Fletchers Mill
Visit 2: October 2007
Knowing the area quite well, I returned. Much earlier in the day, plenty of light this time. Once inside, I could hear running water and there were gauges on machines still reading values. This place was still live. I climbed up the gantrys and looked round the machines, I had no idea how these machines worked or even what they did in the process of making paper - but i was fasicnated. Found a newspaper from 2001, this place had been empty for 6 years - it didn't feel like it.
Into another room now, strange looking contraptions. This room was large, near enough silent, just a couple of pidgeons flying around. It lead onto a production floor type room, initially quite weary of walking into this one. There were noises coming from , I could hear a transforming humming and electricity arc'ing from one place to antoher.. and I was about to step on metal platform, with a puddle on it.
It was quite an eerie room, I was stood looking at industrial paper rollers, mixing vessles, chemical pipes, xray machines.. I shouldn't be there, looking at all that. Spent a while in there, taking in all there was to see - buttons, pipes and valves all over the place.
From there into the offices, a bit of water damage on the stairways but other than that it looked like people had just left for the day and would be back to work in the morning. A couple of the doors were unlocked, so we had a look peoples desks with post cards and pictures on the walls. No damage to the place, though it had been closed for 6 years.