Second Revisit to Lancaster

After my third trip to Lancaster I came out with yet more different images from the brewery from alternative views. Also I was able to look more through the uniform brochure and take pictures of the items of clothing within that to inspire my fashion shoot and garment.
Whilst walking around Lancaster I found the Mitchells pub that worked alongside the brewery. This wasnt very exciting on the outside, and the inside wasnt accessible, but the decayed sign was interesting.

I was able to show the full scale of the rooms and everything within them. These images show off how well this room has been preserved, and shows that it hasnt changed much since its closure. Important and confidential documents have been left behind along with folders, books and even chemicals. 

I was able to take clearer images from the uniform brochure within the office area. There remind me of gas masks from war and relate well to Aitor Throup's designs. 

Machinery has just been left around the rooms of the brewery, this is just a small selection of the electricals scattered around. 

Excessive amounts of typography on the tanks and doors of the building. Some eccentric and some basic. 

Sign on the pub associated with the brewery, also left to ruin.

Sign-age on the outside doors, the symbols are bold and the print is clear. 

Images of the outside of the brewery (as previous) 

Lancaster

Whilst visiting Lancaster I had a look around the streets in the city centre. On an abandoned boarded up shop were these layers of posters. I found the detail really interesting and that years of posters have been layered on top of each other and then gradually decayed over time.

Revisit to Brewery

Whilst I was near Lancaster I decided a revisit was important, more for a look around than the images. By doing this I ensured that my ideas were relevant to the building and that they did it justice. Whilst I was in I was able to get a few images of the room as a whole and some more of the uniforms from the brochure, unfortunatly the images arnt the best quality because I only had my phone on me, but it gives a general idea of the space and the feel of the inside. 

The above room was where I found the breathing equipment and mask. 

This is one of the massive tanks in what appeared to be one of the main brewing rooms. 

Structured elements of these uniform inspire me to create something which can be worn by both sexes. The manly nature of these uniforms reflect the masculinity of the rest of the building.  

I want to look into some fashion designers that use the jumpsuit idea and garments that are fully structured but simple in shape. 

In the brochure there were images similar to the mask that I found in the double height room, I didnt have time to take more than this image, but there were plenty featured throughout. As I said previously I would like to experiment working with a gas mask or breathing equipment in a fashion photoshoot, if it was related to my final piece I think it could work well. 

Unfortunately I was extremely restricted on this visit due to time constraints and the equipment I had taken, I would like to revisit another time and get a few more images with a DSLR camera. I plan on doing this very soon, so that I can get more primary research to work with. 

Abandoned Brewery

The above image shows how typography features within the brewery. There were lots of items listed with numbers as if there was a system to how the machinery and items should be used. It was very uniformed and precise. Some of the tanks including this one seemed to be older, there were also some shiny new looking solid silver ones. 

There were many signs scattered around the brewery all with instructions. The signs themselves regulated what happened and there were plenty of them to explore. 

Once again the numbering system was used on the machinery. It looked like this one was almost new, theres a feeling that one day everything was just packed up and the workers left. It seems strange that it was around 1997 that the brewery closed for business. 

This particular tin took my interest because of the font that has been used. The 'Malt' is curly and feminine and like none of the other typography that I found inside. 

I found this in the clinical area of the brewery that appeared to be an office come staff room. It shows how mould and nature grows on man made objects when we leave them, the patterns and colours are beautiful, theres something about the fact that nature can eventually destroy man made objects. 

Mitchell's owned the brewery just before its closure, they had few people working for them by the end and this was from the top of what appeared to be a delivery note. It is Mitchell's official logo and its saddening to think that this was the end of the functioning brewery. When exploring some of the objects are quite upsetting, to think that years earlier this was peoples likelihood and they obviously took pride in the machinery that is now decaying away. I want to be able to preserve some of this emotion and importance myself as I now feel a connection to the building. 

Decaying metal has an interesting texture and a natural blend of colours. It was that corroded that it was flaking away. 

I am unsure what these bottles were used for but they were scattered all over on of the rooms. Im guessing they may have been used to store chemicals or samples. 

This work mans hat was near a mass of machinery and lifting equipment, it might be interesting to look at using one like it in a fashion photoshoot. 

This was a control panel for one of the machines, it has clearly been affected by being left unused for so long. I found beauty in it. The controls seems so perfectly placed, its a lot more beautiful than the machinery we use today, care has clearly gone into making it. 

I think that Yates and Jackson were the brewers that had the building before Mitchell's, but I can not be sure as the history about the building is very limited and there doesn't seem to be much about it. 

A machine that I discovered in one of the back top floor rooms of the building looks antique and the room as a whole feels like an old style brewery and not modern at all. It was nice to see that old techniques were still being used on the closure. 

Sulphuric Acid and it appeared to have never been opened with liquid still in it. Little bit scary. 

A blackboard used in everyday life of the brewery. The font used is very masculine  which is reflective of the rest of the building. 

When I went into the front of the building, this was in the old bar area. The room was decorated like an old pub and these were littered all over the floor, with the official Mitchell's logo.

Breathing equipment was found in the open, double hight room. I believe it may have been used when cleaning out the tanks. It was strange that such an object has just been left, it must have been used by the workers. Using a gas mask or breathing equipment in the end fashion photoshoot may be interesting. When I saw this it reminded me of the masks used in war. Some of the typography also reminds me of war time. 

Found in the bar area.

Outside

It seems strange that the building has just been left, it is so close to the city centre of Lancaster and it just seems to have been forgotten and left to ruin. The outside hides the preserved inside of the building. It looks a lot worse on the outside than it is, I enjoy that the building is hidden and has a hidden history. The skyline is structured, the building jolt out of the ground and is so dominant. Theres something unusual about how this building is so obvious and prominent, but forgotten.