn't find access to these.
That's a shame I would've like to see more machines
 

Valkyrie

28DL Member
28DL Member
I love the pictures that you've taken, they're brilliant; makes me want to go explore there even more. I only heard about the building yesterday so I'm glad that I got to read about someone's first hand experience so I know what to expect if or when I go eventually. Looking forward to reading about your future findings :)
 
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