Gloucester docks warehouse on Derelict Thursday

'Derelict Thursday challenge' as coordinated by An Avid lensman, aka SarumStroller.

The old Gloucester Docks warehouses

I occasionally drive the ten miles to Gloucester to buy specialist Asian food and particularly fresh tofu, which is sold in a cash and carry emporium that mostly supplies the local Chinese and Asian restaurants and take away shops. Their premises are sited in a converted warehouse on a trading estate, which was built about a quarter of mile away from the old docklands, but still close to the city centre of Gloucester.

My picture though is of much older warehouses right on the wharf, which have been left waiting and abandoned like this for a long time, and given current economic conditions they may well remain so for a while yet. Facing them on the opposite side of the Gloucester to Sharpness canal are some sites which have been flattened prior to redevelopment, although a very large Sainsbury's store is the only one of the few new businesses so far built.

These old warehouses will well be hard for developers to take on, as I expect there are some limitations on them since they are fairly unique and may possibly be listed. I love these various structures but am very sad to see them inhabited only by pigeons and other birds, with vegetation growing out of the roof walls and upper floor windows. It may well accelerate their demise. The blue fence is a very recent addition and doesn't add much to the scene.

I had brought with me my recently repaired zoom lens, which I have missed enormously, and wanted to check that it was in and I must say it seems to be in full working order. It was such a relief to put it back on the camera. The cost to my wallet wasn't so pleasant.

I tried from a few different viewpoints and would have preferred to have shown a wider view of the range of warehouses spread along the canal wharf. But I couldn't get an uncluttered view. If you are interested you can see some older pictures of the Docklands here