Steetley magnesium Site 4

Steetley magnesium Site 4

A little history about the site:
1937: Site acquired by Steetley. New process allows magnesium to be produced from sea water.
1938: Plant opens and expands rapidly.
1961: Chimney built which is seen across Hartlepool.
1962: World’s largest settling tank built on the site.
1967: 5,147 tons of magnesium produced a week.
1997: Britmag takes over the site from Redland.
2002: Britmag goes into administration, and the site is reborn as CJC Chemicals.
2005: CJC also falls on hard times and the area falls into disrepair.
2005: Culford Properties become free-holders of the site and draw up plans for a 500-home estate.
2006: Children caught by the Mail diving into the settling tanks.
2007: (August) Children snapped by local resident playing among the rubble.
2007: (September) English Nature opposes building plans because of breeding birds near the site.
2007: (October) The council puts £100,000 aside in case they have to clear the site.

Steetley Magnesite is an incredible site for anyone who is interested in the industrial side of photography and particularly urban dereliction. Originally built to produce magnesium, the site closed after two failed attempts to keep it running in 2005.

It has a wonderful post apocalyptic feel, like the set of a future sc-fi movie This was the focus for our Flickr meet for the fine upstanding folks of the Cleveland Camera Club It was a good turn out, and some great images were taken by all.

Not HDR