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So a fair few people i have done this and it is one of my favorite sites to explore, still so much to see in there. In 2012 i managed to get in there total of four times, so instead of doing four different reports i decided to stick it all in one mega thread covering all of the visits, so sorry for the mass photo spamming 
Right lets start off with a little history, Built in 1904 the small building called Rank hovis was the first mill on the site but not in the area at the time, how ever In 1920, Vernon & Sons was taken over by Spillers Limited which resulted in the name Spillers millennium mills being named. most of the main building was rebuilt in 1933 to appeal to the current times. The mills at the height of their time where the one of the largest suppliers of flour to the south of the uk at the time, supplying their "millennium" graded flour which was voted winner after the 1899 "miller challenge cup" .
photo taken in the prime of the site
The mills, before their part destruction in the early 1990's [ see here for some nice photos of that http://www.flickr.com/photos/millenniummills/sets/72157611257381816/with/3107584883/ covered almost 60 acres, which as many know is still laying pretty much empty, their have been failed attempts to bring life back into the area such as the failed "pleasure gardens" see here for that : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19114930
and it would cost upwards of £1.5 billion to fully revamp the site, so until then this white lady will sit their awaiting a second chance.
Ok so boring bits over, Visit No. 1, explored with 3 other non forum members. At the time being still rather new to the scene, this was the largest thing i had ever attempted, explored with 3 others [ non forum members], we met in the wee hours of the morning and waited till a certain car drove past and dived into the hedge, getting over the spiky fence and inside. By the time we arrived and go inside after wondering around trying to find out how [ told you i was new to the scene at the time d:] the heavens had opened and we where all drenched to bone.. the broken gutter outside that we had to pass under didnt help that. Now inside and sitting on concrete shivering, someone made the decision to wait till it was light outside before heading onwards.. yeah that was a fun time.. anyway here are some of the photos from visit no.1 :
Now in MM we had a little encouragement ;]
Getting out was fun, after creeping out and peeking around the corner to the palisade we where met with a silver pickup ;].. ok we said we will wait it out.. 10..20..30 minutes pass he's still sitting there, ok so he knows we are here somehow, now how do we get out, ahh around the spikey fence, so we make our way around said fence, 2/4 around, then all we here is oi.. i turn around about 20ft away is a grey old secca walking towards us, never seen two people get around that fece so quickly lol, anyway secca seemed to of given up chasing us by the time we got out :beer2:
rest : http://www.flickr.com/photos/urdex/sets/72157629464375342/with/7083256473/
Explore No.2 : Explored with 2 non forum members :This one was done near the time the pleasure gardens opened.. around the same time Nick Franglen was doing his "art project" in MM, this consisted of a vegetable garden, a tv and 100 solar boats on the roof, more info here : http://www.franglen.net/legacy.html .. there was some photos taken by mr Franglen when he was in there, getting compost around and making the boats but they're long gone im affraid. Anyway we set out to find these. But with the pleasure gardens around the front we decided to go via the back entrace and go by boat ;], it was a quick in, take some photos, get to the roof and enjoy the view type splore so most photos are from the roof.
although we did not find any of the art projects we did have a good time =]
Onto the photos :
and a better group shot
Getting out we had a nice slow row enjoying the morning sun, about the only explore i've done where it got more relaxe as time went on,usually gets more stressful lol
Rest : http://www.flickr.com/photos/urdex/sets ... 096958910/
explore No.3, explored with one other non forum member. This time it was a few months after the pleasure gardens had failed and we where met with a Palisade outside, We where determined to find the art projects we missed the time before. After scouting around for a while we found a way and then went around the palisade that saved us the first time, got to see most of the bits we missed the first time and had a very nice splore in general, no hassel, although climbing the palisade on the way out was a tad tricky...
vegetable bed :
sadly the plants looked a bit sorry for them selfs, after seeing a sign saying if i look dry please water me, it was clear my Franglen expected more splorers in there ...
Secca probably having a doze in his hut ^^
And finally remembered to take a photo of D-silo
We did also find the solar boats on the roof but forgot to taken any photos of them [derp]
rest at : http://www.flickr.com/photos/urdex/sets/72157631534153341/
And finally Explore no.4, done with 3 other non forum members, This one was a last minute split choice between this and another site for NYE, in the end we decided to go for this one because we guess there would no secca present.. turns out we where right, go in the grounds and casually wondered over, went around the same palisade.. which no had a barge docked next to it and extra razor wire.. which made things tricky .. still want my hat back... Photos not that great this time, was too busy enjoying the view of fireworks in every single direction !.. oh and the champagne probably didnt help :beer2:
Getting out was no fun, One guy took a palisade spike to the hand and we ended up in A&E most of nye morning.. luckily the first house party we ran into, the hosts where paramedics... what are the odds ??, Don't worry hes alive we well
Rest at : http://www.flickr.com/photos/urdex/sets ... 416844796/
i hope to return once again to this place, hopeful with good light and get some more creative shots
Right lets start off with a little history, Built in 1904 the small building called Rank hovis was the first mill on the site but not in the area at the time, how ever In 1920, Vernon & Sons was taken over by Spillers Limited which resulted in the name Spillers millennium mills being named. most of the main building was rebuilt in 1933 to appeal to the current times. The mills at the height of their time where the one of the largest suppliers of flour to the south of the uk at the time, supplying their "millennium" graded flour which was voted winner after the 1899 "miller challenge cup" .
photo taken in the prime of the site
The mills, before their part destruction in the early 1990's [ see here for some nice photos of that http://www.flickr.com/photos/millenniummills/sets/72157611257381816/with/3107584883/ covered almost 60 acres, which as many know is still laying pretty much empty, their have been failed attempts to bring life back into the area such as the failed "pleasure gardens" see here for that : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19114930
and it would cost upwards of £1.5 billion to fully revamp the site, so until then this white lady will sit their awaiting a second chance.
Ok so boring bits over, Visit No. 1, explored with 3 other non forum members. At the time being still rather new to the scene, this was the largest thing i had ever attempted, explored with 3 others [ non forum members], we met in the wee hours of the morning and waited till a certain car drove past and dived into the hedge, getting over the spiky fence and inside. By the time we arrived and go inside after wondering around trying to find out how [ told you i was new to the scene at the time d:] the heavens had opened and we where all drenched to bone.. the broken gutter outside that we had to pass under didnt help that. Now inside and sitting on concrete shivering, someone made the decision to wait till it was light outside before heading onwards.. yeah that was a fun time.. anyway here are some of the photos from visit no.1 :
Now in MM we had a little encouragement ;]
Getting out was fun, after creeping out and peeking around the corner to the palisade we where met with a silver pickup ;].. ok we said we will wait it out.. 10..20..30 minutes pass he's still sitting there, ok so he knows we are here somehow, now how do we get out, ahh around the spikey fence, so we make our way around said fence, 2/4 around, then all we here is oi.. i turn around about 20ft away is a grey old secca walking towards us, never seen two people get around that fece so quickly lol, anyway secca seemed to of given up chasing us by the time we got out :beer2:
rest : http://www.flickr.com/photos/urdex/sets/72157629464375342/with/7083256473/
Explore No.2 : Explored with 2 non forum members :This one was done near the time the pleasure gardens opened.. around the same time Nick Franglen was doing his "art project" in MM, this consisted of a vegetable garden, a tv and 100 solar boats on the roof, more info here : http://www.franglen.net/legacy.html .. there was some photos taken by mr Franglen when he was in there, getting compost around and making the boats but they're long gone im affraid. Anyway we set out to find these. But with the pleasure gardens around the front we decided to go via the back entrace and go by boat ;], it was a quick in, take some photos, get to the roof and enjoy the view type splore so most photos are from the roof.
although we did not find any of the art projects we did have a good time =]
Onto the photos :
and a better group shot
Getting out we had a nice slow row enjoying the morning sun, about the only explore i've done where it got more relaxe as time went on,usually gets more stressful lol
Rest : http://www.flickr.com/photos/urdex/sets ... 096958910/
explore No.3, explored with one other non forum member. This time it was a few months after the pleasure gardens had failed and we where met with a Palisade outside, We where determined to find the art projects we missed the time before. After scouting around for a while we found a way and then went around the palisade that saved us the first time, got to see most of the bits we missed the first time and had a very nice splore in general, no hassel, although climbing the palisade on the way out was a tad tricky...
vegetable bed :
sadly the plants looked a bit sorry for them selfs, after seeing a sign saying if i look dry please water me, it was clear my Franglen expected more splorers in there ...
Secca probably having a doze in his hut ^^
And finally remembered to take a photo of D-silo
We did also find the solar boats on the roof but forgot to taken any photos of them [derp]
rest at : http://www.flickr.com/photos/urdex/sets/72157631534153341/
And finally Explore no.4, done with 3 other non forum members, This one was a last minute split choice between this and another site for NYE, in the end we decided to go for this one because we guess there would no secca present.. turns out we where right, go in the grounds and casually wondered over, went around the same palisade.. which no had a barge docked next to it and extra razor wire.. which made things tricky .. still want my hat back... Photos not that great this time, was too busy enjoying the view of fireworks in every single direction !.. oh and the champagne probably didnt help :beer2:
Getting out was no fun, One guy took a palisade spike to the hand and we ended up in A&E most of nye morning.. luckily the first house party we ran into, the hosts where paramedics... what are the odds ??, Don't worry hes alive we well
Rest at : http://www.flickr.com/photos/urdex/sets ... 416844796/
i hope to return once again to this place, hopeful with good light and get some more creative shots
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