honorable mention
mark monk-terry
united kingdom
Photo © mark monk-terry
title
Power
entry description
The images in this project were all taken at Thorpe Marsh Power Station near Barnby Dun in South Yorkshire, England. Whenever we stay with family living near the site, I try to make at least one visit to the power station and have therefore observed the location over many years.
The cooling towers had a huge presence in this landscape and after an initial visit to photograph them, I became fascinated by the remnants of this industrial complex, especially the train tracks that carried the fuel on to site – these are now overgrown by a mass of trees and shrubs that are slowly masking the industrial workings from view. The nature reserve was originally contained by the large “dug out” lake where the red shale was won to create the foundations for the site. Now though, nature finds opportunities across the site to spread and develop, creating temporary habitats for a number of species.
Construction of the power station began in 1959 with a first test undertaken in 1963. It was officially opened in 1967 after a blessing from the Bishop of Sheffield. The station covered an area of 45 hectares and was designed to be a prototype for power stations in the UK. It produced one Gigawatt of power but eventually closed in 1994. The site employed 530 staff and had lawns and garden areas, a lake, golf club and facilities for cricket, bowling and dancing. In 2011 permission was given for the construction of a gas fired power station on the site.
There is also a memorial garden and a nature reserve. I hope to photograph both of these areas on my next visit and as always I expect to find myself wandering along the rail tracks, looking for subtle changes before any major development takes place. about the photographer I have been involved in photography for many years, predominantly working in black and white, using large and medium format. Occasionally I also work with digital 35mm cameras. For a time, I focused on objects or details found on walks and made return visits to see how the area or landscape had changed over time. For the past five years I have been working on two new projects – one recording details of 18th and 19th century wall paintings in Rajasthan, India and the other locating and recording landscapes, mainly of historical sites and primarily in Sussex.
The images in this project were all taken at Thorpe Marsh Power Station near Barnby Dun in South Yorkshire, England. Whenever we stay with family living near the site, I try to make at least one visit to the power station and have therefore observed the location over many years.
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The cooling towers had a huge presence in this landscape and after an initial visit to photograph them, I became fascinated by the remnants of this industrial complex, especially the train tracks that carried the fuel on to site – these are now overgrown by a mass of trees and shrubs that are slowly masking the industrial workings from view. The nature reserve was originally contained by the large “dug out” lake where the red shale was won to create the foundations for the site. Now though, nature finds opportunities across the site to spread and develop, creating temporary habitats for a number of species.
Construction of the power station began in 1959 with a first test undertaken in 1963. It was officially opened in 1967 after a blessing from the Bishop of Sheffield. The station covered an area of 45 hectares and was designed to be a prototype for power stations in the UK. It produced one Gigawatt of power but eventually closed in 1994. The site employed 530 staff and had lawns and garden areas, a lake, golf club and facilities for cricket, bowling and dancing. In 2011 permission was given for the construction of a gas fired power station on the site.
There is also a memorial garden and a nature reserve. I hope to photograph both of these areas on my next visit and as always I expect to find myself wandering along the rail tracks, looking for subtle changes before any major development takes place. about the photographer I have been involved in photography for many years, predominantly working in black and white, using large and medium format. Occasionally I also work with digital 35mm cameras. For a time, I focused on objects or details found on walks and made return visits to see how the area or landscape had changed over time. For the past five years I have been working on two new projects – one recording details of 18th and 19th century wall paintings in Rajasthan, India and the other locating and recording landscapes, mainly of historical sites and primarily in Sussex.
The images in this project were all taken at Thorpe Marsh Power Station near Barnby Dun in South Yorkshire, England. Whenever we stay with family living near the site, I try to make at least one visit to the power station and have therefore observed the location over many years.
back to gallery
