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As soon as I saw this place it called out to me as somewhere I needed to see, if only for photos of the very strange multi-coloured conveyor system and machinery.
After taking the long way round to get in avoiding the locals whose houses overlook the factory at close range myself and Landie Man began a search for a way in, and after a bit of checking around found the way. A very enjoyable explore was had, it's not the biggest factory out there by any means and we probably missed some stuff in the outbuildings but after the efforts of the day and the day before we left in search of food, but not before dinging my leg quite badly on a tree after the branch I was using to help me over the fence snapped off in my hand.
History...the oldest part of HJ Berry's furniture manufacturing company was the old Kirk Mill which shut down in 1886 before being acquired for furniture making. The rest of the factory was built across the river at a later date, and in 2010 closed down after calling in administrators. At the time of the closure, HJ Berry was the country's oldest surviving furniture manufacturer and the owners turned down a £1million offer to save the company from shutting down for good.
The original Kirk Mill building is currently being redeveloped, whilst the main factory sits abandoned for the time being.
Afterwards we headed off in search of food and I highly recommend Tillotsons Arms in the village, very good food at very good prices and they welcome 'hikers, bikers, and muddy shoes' which was perfect for us on that particular day.
Thanks for looking, more on my Flickr
