Winnington B Control Room

Winnington B Power station was demolished in 2007, but the control room survived demolition and has been left in a state of decay. The power station sat inside the Bruner Mond soda ash works site in Northwich, Cheshire. The building is split over three floors with the control room located on the third floor, access to the control room would traditionally been made from the adjoining building which has now been demolished meaning that accessing the control room is a bit of a clime.

Winnington has long been the home to Brunner Mond UK chemical works, where soda ash is created. Polythene, the material used in many plastic items (e.g. plastic bags), was first made at the chemical works by R.O. Gibson and E.W. Fawcett in 1933, during an experiment that ‘went wrong’. Most residents in Winnington were employed by ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries); however, many people now work in the town centre, with Brunner Mond still employing hundreds of people. Most of the houses built closer to the ICI plant were built by the company to house their workers. Winnington also has a combined heat and power station, providing electricity for Brunner Mond. The power station was demolished in 2007, leaving only the vintage control room behind.