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The Old 3M Tower Block and UK Headquarters in Bracknell in Berkshire

Target this time was Winchester House - the old 3M Tower Block and UK Headquarters in Bracknell in Berkshire. The building pretty much dominates the town, and is ugly as all sin. It was abandoned in March 2003 when 3M moved to a new purpose built HQ on the outskirts of town. Current plans propose re-developing the block into apartments, but very few people actually want to live in Bracknell. The 1970's new town architecture means the streets act like wind tunnels, the town centre's got very bad shopping, and it's full of Chavs.

The was only one possible entry point to get into the building, through the front doors where the protective screen had been bent back and window had been smashed by kids. I'd seen it in this state once before and it had been padlocked and covered within about 2 days of being opened. So when I saw it open again I had to get in there. Only problem is that the doors are opposite a busy health centre, and it was a very quick run up and in to get entry. Because it's all glass as well, I didn't really want to hang about in Reception so there's no photos of the entrance.

This is the full building, it's 14 stories high:



The corridors were in a bit of a state, and someone had taken the trouble to get this branch in.



Determined vandals. Lots of walls with holes smashed in them.



Up in the very top of the building there's the air conditioning and similar building machinery. While I was climbing down a ladder from a platform by the wall I made the mistake of looking down. I hadn't been able to see out climbing up, but coming down I could see through the angled slats and could see that the only things between me and a 14 storey drop were some thin slats. Vertigo attack from all hell.



More machinery.



What a nice place to work...



Very glad the extinguishers weren't working.



Strange place to find the server racks - on the near top floor. These things weigh a ton, and are normally set up in the basement or on the ground floor.



More rack stuff.



More rack stuff.



More rack stuff.



More rack stuff.



There were a few smashed windows around the place, and a lot of the internal glass is smashed. This is on the 12th floor (I think).



This seems to have been an executive office. Only one of the sort in the building. Nice cupboard, same shitty fiberboard all around.



Some secure filing cabinets. Couldn't get them open and no clue to what's in them.



Pretty glad I didn't get caught after seeing this sign!



And now we come to the main reason I went in here - the view from the roof. Here's the Fujitsu building across town.



And the Waitrose building.



This view's across town - the 's' shaped road is the A329 to Reading.



Similar view again. You can just see Reading on the horizon, about 15 miles away.



A hotel and tower block in the centre of Bracknell.



View down towards the station.



You might need to play with the brightness on these, meant to do it before I uploaded, but forgot.

A couple of satellite dishes.



Some machinery on the roof.



Some pipes on the roof.



The window cleaning cradle.



Point Royal, Bracknell's only residential tower block. Full of Chavs.



 

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