Carlsberg/Tetley's, Docklands - December 2007
Having read about this location on 28dayslater, I was pretty eager to get to see it myself! So on a cold sunday morning in December we set off to visit it.
First impressions were - "ITS MASSIVE" and "There's NO security.. You just walk in.. Any of the multiple ways in". Despite this it was in good condition inside [With working fixtures].. and we managed to get caught. [More on that later...] The first 2 floors just appeared to be storage areas, combined with the top floor. [I think it had 4 floors, The third being admin. Although my memory could well be wrong!]
The top floor offered an awesome view as 3 sides of it was just windows. So this offered views of The O2 Dome, ExCeL, Millenium Mills aswell as most of Docklands.
The third floor was a labyrinth of corridors and housed the Advertising Dept and the Technical Dept. Aswell as the toilets - Which seemed to spring to life when the door was opened! [Just a lil scary :P]
One surprising thing is the fire alarms and electricity was all on. But also, one less good thing is the fact I had walked all over the building and only noticed the CCTV cameras when we were on the way out!
Once we had taken in all that the insides had to offer, we took a few photos of the rear warehouse and the side.
As we were walking around the side I spotted movement in the security cabin next door. As we all ran into the cover at the side of the building, I peered around. Sure enough, There was a gaurd in the cabin moving...
We kept an eye on him and saw him on the phone. With no way to get out around the back [More CCTV, And the Thames], we were forced to go out the front. As he walked out of his cabin and behind a lorry, we decided to make a break for it. As we approached the temporary fencing that had been erected at the entrance, he appeared!
We tried talking, but then he confirmed our fears that he had been on the phone to the Police when we saw him first. This combined with our proximity to City Airport [Which could mean there was a few bored armed units in the area - Although that didn't cross my mind at the time!] aswell as the nearest Police Station - We decided it was time to leave.. AND QUICK. So after a little sprint - we were away! [Well, It was more thrilling at the time then simply "Doing a runner" :P]