Rewind many years back, probably to around 2007/8 when I was first becoming an 'armchair explorer', surfing the many forums around back then admiring photos of abandoned locations. Sometime in that dim and distant past I saw photos of a massive printworks which was located in a city not too far from me. Time moved on and I forgot about it, and no photos surfaced for years so as I got more and more into my exploring I assumed it had quietly been torn down and redeveloped.

So imagine my surprise when, in the tail end of 2011 my friend who was local to it said to me 'oh no, De La Rue is still there!' I could have throttled him for not telling me, but equally wanted to hug him as it meant I could go and have a nose around one of the first sites I remember seeing photos of.

De La Rue is one of the largest high security printworks companies in the country and in 1997 bought out the Harrison & Sons Printworks in High Wycombe, as they were encroaching on their business. At the facility De La Rue produced banknotes, passports, travellers cheques, postage stamps, saving stamps, driving licenses, cheque books and vouchers for countries all over the world. In 2002 De La Rue closed down the High Wycombe plant and it sat derelict until the winter of 2011/2012, when it was demolished.

The place was massive and mostly empty but had some wonderful decay, wasn't badly trashed at all even after over a decade of being abandoned and had a brilliant store room full of all manner of acetate slides and copies of saving stamps, vouchers and other stuff to root through.

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6. What could possibly be hiding behind the biggest blast/vault door I've ever seen?



7. Why, the most enormous vault I have ever seen! For reference, that black mark on the right hand side duct at the end is about my height.



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The boiler house was one of the most impressively intact examples I have seen, although that was helped by the only way into it being a walk past an open shutter door with a direct line of sight through to the security cabin!

Overall it's a shame it got demolished so soon after I finally explored it, but at least I didn't miss the opportunity.

So looks like it was a great explore! Shame to hear it's gone but thanks for sharing!

Those stamps are unbelievable, looks like an incredible location, nice work

Great location but my favorite thing was a safety sign that simply said "Eyes can not be replaced"

Posted by Cherokee Great location but my favorite thing was a safety sign that simply said "Eyes can not be replaced"

You could almost call it the "money shot"

Excellent!

The 'eyes cannot be replaced' sign is still the best sign I've found in an abandoned location.

Posted by QuestionSevens Those stamps are unbelievable, looks like an incredible location, nice work

It's odd how they were all left behind, the only area that really had anything left in it as all the machinery had been removed to be reused when it closed.

Here are some more examples.



















The last one for the Birmingham Municipal Bank interested me more than the others because that bank, the only Municipal bank in Birmingham was closed about a decade ago and was explorable up until it's conversion a few years back. Sadly the one time I tried to get in was a fail as the BBC was filming scenes for a drama series in the grounds outside!

Here are some more examples

Love how the light comes through and makes the colors stand out, also just the typography and design of the stamps is something that really brings out the past. Love those shots, neat find

Stunning Industrial Goodness.

Those stamps would make for a nice wall piece, get a backlit frame and mount.

Posted by Axle Stunning Industrial Goodness. Those stamps would make for a nice wall piece, get a backlit frame and mount.

Was thinking the same.

Awesome Stamps... Would be a shame for them to get all moldy, water damaged, or thrown away.

Those stamps! Ah so beautiful

Excellent tour!
And as always, love your smooth, clean shadows.

Thats a find. It would take everything in me not to pocket a couple of those stamp prints. Those are bitching