Ratcliffe Power Station was one of many built in Britain in the 1960s and 1970’s but it’s claim to fame was that when it closed at the end of September 2024 it was the last coal burning station in the country.
Positioned to take advantage of the abundance of coal that was mined by the dozens of pits in the nearby Nottinghamshire coalfield, it was commissioned in 1968. It is visible for miles around and although I’d driven past it many times, I’d never got round to stopping and having a look. A trip to the east Midlands in late November 2024 allowed me the opportunity to finally have a look, albeit after the site had shut.
Cooling towers have fascinated me for a long time, probably since my dad took me to see the ones at Kearsley Power Station in Bolton being blown up in 1985. But I’d been staring out of the train window at them for many years as I did the ones at nearby Agecroft until those too were removed from the landscape in 1994. But their huge presence on the landscape has continued to intrigue me, more so since they are becoming an increasingly rare site.
The late autumn sun was bright and low in the sky to the south, which made for some great light on them, so I’ve included both a colour and monochrome version.
The only thing I don’t like is the fact that, although at first glance the central cooling tower looks central, you’ll notice that it isn’t – there is a gap between the edge of the rim on the left had one and the central one, but there isn’t on the right hand one. I know it’s a tiny detail, and almost impossible to see in the viewfinder, but once I saw it on my monitor I couldn’t un-see it. Am I being overly fussy? Hell yes, but I work on the basis that if you’re going to centre something in the frame, then make sure it’s damn well centred!!
Mechanical Landscapes 
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