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Steel Rolling Mill, Queenborough, Kent - July 2014 | Oblivion State Urban Exploration

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Steel Rolling Mill, Queenborough, Kent - July 2014

Maniac

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After one of the false starts trying to complete Fort Darnet (when we accidentally broke a part of the engine) Liam and me were stuck for something to do, so I suggested going here. I was aware of this place, it closed properly last year and following a report on another forum I thought it was high time I paid the place a visit so off we went.

I've shamelessly stolen the history from the website of the company who are auctioning off all the equipment that's in there.

Formerly known as Queenborough Rolling Mill, the plant was established in the mid 1970’s specifically to re-roll used rail track into 6 – 20mm diameter re-bar. During the 1990’s, additional roughing stands were added to allow the mill to re-roll billets in addition to rail. This change resulted in the capability of the mill being expanded to produce a range of merchant bar products. In 1999, the site was acquired by ISTIL Group who carried out a substantial refurbishment of the mill and associated equipment and concentrated on rolling merchant bar products solely from billet for sale within the UK and Europe. In 2008 ISTIL Group was sold to the Russian based company Estar and in 2010 the plant was renamed Invicta Merchant Bar. Mechel Group became the plant’s strategic partner supplying Invicta merchant Bar with billets and marketing its products through Mechel Services Global. In 2011, the plant became part of the Mechel group until February 2013 when production ceased and the plant was sold by Mechel.
You can read more here if you're interested. http://www.cjmasset.com/2013/08/merchant-bar-mill-located-at-queenborough-kent/

It is being stripped out quite fast, loads of the equipment was packed and labelled ready to go, but equally so there's a lot still there. It's only a small place really, just one massive shed, but as industry goes it's not bad at all.

On with some photos.

The front part is very stripped as that line has been dismantled ready to be sold.

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Loved this, mainly for the counterweight for the door.

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Now at this point I must add we had probably only been in the building for around 20 minutes, and had just entered a smaller space at the back with some big lathes and a load of boxed up machinery in. A timely glance towards the entrance and I saw a pair of legs walking in our direction, oh dear were we seen going in? Time was not on our side, and we had to find somewhere to hide pretty sharpish as he was getting close to where he would be able to see us. So we picked this blue shed. :D

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Yep, no door and full of the sort of noisy crap that you really don't want on the floor when you're trying not to make a noise. He passed us no more than 6 feet away :eek: , had he glanced back then he would have clearly seen me, but he didn't. We wait for 10 minutes, and cautiously exit our hiding place. The place appeared deserted again, and we walk around the section we were in taking a few more photos.

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Bits of metal still on the lathes, they really had just downed tools and left.

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Then Liam peers through a hole in the wall, and it was at that moment we realised the person was still in the building right at the other end from where we were, and he appeared to be re-arranging things - we had put the noises we could hear down to the fact the wind had picked up and the building wasn't exactly the most structurally intact ever.

So we go and find somewhere else to loiter for a bit which turned out to be a store room full of mainly drive belts.

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15 more minutes and we go and have another look, still there. We wait and we wait some more. Eventually we stop hearing noises and go for another look and hey presto this time the coast is clear and we can finish what we came to do.

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This was about the only shot I really wanted to get from the end of the machine looking back.

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And lastly on the way out, we pop into the control room.

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Was a funny few hours spent in here, and it started pissing it down while we were there so we got soaked through on the way back to the car.

Thanks for looking!

Maniac.

 

The_Raw

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Just popped in here myself the other day and it's a really cool place. Some great shots you've got here and a few bits that I somehow missed, no sleep the night before probably didn't help much :D

:comp

 

skeleton key

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As a back up splore thats in for the win as still loads to take in.

Cracking shots (y)

 

jones-y-gog

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Nice bit of industrial, still seems plenty to look at!

 

shaddam

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god damn thats nice Maniac !

 

upright_ninja

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Very nice... another industrial giant that needs to be added to the list. You sound like you had some 'secca-trouble' much like we did just down the road. Glad your stealth skills were on the ball. Thanks for sharing!

u>.<n

 

Maniac

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Very nice... another industrial giant that needs to be added to the list. You sound like you had some 'secca-trouble' much like we did just down the road. Glad your stealth skills were on the ball. Thanks for sharing!u>.<n
Yes, I just read your Thames Steel report, ironically I've not actually visited that one yet!

 

Nelly

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Sweet shots and write up mate :)

 
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