First a bit of history: Opened in 1915 as a training base for the British Army, it had a capacity for 30,000 men for training in trench warfare. It additionally acted later as a store for supplies, with its own railway depot feed by a 1 mile (1.6 km) branch line from the LNWR's Crewe and Shrewsbury Railway. As casualties mounted, it became a hospital with a fully fledged barracks. The scale and size of the camp brought about the appointment of the first female police officers in the Shropshire Constabulary, to manage and restrain local women from heading to the camp. After the war ended, the facilities were downgraded, with the British Government keeping ownership of the site for Army training purposes.
This is my second trip to this place. The first time was a couple of years ago. I stumbled across it coming back from filming the cooling towers at Ironbridge. Armed with just my phone and a tripod, the first visit was brief, as I was on my own and got a little spooked. You can see the results of the film
here.
A second visit this week with a non member armed with my trusty 550D. This trip we had much more time to explore. Looking at another post I think we missed a chunk of buildings. Next time maybe?
Anyway, on to the pics. Some of the rooms were pretty dark, but I resisted flash, just relying on the glow of our head torches. Enjoy.
Wires in the darkness
The exchange
Ventilation
Switch
Fallen
I couldn't resist a self portrait
Approaching the hut
Inside
Natural lighting
Belts
Overturned
Watch this space
The door
The view from the other side
The car
Fuel intake
Trashed
Doors
Wheel and boot
Double entry
The corridoor
Enquiries
More enquiries
Leaving
Somebody's bra collection