I’ll be first to admit that in terms of topography, Nottinghamshire is not the most exciting county in England. It is extremely flat with the exception of the ridges that enclose the Trent valley, but this extreme flatness means that an observer at the very southern end of the county can see all the way to the very north, and in my lifetime the uncanny flatness of the region was broken up by three quite incredible structures protruding from the otherwise largely featureless landscape: High Marnham, Cottam, and West Burton power stations. High Marnham was demolished before I was old enough to really appreciate it, though for the remaining two, I first truly noticed them when I moved into secondary school. Even from a reasonable distance, I’d catch myself ogling at the impressive size of the stations and sculptural beauty of their cooling towers during PE lessons on the school field. Of course, during that time the stations were still generating power and would be for a few more years. I enjoyed watching the steam shift and change shapes as it emerged from the great cooling towers. I was always taken aback by the sheer scale of these two structures – which was only amplified by their contrast against the flatness of the valley. Wherever I went across England, I would try and see the two power stations and each time I ventured further away I would be awestruck at still being able to see them on the horizon. First from Newark, then Lincoln, Louth, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Peterborough, and even into Staffordshire I would squint my eyes to the horizon and pick out at least one of the two power stations.

During my time in secondary school I watched both power stations fall quiet: Cottam in 2019, and West Burton in 2023. By the time I was in year 12 – which would be 2022 – I learned of the commencement of demolition of both power stations and lurched myself into an utter obsession with them. I suppose at the time I merely wanted to make sure I appreciated them as much as I could whilst they still stood, but it quickly became more than that. I took trips out to photograph them, or simply to walk around and admire them. I found myself gripped by many things about them. Being in awe of their incredible size; the way they sit in the landscape; the beautiful structure of the cooling towers; watching them silently chug out steam from a distance.

Power Station Enthusiast, Trent Valley native.

Power stations aren't my entire personality by the way, just the aspect that I enjoy photographing most. There are glimpses into my other interests through my uploaded photos too.