Royal Doulton

The Nile St. factory closed in 2005 with the loss of 500 jobs. The site was then aquired by developers St. Modwen for 2.5 million.

Since the factory closed it is surprising at how much damage has been inflicted on the place. Virtually every window in sight is smashed as well as entire roof sections smashed.

There have been at least 5 arson attacks on Doultons as well in the past 2 years alone. The site is also very popular with copper thieves who are constantly in and out of there stealing any wire they can find.

When you first see Royal Doulton the first thing that strikes you is the size of the place. It is massive, it actually looks in parts like a housing estate as it has its own internal streets running it through out the site.

However it has seen better days. Since its closure it has been vandalized, Stripped, Set on fire and smashed to pieces with hardly any of the original features remaining.

The only things that do remain are some of the production lines and heavy machinery. The most complete sections now are the old production lines and the old engine house at the far end of the site.

Its always a pleasure to explore huge industrial sites but what makes them even more pleasurable is when they have a history. Royal Doutlon is no exception.

As one of the most famous producers of pottery in history it was an awesome experience to actually explore here and witness first hand where some of the finest pottery in the world was once produced.

When we visited back in 2007 Doultons was already in bad condition. Since 2007 things have gotten worse, as of early 2009 demolition work began. Now 90% of the site has been completely levelled.