Our road trip was coming to a close, we had visited several locations which really could only exist in Belgium. Its laid back attitude, variety of locations and lack of security will ensure that explorers will continue to venture forth to its treasures. So before we bid farewell and raised our final glass on the ferry home, we had one more site to see.

ECVB is a fairly unique in terms of abandoned industry. Its still your everyday power station, it has turbines, exhaust pipes, gauges, control rooms, pretty much everything you would expect. However unlike other sites we have visited this one had so far remained untouched by the inbred sons of humanity. ECVB was the first example i had seen of a genuinely decaying building. There was no vandalism, no graffiti with “Dave was ere” plastered on every surface and no lonely chairs thrown out of windows.

The only damage here is the result of natures efforts to reclaim its territory. Moss infected the turbines and machinery like an industrial disease, plants and grass grew from edges of the rusty metalwork and roots ripped their way through the tiled floor. The giant windows which surrounded the turbine hall clearly giving nature the advantage.

We spent several hours wandering the building, taking in all it had to offer like a kid in a candy store before deciding to leave. For now ECVB sits under the radar of those who would damage it, thankfully due to its proximity to the active plant, but it wont be long before they figure out its fair game. Once this happens ECVB’s fate is sealed.

But for now shove your Inverkips, this is better.