History
Agecroft was a coal fired power station which was directly fed by Agecroft Colliery located across the road. The power station consisted of 3 stations.
A was opened in 1925 and had 4 Metropolitan Vickers generators putting out 57,500Kw.
A video of the opening in 1925
In 60’s the station was extended, and stations B and C were added along with another 4 generators and 4 natural draft cooling towers. Upping the stations output by 358MW these both opened in 1962.
Video from 1962.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/hFBSyudgfgM
Phone shot of a CEGB sign we found the remains of in A matching that in the video above.
Being constructed in 1924
Aerial shot of A in full swing
Looking at the station from Agecroft bridge
Metrovick Turbo Alternator in Agecroft A
Agecroft B and C, dates unknown
Agecroft B turbine hall in 1962
The updated control room for B and C in 1962
During use the station had 3 steam loco’s built in 1948 by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns in Newcastle to shunt coal from the colliery between the stations. With the nationalisation of the UK electric industry a conveyor belt was built instead making the loco’s all but redundant. The loco’s were sold in the 80’s and Agecroft No1 can be seen at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.
In 1991 Agecroft Colliery closed in March and 18 months later it was announced the power station would close in March 1993. The demolition of the cooling towers was delayed until May 1994 due to a pair of Peregrine Falcons nesting in them.
The cooling towers being demo’d in 94. This is the view and a memory I had as a kid watching the demolition from the opposite bank of the Irwell in Prestwich Clough. I think the disappearance of these from the skyline I grew up seeing is probably why I get a proper woody for cooling towers. Anyway here’s a video of them being demolished. (skip to 1:05)
The site was bulldozed and HMP Forest Bank was built on the site, which opened in January 2000.
The Explore
Now as I mentioned above I grew up a mile or two away from Agecroft and I remember going on bike rides with my old man down the clough along the banks of the Irwell seeing the cooling towers, and sadly watching them be demolished (which at the time was bloody epic) obviously now they’re quite a rare sight, especially round here.
So yeah I’m rambling. Anyway basically I’ve always driven past the old site and never really given too much thought to it as there only seems to be a couple of buildings left at the front which as far as I can remember have always been offices. Well driving past a few weeks back I saw a couple of the usual security signs up and thought eh up. That has to be worth a nosey. Worth a nosey it was.
With a day free I gave @bolts and @ferret a call and off we went.
Now we didn’t know what to expect, maybe there was epic, maybe there was stripped out modernised offices, but you don’t know until you look.
Turns out the buildings up front which were ITab are now a school. Rammed with kids of all ages playing out near where we wanted to go, but we persevered and cracked on with the task at hand.
We managed to get down between a couple of buildings, and noticed some large cable runs. Similar to that of what’s left at Winnington. A few risks later and a massive shout out to @bolts for having some balls and to push us we were in the main building. After checking this out we moved onto the adjoining outbuilding where we stumbled across the control room.
WIN.
We checked also out a few outbuildings what I think was a pumphouse at one point which is now just empty, another small outbuilding going underground but that's flooded, and then the offices at the front which I believe were used as the CEGB training school in the 60's is now being used as a Jewish school. Where the old turbine hall for A was there is a 60's ish brick office block which was modernised inside and empty.
Still a bloody top find and a great day out.
Pics
My photo’s are a mix of phone and DSLR
So this is the first building we got into.
1st floor (phone)
Main building
Onto the control room.
Peace out
