Towards the end of 2011 i made a discovery that blew me away, the remains of the former Barking power stations on the banks of the Thames just outside London really stand out to me as one of my best ever finds. The dust had not even settled on that saga and i was out searching for more. I had recently bought a book that contained a list of every UK power station ever built. I sat down and started to run down the list checking each one for what might survive. Back then i was still primarily living in Suffolk so the i started with the local stations ticking them off as i went. The first one to show any promise was Tilbury.
At the time the B Station was still in full operation having recently been converted to burn Bio Fuel but what caught my attention was the 'little' brick building next door. Obviously older, this block turned out to be the remains of the A station. Built in the late 1950s. The A station had run for only a few years until it was mothballed in 1981. The place had sat there untouched until 1999 when the turbine halls and boiler house were demolished. HOWEVER when the B station was built in the early 1960s it was deemed unnecessary to provide it with its own stores and workshops so the stores and workshops of A were retained and continued to serve the site until B's fire and subsequent final closure a couple of years back. The good news for us is that to retain the stores and workshop buildings they essentially had to keep the entire 'non generating' side of the plant. There may be no turbines to see here but virtually everything else was retained and a lot simply abandoned. Admin, Labs, Canteens, Bath Houses, Switching Equipment and of course a Control Room!... Or so i assumed because at the time that i rocked up here for my first recce visit in early 2012 i wasn't rally sure what i would find. With the B station still generating A was still quite active too, power was on, CCTV was on. I had a bit of a poke but without taking a big 'bylaw contravening' risk it didn't seem like it was really going to happen and i put it firmly on the back burner. When the B Station closure was announced i started to put wheels in motion for a return visit but alas that year wasn't really a good on for me, way to busy with other things in life and fb and co moved in for the kill on the B side before i knew what was happening. Roll forward to 2014 and time was back on my side a bit, i went back for another recce and was pleasantly surprised to see the A side of the site as good as dead, no power on anymore and the place looking a lot more do-able. Within a few months i was back on the banks of the Thames uncovering the secrets of another stunningly intact piece of CEGB epic.
Control Room
Well this is what i went to find to be honest, i knew where it would likely be and walking up the stairs and catching a glimpse of the wonderfully intact 'penthouse suite' was definitely that 'mission accomplished' moment!
Labs
First sign that i was not only onto something good but something special was the labs, This place was far from a stripped shell i had been worried about finding.
At the time the B Station was still in full operation having recently been converted to burn Bio Fuel but what caught my attention was the 'little' brick building next door. Obviously older, this block turned out to be the remains of the A station. Built in the late 1950s. The A station had run for only a few years until it was mothballed in 1981. The place had sat there untouched until 1999 when the turbine halls and boiler house were demolished. HOWEVER when the B station was built in the early 1960s it was deemed unnecessary to provide it with its own stores and workshops so the stores and workshops of A were retained and continued to serve the site until B's fire and subsequent final closure a couple of years back. The good news for us is that to retain the stores and workshop buildings they essentially had to keep the entire 'non generating' side of the plant. There may be no turbines to see here but virtually everything else was retained and a lot simply abandoned. Admin, Labs, Canteens, Bath Houses, Switching Equipment and of course a Control Room!... Or so i assumed because at the time that i rocked up here for my first recce visit in early 2012 i wasn't rally sure what i would find. With the B station still generating A was still quite active too, power was on, CCTV was on. I had a bit of a poke but without taking a big 'bylaw contravening' risk it didn't seem like it was really going to happen and i put it firmly on the back burner. When the B Station closure was announced i started to put wheels in motion for a return visit but alas that year wasn't really a good on for me, way to busy with other things in life and fb and co moved in for the kill on the B side before i knew what was happening. Roll forward to 2014 and time was back on my side a bit, i went back for another recce and was pleasantly surprised to see the A side of the site as good as dead, no power on anymore and the place looking a lot more do-able. Within a few months i was back on the banks of the Thames uncovering the secrets of another stunningly intact piece of CEGB epic.
Control Room
Well this is what i went to find to be honest, i knew where it would likely be and walking up the stairs and catching a glimpse of the wonderfully intact 'penthouse suite' was definitely that 'mission accomplished' moment!
Labs
First sign that i was not only onto something good but something special was the labs, This place was far from a stripped shell i had been worried about finding.
Last edited: