Chinnor Cement Works
Visited with LittleElvis and Zero July 06
It must have been the hottest day of the year so far, but still we went off for a days exploring.
Travelling for 2 hours from Kent to Oxfordshire in a very unreliable car, we found what we were looking for Chinnor cement works. Its massive chimney stands out on the horizon and we headed straight for it , but being in the middle of a huge quarry meant we had to park a fair distance away.
After walking for 20 minutes through the old water ponds and quarried rock we made it to the main complex of buildings. First thing was to take some exterior shots then get inside to get out of the blistering heat.
Inside is covered with cement dust. Huge rollers which heated and mixed and crushed stones still sit idle, the control desks which operate all the machinery survive although one had been targeted by arsonsits. The ladders which take you upto the gantrys above the machinery have all been cut off to prevent been people climbing up but its still easy to find your own way up and onto the roof.
Railway tracks lead up to hoppers where cement and ballast could be taken away by train but this probably stopped a long time before the works closed. Along one of the tracks are a row of old carriages and wagons, some slowly rotting away while others look as though they are being restored.
The latest news on the site is that demolition has begun.
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