Hartshead Power Station

Hiding in the woods, east of Manchester

Hartshead Power Station lies to the east of Manchester and to the North West of Stalybridge.

 Preparations for a power station at Heyrod began in 1916 when 26 acres (110,000 m²) of land were purchased. The station was opened in 1926 by the Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield Transport and Electricity Board.^[1] The cooling towers were constructed in the 1940s. Coal was delivered to the plant at Millbrook railway sidings on the Micklehurst Line, situated on the opposite side of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. The sidings were built in 1932 and had space to hold up to 130 12-ton wagons. Coal was fed into a hopper underneath the sidings before being transported on an enclosed conveyor belt which emerged high above the valley to cross the River Tame and canal before entering the station at a high level.^[2] The station was closed on 29 October 1979 with a generating capacity of 64 megawatts.^[3] It was demolished during the 1980s, although part of the site is still used as an electrical substation.

The distribution room.

The pictures make this place look rather better than it is. Its a dump.

Good colours though.

The kitchen.

All nicely overgrown.

Main entrance.

Main entrance from within.

Lurking in the trees.

Throw the switch and the lights would go off across Hadfield and Hattersley.

...and Ashton under Lyne.

Fragglehunter throws a shape over a cable conduit. Note wet trousers. Typical Urbex feature.

Dining hall in all its splendour.

How it was. Coal shed in foreground fed fuel on conveyors 24/7. Control building lies behind left hand 

cooling tower.

Coal shed today.