Vishwawalking

Lakefield Cement Factory

Preliminaries: Before or after your walk, stop at Hamblin's Restaurant for an ice cream. The place has been around for over 100 years, one waitress told me, although the Hamblins haven't owned it for 20 to 30 years. I remember it as a child.








As you leave Hamblin's, check out the bridge across the Otonabee River, which will give you good views of the hydro dam. Then you can head down Water Street (past the IGA), to get a view of the lower part of the dam (right).










A close-up view of the huge stack. It sits outside the fence.









The cement plant

Crumbling parts of the old plant surviving within the SGS plant's yard give an idea of how large the plant once was. Left, a storage area is backed by an old cement wall.

Below, a small building with arched entrances sits apart from the larger plant, near the SGS storage area. Left, an outside view and right, a view inside.




This message is inside one of the silos. Unfortunately, most of the graffiti in the plant is unimaginative, obvious or racist. Good graffiti artists are a fine discovery; my experience is that they are easier to find in cities than in smaller urban areas.





Above: The photos don't really reflect the huge size of the silos. Right, a large square chute rises to the roof. The cement in this chute, although from the early 20th century, looks almost new in places.



A little alleyway separates the south end of the main plant building and a smaller building, which SGS uses. The covered stairway (right) spans the alleyway, connecting the two buildings.




 
Left: A stairway, looking down. There are a series of about seven  stairways like this from the basement to the top of the building.

 Above, right: The ramp, looking back from the north end. Notice the silos  on either side.














Looking down into a silo. The photo doesn't give a good impression of the size of these structures.




The upper hall, looking back from the north. There are openings along the walls that afford great views of the surrounding countryside. (See the bottom of this page for examples.)














Wheels and more wheels: some examples of wheels and axles at the south end of the building

A long auger-like piece of machinery, shot from the top looking down. There are more of these in the tunnels at the very bottom of the building.

 Left: a container that seems to run on some sort of tracks.

 Above: The bottom of a container with strange "paddles"  attached.


Below, left: The entrance to one of the tunnels. These are dark and take some negotiating.
Below right, top: An auger in one of the troughs that run the length of the tunnels in the building's basement.
Below right, bottom: Bars at the end of the tunnel, looking out.

And finally...Lakefield from on high. A few shots of the town from the top of the cement factory. Lakefield has some great trails and streets to walk through and explore. Upriver from the bridge, on the west side of the river is a beach and a marsh area that's well worth a visit.

Top: Looking toward the Otonabee river, with the bridge in the background. The top of the generating station is visible downriver from the bridge. Water Street runs along the river and part of Lakefield's Millenium Trail passes through here too.

Middle: A longer shot into town.

Lower: a closer view, featuring the church.
 









A storage area for the SGS plant. Note the remains of a retaining wall from the old cement factory.







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