I Explorer An Abandoned China Clay Factory In Cornwall

[@connorminniss9621]

I live in Cornwall, and there’s factories and old workers hit scattered all across Bodmin moor. It really is the best place to live for urban exploring in my opinion

[@jaspalmer8555]

As soon as I saw it I knew it was wenford driers. I spent my childhood playing and exploring here in the 80s, My grandad worked here. I remember those water settling pools full of clay and water and the trains coming in to collect the clay. Some fantastic childhood memory’s and a shame to see it in this state. Thanks for the video and bringing back so many memory’s

[@rorschach766]

Likewise my Grandad, worked there his whole life as a shift captain. I have his retirement clock on my mantlepiece

[@simonpolmounter5545]

That brings back memories I was working here in 2001

[@patriciahartless2095]

A fantastic find. This place is huge. Be careful you should never be alone. Thanks for sharing your video. You have a wonderful day.

[@stuarthall6631]

When I noticed the alert to this video I brewed a coffee and sat down to enjoy! I was not disappointed. Thank you! Obviously you survived to edit and upload this film but.... you DO take a chance! All right, I'm older than you but I'm not sure that I would have walked along a narrow, moss-covered wall holding a camera in one hand. You appear to be alone too. Be careful, my friend!

[@RODPIKERDRONESUK]

Nicely Done . I always look forward to seeing what you have done. I'm never disappointed. Thank you for sharing. :)

[@RetroRatz]

Most likely the goods would've been transported by train from alongside the building. You have mentioned the cycle track, that's probably the old railway line. Thanks for sharing.

[@jakemasters9532]

Everything with the ECC works was by train in those days wenford railway went all the way to Wadebridge, Bodmin and then beyond 🙂

[@jarcs13]

Another good explore. Brings back some memories this one, the loading bays where for a train branch line. Used to enjoy watching them pass my aunties house in Bodmin full of clay in the mid 1980s.

[@elliottprice6084]

Nice to see some Cornish history on your channel. When I was young I used to go on holiday to Cornwall with my family so Cornwall holds a special place in my heart. I'm just glad you got around without taking any tumbles. Stay safe 😉

[@memorialgardens1664]

Great job as always. God bless you and your family. 🏋️‍♂️respect 📣📣

[@KatWoman_]

Nicely filmed and thank you for the well-worded history.

[@jakemasters9532]

My grandad used to be an electrician for ECC there in the 70s-80s and my dad also worked for ECC in the 90s at Stannon pit.I remember there was a fire at wenford in the early 00s whilst they were disassembling the building that used to stand to the rear of the main block. The clay was fed to the dries via 400mm pipe that went from the Stannon clay pit to the dries at wenford which is about 5-6 miles give or take , the pipe was all on a gravity feed so it took about 2-2.5 hours to reach wenford once the vale had been turned on, used to spend loads of time there on skateboards and bikes as a kid as I lived in st Breward haven’t seen those ramps for a long time, I’m surprised they are still there 😂Great video! Subscribed.

[@kimberlyvanhelden8100]

What a massive place! This was really cool to see, thank you for sharing it. And good grief be careful, I enjoy watching your videos. 💜

[@brake1adam]

Absolutely amazing find...

[@Datgirlzenli]

You just gained a follower! Love your content

[@trudim6024]

Great video 👏 Wouldn’t it be amazing if there were pictures of the place when it was up and running and they were faded in and out of the video at the appropriate areas? I have no idea how easy that would be to do, it just popped into my head at the end when you came out onto that tarmac covered bit outside. Keep up the good work 😍

[@kernow..exp.]

the China clay district of Cornwall is massive and there is loads of clay dries that are derelict and where they loaded it to that was a railway line these two have clay wagons Coldplay hoods that transported the clay out to the local harbour s

[@paulwieczorek1945]

What is shown is an old pan dry and linhay. Very briefly; the China clay (kaolin(( in simple terms, decomposed granite)) is mined in open cast mines and is washed out of the granite face (hydraulic mining) with water hoses (very high pressure hoses ((monitors)) were used later that literally 'blasted' the clay out of the granite). It then goes through various processes, obviously in slurry form, to separate the impurities, mainly quartzites (early methods for doing this were settling channels called 'mica drags') from the China clay. The resulting China clay slurry is then pumped into settling tanks (this is prior to the later use of filter presses) adjacent to the pan dry. Once the clay has settled out in the settling tanks and the water run off, it was 'trammed' out of the tanks using bogies and spread onto the flat drying pan (a long heated floor, sometimes 100 yards long) where it remained until it had dried out sufficiently to be shovelled onto the lower level linhay (clay store) waiting to be transported away by horse and cart, train or later still, lorries (again, waiting at a lower level still). All this was done by hand, by men using unbelievably large shovels and wearing wooden clogs to protect their feet from the heat of the pan. The chimneys shown were located at the opposite end of the drying pan from the furnace, causing hot air to be drawn through ducts below the pan floor thereby heating it up. I remember this method of drying china clay still being used in the 1960's.

[@assassin3334]

Another Great explore 👍

[@maureenmilligan784]

Great stuff thank you really enjoyed it

[@rolfsinkgraven]

That was a amazing big place, one of a few still standing.

[@paulchearman6261]

great video, was only talking about this place the other day

[@4190alan]

Love the vids. Would be great with a bit of drone footage as well.

[@kathrynbeyer8857]

It would sure be nice to hear what you say. I always have both volume controls at max and still can bairley hear you, most of the time I have to use the headphone. Your channel is the only one I have this problem with.

[@earlofnythe]

Lol lorries? ... They clearly had their own railway line & station/docking unloading area/Platform. Gr8 explore Mr Beard

[@crispin.]

Beautiful place, cool explore!

[@Carl_Mitchell]

Hey bro! Great video!! I explored this place on my channel with my good friend! Massive place! Keep up the good content:)

[@penelopecarpenter5166]

Walked this trail many times and wondered what was behind the fences,would make a good area for development could cycle to work along the trail,maybe in the future they will do that

[@Datgirlzenli]

I saw your sticker today at the shops in Cornwall

[@MrVxrman]

Great explore m8y 😎 🙂🍻👍🏻

[@ei4kc]

Great video 👍

[@michaeljijus980]

Beautiful

[@collidingplanetsexploring6630]

Amazing place mate.

[@leedavies9309]

what a good place to have a paintball centre and a go cart track keep the kids off the roads and off the drugs

[@markosbientos9287]

They were called Linhays, (Linnies)these buildings. This is a massive one in comparison. There was one this size in Par. Apart from graffiti ruining it, this is in relatively good nick. Thanks for video.

[@samuelm7782]

Thanks, I found this place on Google Earth. Interesting. Some of the clay produced here might have found its way to in the past to West Virginia's china producing industry.

[@caro9340]

Nice

[@useitwice]

Imagine how much cooler abandoned places would look without all the graffiti and tags

[@gasmaskurbex6867]

The flat area along the side of the loading bays was where the train line was and the train would pull in and they'd pour the clay into the clay wagons

[@talupip2]

Yes, we walk past here often, definitely was loaded onto trains

[@jaycornish5916]

Good old wenford

[@brokenpines8491]

Very interesting, am I the only one that cannot hear you very well? I turn my sound all the way up and still have a hard time hearing you. Thanks for sharing your adventure.

[@tbz9457]

Is it still there?

[@johnmasters504]

A big yellow bird is normally a Golden Oriole, i have only seen one once and then only for 15 seconds, the only place i explored in Cornwall was the most westerly railway in England , west of Newlyn, Penzance in 1974.....and sadly i never took my camera..

[@skulldigger9282]

That building to me with some clean up and someone to come in and check the structer out to see if its sound enough to turn into a nice skatepark.

[@KyleMacqueen44]

How come you are always on your own now?

[@Carl_Mitchell]

Where is this please bro

[@Datgirlzenli]

You put a sticker at Trago Mills

[@ivoman7]

The sure had enough brick to build.

[@kernow..exp.]

I know exactly where that is and have been there 4 times

[@Carl_Mitchell]

KERNOW E X P where is this please

[@kernow..exp.]

Ask the bearded explorer if I can tell you or no m8

[@kernow..exp.]

As he has a policy not to give out locations

[@Carl_Mitchell]

KERNOW E X P okay bro

[@horsingaround6447]

Me too

[@iniquity123]

Can't "visit" the site now - fenced off and patrolled 🙄.

[@mrcrazyjonpresents4312]

Been a few great raves in this place over the years

[@theodoreconstantinecambour2162]

9:07 me sc on the wall theo_cambo hmu