Clockhouse Brickworks, Dorking, December 2015

[CuriousityKilledTheCat]

Insomnia has taken its hold tonight, so I thought I'd do something productive and finally put something together on Clockhouse! ​

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History -​

Clay working was well established on the site prior to the Second World War and in July 1947 planning permission was granted for the extraction of clay from 44ha for the manufacture of building bricks.  Production increased, in part to the housing boom of the 50’s, and during the 60’s the site was rebuilt to cope with the increased demand. The London Brick Company was acquired by Hanson PLC in the 1980’s, and in February 1984, consent was granted for the expansion of brick production facilities to provide for an output of 50m bricks/annum. ​

In 2000, Clock House was said to be Hanson Brick’s main soft mud production site, producing around 42 million bricks per year. Due to the global financial crisis of 2008, the building industry suffered a severe decline and the nationwide demand for bricks plummeted and in 2009 it was announced that the plant was to close along with two other Hanson owned sites. The Horsham Road site was originally earmarked by Surrey County Council as the site of a mass-burn incinerator, but this plan was shut down by protestors in the area by 2009, and the future of the site seems uncertain at current.​

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The explore - 
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This is another site explored with @TheVampiricSquid on the same day as the failed Shoreham cement works attempt. Despite having driven past the entrance what must be a thousand times, I had no idea this was where it was, and had somehow presumed on a glance at the map location that it was somewhere else entirely! As we first got in, there was a noise which sounded rather a lot like footsteps on some of the metal stairs, but tuned out just to be something flapping about in the wind   Another pretty good location, and definitely made up for the previous fail, really loved all the green and yellow inside   ​

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Aaaaand some pictures  ​

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Thanks for looking ^.^ ​

 

[Indecisive M]

Looks great this place. Nice work CKTC! 

 

[Hydro]

Yeah thats cool  Brickworks are pretty epic places, looks like a cool mooch

 

[CuriousityKilledTheCat]

Tea, loads of fab machinery, loved it  Can't believe I've been driving past it for the past couple years, completely oblivious!  

 

[The_Raw]

Got a lot of time for this place, looks a little more trashed these days but still looks pretty good. I'm not a fan of mindless tagging but that mural of the owl and chimp is ace! That belongs in here >



By the way, wtf is going on in shot 4? Is that a swing or a catapult of some sort???

 

 

[CuriousityKilledTheCat]

I thought so too, if only all of it was awesome artwork, not just mindless scribble!! Popped it over  

I honestly have no idea, been trying to work that out myself  looks a bit messed up if you ask me!  

 

[hamtagger]

Colourful shots there, nicely done mate

 

[Urbexbandoned]

Quite like the Owl and chimp, you've got some great pics there mate. Not too trashed either