Millenium Mills :: Fotopic.Net

Urban Exploration uk

Millenium Mills

The millenium mills stands like a pillar of a determined industrial era, defying the surrounding developments almost laughing at the modern buildings which sit opposite. Approaching the building you have to make an almost Platoon like run through a field of reeds, long grass and thorns, not dodging the Vietcong but instead dodging the big 4x4 and security guards. As you get to the building its sheer size looms above you. We make our way inside and to gain entry to the main building we are confronted with a leap of faith from one ledge to another three stories up from a very solid strip of concrete, I take a deep breath and leap, as I fly through the air that thought I often get creeps into my mind, WHY, why the fuck do I put myself through this I could photograph flowers or landscapes, but then I suddenly flip back to where i am and realise why. When you are a child an adventure can be had with nothing more than a couple of cushions from a sofa and a table cloth but this is lost once you grow older as everywhere seems familiar and you are left with no real adventures, leaping from one ledge to another is an adventure and my adrenaline is pumping.

We get into the main building and wind our way through like one huge game of snake, with interesting machinery and architecture being the fruit. I am stunned at how badly this building is put together, there is no clear way from one end to the other instead you have to navigate various staircases. Throughout the building are helter skelter slides running from top to bottom the urge to slide down is one that is hard to ignore but I force myself to instead just posing for a group photo with my fellow explorers. Where various bits of machinery and the helter skelter slides have been removed holes in the floor are left dropping up to eight stories from top to bottom guaranteeing death to any who don’t watch their footing. We make our way to the roof somewhere I have been previously with Little Elvis but before when I came it was evening and we ignored the building as a location instead went to watch the sun set. I am glad this time we came to concentrate on the building the evening light is beautiful creating the kind of light which turns a dank derelict industrial location into a beautiful fairy tail land of adventure. I take my time with images treating the building with the respect it deserves photographically and setting each shot up as though I was shooting film composing and visualising the end results. I wanted to portray the building how I saw it, cold, clinical but beautiful.

After four hours inside we decide to make a move, running for the fence I am out of breath and gasping for air, my lungs burning the engine of the security guards 4x4 in my ears we make the fence, and leg it to the car and off on another great adventure….