An absolutely fabulous house in Luxembourg, check out the bed still with the linen and that spiral staircase, such a shame this is unloved and un lived in.
Belgium Maison B 2013
Visited this house in Belgium with Romany WG and Wojtek on a road trip, it had a lovely room with a wooden bed and a fantastic singer sewing machine, like taking a step back in time.
Luxembourg Maison K 2013
Visited this amazing house in Luxembourg with Wojtek and James, the amount of thinsg left inside was incredible, it felt like the old man had never left the house. His slippers still under the bed, love letters still in the draws.
In the loft a rusting bike and cobwebs strewn across the furnbiture, we sepnt ages in here, often I would just stand breathing in the cold, eerie atmosphere of memories lost.
Belgium Cooling Tower Revisited 2013
I love the cooling tower and its been over half a year since I first visited last, the last time underneath was completely flooded so this time we wanted to get underneath. It was not an easy feet as although the water level was a lot less then the last time I was there, there was still only a small gap between the water level and the side of the cooling tower, it was our last stop on the trip so down I went on my knees in the mud and water to crawl inside.
It was totally worth it and even the 6 hours I sat in a car/ ferry with wet feet underneath looking up was truly magical, like something from a different world.
UK Hospital G 2013
A quick visit to this hospital up North as we were passing through, it had two rooms full of old hospital items, wheel chairs, crutches, a bath, old photos, a stretcher, hospital beds, a large format camera amongst other things. It makes me so happy to stubble across gems like these and makes me respect urban explorers all the more for taking only photo.
Belgium Maison V 2013
This was a lovely house we visited in Belgium, with Wojtek and Romany WG. I actually tried to get here on a previous trip, but we managed to try and get into the house next door as the door was open and it too looked like it was abandoned too, embarrassingly it was actually a person house who's door was open and the lady wasn't too happy that we tried to explore her house. She stood with her arms crossed until we drove away.
I'd actually forgot this was the house when I entered the co ords again and when we turned up it brought back all the memories, this times we went into the right one. I absolutely adored the library room full of books and the religious statues in the bedroom. I'm not religious but I love the iconography of Christianity.
Belgium Theatre V 2013
This was quite a special explore for me, the first time I visited here we didn't get in and after I had dreams of the place. I dreamt that the whole theatre was abandoned but for some reason it was full of people all dressed up in ballgowns and suits, drinking champagne and they kept getting in my way because all I wanted to do was take photos.
After this dream I knew I had to make another go and this time we got in, it was such a beautiful place and I'm so glad I got in, it was a massive place and it certainly felt like taking a step back in time and you could almost hear the applause of the hundreds of shows that happened on the stage.
Belgium University L 2013
A nice university to explore with Wojtek and Romany WG, loved the chemistry labs in this one
Belgium Theatre J 2013
Explored this great theatre with Wojtek and Romany WG, Loved some of the features in this place and the lighting was lovely in here.
France Theatre R 2013
Visiting this beautiful theatre was amazing, it was so so beautiful, there are actually plans to restore this one which is amazing, its most definitely a true work of art and I will be very happy to see it restored to its former glory.
Belgium Bowling Mill
Just a quick visit to this abandoned bowling mill with Wojtek and Romany WG, nothing really special, but worth a quick visit.
Review Rover AW 45L 2013
I have been planning a trip to Poland for a while now, I am currently photographing abandoned places of the Former Soviet Union, a project that will take me across the countries of the Former Soviet Union and its satellite states.
My first trip took me to the Ukraine to visit Chernobyl, this time I travelled to Poland to photograph a former soviet military hospital in Lower Silesia and Auschwitz, where many Soviet Prisoners were kept and killed during world war ii. While in Poland I also travelled to the Liban Quarry and an abandoned chapel.
Belgium Tree Mansion 2013
This simple little house had great atmosphere, maybe it was the dead cat in the bedroom, whether it had been a longing pet whos owner had died and left him with no food or just a stray, it defiantly pulled my heart strings from the word go.
The straw strewn across the floors of the house was all a bit strange until we reached the loft and found it full of hay bales. There was a strange eerie light up there.. strings tied from one end to another and a lonely chair made it feel like a presence still lingered, a haunting place indeed.
Poland Soviet Military Hospital 2012
Me and Danny travelled to Poland to visit Auschwitz for a day then go further North to meet lovely Kwolas, who I'd been put in touch with by my friend Dawid who said he was a lovely guy and would probably show us some nice places when we were in Poland. I only really wanted to see the chapel, but soon Kwolas was planning lots of great locations to take us to and make a two day road trip.
We started in the amazing soviet hospital, it wasn't exactly straight forward to get inside but we were pretty lucky to get in and I'm very thankful. The hospital had the longest corridors I have ever seen and we spent a long time exploring the basement where we found a stretcher, medications and lots of other bits.
It was the beginning of our adventure with Kwolas, we also went to the chapel that day and church Antonii, we spent a great night drinking Polish vodka with Kwolas and his wonderful friend, great times indeed.
The next day we woke to go visit the coffin church and then a warehouse which stored the props of an opera. We were quite pushed with time as it was winter and with heavy fog and snow some roads too a while to drive on. But Kwolas was a superstar and it was such a great trip, thank you so much for taking us to such wonderful places. I feel so lucky for these opportunities to meet up with explorers all over the world.
Belgium Tapioca Farm 2012
Tucked away in the country of Belgium myself, Wojtek, Severed Frequencies and Cmdr Cord visited this gem of a house, a true time capsule covered with con webs slowly deteriorating with time but yet as if the owners had never left, food still in the larder, the bed still made and a table ready for dinner.
Belgium Chateau Noisy 2012
I've wanted to vist Chateau Noisy for a long time now, a true castle that was used as a school, the architecture inside was amazing! We weren't disappointed with this one, its a shame that it was wrecked by a fire which has accelerated the decay, but epic all the same.
Poland The Chapel 2012
Our second explore on our Poland trip with Kwolas and Danny was to the incredible chapel, ever since seeing the photos from this beautiful chapel I knew I had to see it with my eyes and nothing could have prepared for seeing it for real. We also meet up with a couple of other explorers abandoned zone and Jakob, they couldnt understand me as I spoke English, but rather amusingly when I said my name was Rebecca they instantly named me Urbecca which was cute.
The light poured in from holes in the roof and filled it like an amphitheatre of light, I am not religious but it felt godly, ethereal and heavenly. After photographing the lower level, I took a death climb to the highest level of the chapel, with parts of the stairs falling in and only the wooden beams left on the top level I had to balance precariously with one foot on one beam the other on the other beam and a pure drop of two floors of air below, the beams felt sturdy though, which made the whole experience a little less terrifying
I propped my tripod against the front of the middle circle of wood, it wasn't ideal, but there certainly wasn't any more places for legs to go up there. The view was so stunning from there, I stood for a few moments to take it all in a fleeting moment.
- Henri Cartier-Bresson
Poland Coffin Church 2012
After a long drive from our hostel, down a very long winding broken up Polish road in the snow and dense fog we finally reached this 700 year old church. The crypt was full of coffins, all empty as during the Soviet occupancy the bodies had been robbed of anything worth any money.
Later the people nearby went back to bury the bodies in the yard. Quite shockingly they missed one and it still lies under the church in remains.
Poland Turnadot 2012
Our last explore on our two day road trip around Lower Silesia with Kwolas took us to an abandoned warehouse, which stored the set from the opera Turnadot, it was really interesting walking round seeing the amazing props left to decay as the sun went down. Most of all a 15 foot soldier with no head and his giant terracotta army below him. The giant puppets where amazing and a whole room full of scenery and items. It was a little dark to photograph at this stage but a pretty awesome place for sure.
Kwolas seemed happy that we had got inside as not many explorers have seen this, getting out was a little harder then getting in and I saved Kwolas's face from being stabbed with glass by the skin of his nose, it was a tight squeeze to say the least.
Poland Church Antonii 2012
Unfortunately I dont have any information on this beautiful church, infact I only managed to take one photograph while we were there as it went from light to dark within 5 minutes of us getting inside. Which was a shame, I explored with Danny, Kwolas and Jakob. Getting in was a bit of a climb, getting out was really funny. See if I can jump from a place as opposed to climbing down i'm pretty dam good at it and actually enjoy jumping from high places.
So once Jakob and Kwolas had climbed down they pointed to a area all covered with moss and leaves and said its soft. So I jumped, it was the most hilarious moment of the trip because I actually bounced and it was amazingly fun, that I almost wanted to climb back up again and bounce all over again
Belgium L'Ecole Labyrinth 2012
Me and Wojtek sat chatting on facebook just a couple of days before Christmas day saying how we wanted to go explore, we looked for things in the UK, but with not a lot of great stuff around we thought, what the hell lets go to the land of exploring Belgium for a couple of days, so we asked Severed Frequencies and Cmdr Cord if they would like to join us and before long we were booking ferries for two days after Christmas Day. It was a good couple for days, 800 miles all driven by the wonderful Wojtek and lots of great locations explored.
This was our first explore on the second day after a cool night with the guys drinking vodka and Belgium beer snuggled up in extra warm sleeping bags, we go up bright and early to go look at this old school. There wasnt to many photos to take in here, but the corridors and gym were amazing, there was a really nice atmosphere walking around and was a great start to the day
Belgium Maison De Cerf 2012
Me and Wojtek sat chatting on facebook just a couple of days before Christmas day saying how we wanted to go explore, we looked for things in the UK, but with not a lot of great stuff around we thought, what the hell lets go to the land of exploring Belgium for a couple of days, so we asked Severed Frequencies and Cmdr Cord if they would like to join us and before long we were booking ferries for two days after Christmas Day. It was a good couple for days, 800 miles all driven by the wonderful Wojtek and lots of great locations explored.
This was an abandoned dentists house, which was rather interesting, loved the old dentist chair and all the teeth moulds still left in the drawers. The house was also pretty nice.
Poland Liban Quarry 2012
I visted the Liban Quarry on our last day in Poland, it was - 15 when we dragged ourselves out of bed after 2 long days exploring, but it was compeltly worth it. Despite the fact we walked the wrong way to get to the quarry, we managed to jump in a taxi and was dropped nearby. Carefully we trekked down the icy quarry to arrive in what is a mixture of real and fantasy.
The quarry is a place where victims of the Nazis worked in a labour camp, before Nazi occupation the quarry was run by a Jewish family but during the war it was taken over and became a place of cruelty and labour.
In 1993 Steven Spielberg ussed the quarry as a set for the film Schindlers list, parts of the set remain with parts of the real quarry, including a path of tombstones. It felt eeries in the quarry a cold silence sperad across the grounds. We are glad we made the effort to go and see it on our last day as it was a beautiful place.
UK Soviet Submarine 2012
I visited this amazing Soviet Submarine with James, it was truly magnificent and very very enjoyable to look around. The most amazing was seeing the torpedo tubes, in all their glory with bright red Soviet stars painted on their front. Also the living quarters and imagining how over 70 men could live in there for up to three days at a time in complete silence, quite remarkable really.
Poland Auschwitz 2012
It's hard to find words for the experience I had at Auschwitz, it started with exhaustion from the journey and walk to get there, followed by a coldness, eerie chilling feeling. Followed by a surreal mist and feeling of solitude. Later came sadness, horror, cruelty, the last place we visited actually being the most heartbreaking of all and one I will not forget, my heart overwhelmed by a choking feeling of desperation to get out if there.
An experience I will not forget, it has affected me more even then my trip to Chernobyl it made me realise the true cruelty of humanity and envision horrors more then anyone should endure.
Auschwitz concentration camp was a network of concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II.
It was the largest of the German concentration camps, consisting of Auschwitz I (the Stammlager or base camp); Auschwitz II–Birkenau (the Vernichtungslager or extermination camp); Auschwitz III–Monowitz, also known as Buna–Monowitz (a labor camp); and 45 satellite camps.
About a million Jews died at Auschwitz. Another 75,000 non-Jewish Poles, 18,000 Roma (Gypsies), and 15,000 Soviet prisoners of war were killed there.
On January 27, 1945, Auschwitz was liberated by Soviet troops, a day commemorated around the world as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
UK The Underwater Ballroom 2012
This has to be one of my most exciting explores to date, never have I had to do something so utterly bizarre as get in a boat to cross a lake to get to a location. At 4.30 I meet Severed Frequencies and Liam to drive to this location, stuff made from fairytales, I wasn't even sure if it could actually even exist. An underwater ballroom, lying deep beneath a lake on a luxurious estate, built in Victorian times.
Daily Mail
Its no secret, tales of the ballroom have been in recent news and most fellow explorers will know you cant get to the ballroom by land as we would never break an enter any building and the door to the hut that takes you to the ballroom is locked and alarmed, it left no option but to make it across the lake and not wanting to get our equipment wet there was only one other option.. boat!
In the pitch black we made it through the trees and to the lake bank where we blew up the 5 man boat, its not an explore for the faint hearted and as Liam rowed for our lives we didn't exactly go in a straight line towards the middle of the lake and as the duck quaked all around us and in the distance we saw lights inside the nearby estate, we all held our breathes and hoped we wouldn't be spotted.
Soon we were inside the ballroom, being underneath water felt strange like being in one of those underwater aquariums or a glass bottom boat, but nothing really could prepare you for being in a room, where the entire ceiling is made from thick glass and nothing but water above you, a long tear shaped corridor connected to a spiral staircase which I believe takes you to hut which is the entrance from the outside. It was truly the stuff from fairytales.
The sun started to come up and light came through the glass for the first time, despite the algae that had obviously been growing for years, it looked very beautiful, the whole room glowed green, we photographed for a good hour or two before decided to attempt an exit. It was slightly more nerve wracking knowing we had to cross the lake in brood daylight, the hope was we could get across the lake without being seen by the owner who apparently has a quad bike and a shot gun ready to catch any explorers who dare to enter his beloved ballroom. At one point Liam went slap bang into the middle of the branches on the trees from the bank in the building, I filmed the whole thing and couldn't stop laughing the whole time.
Once back on dry land we all looked at each other, pretty much in disbelief at what we had just done, that we had made it and got back safely. What an explore!! seeing things like this is just so special and I cant beleive how lucky I am to have such incredible experiences as this.
UK Battersea Powerstation 2012
For an hour we plotted our ascent to the top. A number of hurdles meant we had to give up, a ladder that would take us to the floor above had been chained and the climb too dangerous and with contractors in view, we couldnt make it to a door on the other side.
So in our last hope at at least getting some shots, we hide behind a bank ready to leg it to the B Side, this was when we were spotted and chased, I have never run so fast in all my life, just as we had almost got away secca grabbed Liam by the foot and almost had him, but he got away and we legged it into the crowds queing to watch the fireworks. We stood for a couple of minutes to catch our breath in disbelief at what we had just done and what had just happened and how close we were to probably spending the night in a police cell, we were disappointed we couldnt watch the fireworks from Battersea but we found a spot to photograph them on a bank by Chelsea bridge.
Looking back I feel so happy that I stood inside the maginificent walls of Battersea for an hour, marvelling at one of the most epic stuctures I have ever been in. I feel so lucky to have managed to explore it, if not a llittle peeved with myself for not taking one photo.
I have gone past it over a hundred times on the train to London and have time and time again plotted that one day I would make it inside and now Ive done it, I'm left wanting to do it again and again.
UK Steelworks 2012
A very early morning explore with Severed Frequencies, ian and James, no difficulty getting inside, but once inside we knew we would have to be be in stealth mode. The steelworks were very big but very open and security very hot and doing regular patrols, even with the rain bucketing down we knew we would have to be careful.
We walked around for a good couple of hours taking photos in the darkness, we left what was a massive conveyor belt to last, it was near where the security hut was at the front of the steelworks, it wasn't surprising that after so long exploring in thee eventually security would show there face and tell us to go. But cant blame him, he was doing his job well and even with the bucketing rain was doing patrols to catch us pesky urban explorers.
UK The Dolls House 2012
I visited this abandoned house with Severed Frequencies and Ian, the rooms were un photographable, as the floor had gone in so many places and were very messy, but some of the artefacts we found were very interesting, I don't know if i believe in ghosts, but the atmosphere inside the house was very strange. I find all houses where the contents have been left very eerie.
We were not there for long, but we found many things, false teeth, old suitcases, a doll, an army hat, a military badge, music scores, photos, letters, books, someones life frozen in time.
UK Westpark Histopathology Department 2012
Just in time for halloween me Danny, Ian and James headed to what is remaining of Westpark to check out what is left, for a eerie Sunday morning explore. Before the redevelopment I visited West Park asylum many many times and it will always remain solidly routed in my heart as having some of the most surreal experiences of my life.
Now that the whole site is redeveloped into housing I find it very odd that all that remains is the mortuary full of brain samples and signs of testing on the dead. I find it a little unnerving and disrespectful that 60 years on pieces of patients brains are still left lying around and totally odd that even though 90% of the asylum has now gone this is all that remains.
We found slide upon slide of brain matter all with patients names, when they died and all kind of other information. On a lighter note a few mummified rats, a cat and a squirrel also shared the same room, seemingly the whole atmosphere being morbid, deathly and horrific since the moment we stepped into the lab, a twisted laboratory of sliced brain material like trophies kept in the same way Dexter does.
UK Masionic Boys School 2012
We wandered around for quite some time, before walking straight out of the main entrance, we stood in front of the clock tower taking shots while the security guard either slept 8 ft away in his cabin, or was totally engrossed watching TV, his bad he was so upset when we walked past him, 'I'll call the police on you' he threatened, he really should have been paying more attention and done that 2 hours ago when we came in.
UK Babies Castle 2012
Visted Babies Castle with Wojtek, to be honest it was pretty rubbish, all stripped and no nice features, its a shame as the outside of the buidling was really nice.
'Babies Castle was officially opened on 9th August 1886 this institution was for the reception of babies. In 1908 Babies Castle became a mixed home for children under eight years of age. It was particularly used for babies and young children who, owing to their physical condition, were not suited for boarding out.'
UK Hospital C 2012
A great Sunday morning explore with James and Ian, we got up bright and early to visit this brilliant hospital. I wonder of scary corridors and doors that looked like they were from a horror film, the hospital opened in 1879 and shut in 1996.
The amount of decay in there was massive, the best peeling paint I have ever seen, fungus and plants growing inside, for how long it has been derelict its quite amazing how quickly nature has reclaimed the space, one room there was a carpet of moss, another weeds had fully grown all over the floor, quite amazing really.
Ukraine Kiev Rooftop 2012
On our final night in the Ukraine we decided to do a bit of Kiev urbexing, in the third photo down you can see an illuminated unfinished church, it had fences all around so we decided to give it a go, finding the least visible way in we made a hit, unfortunately the Ukrainian military were incredibly hot on the church and were pulling up in 3 military vehicles within seconds of us making an approach, they demanded our passports, we played the dumb tourist cards saying we were trying to find a cheap bar. The watched us all the way down the street.
With an unsatisfied urbex itch, we found one of the tallest buildings to try get on the roof, the view was breath taking, unfortunately my wide angle lens got broken in Chernobyl so only 50mm shots, but still was a lot of fun on the roof.
Chernobyl Pripyat 2012
It can be said that the disaster on reactor 4 at the nuclear plant at Chernobyl was the beginning of the crash of the Soviet Union, a golden era, Chernobyl was the pride of the Soviet Union and in times of a revolution it was a symbol of how well industry could create lives and work for the people of the union, a model soviet city. A cultural centre, full of life, the well educated Pripyat was a golden town, full of workers of the nuclear plant Chernobyl and their families, there were schools, a hospital, night life and hotels.
It was how the Soviet Union imagined life should be like, an amusement park had recently been built as a celebration of the success of the town, but the disaster happened just before its opening which was meant to be on May Day1986, this was my 4th birthday when the disaster happened.
The Chernobyl accident cost the former Soviet Union billions of dollars, and some people believe it may have caused the collapse of the Soviet government. Reactor 4 was just 3 years old when the disaster happened, it is now contained within a sarcophagus to stop any more leakage which could cause so much damage to surrounding countries and as far as Europe.
UK Bull Manor 2012
I first set foot in Bull Manor 4 months ago, practically a complete urbex newbie, we arrived in the house and I stood jaw open for a while in awe that such a place could actually exist, untouched like a moment of history frozen in time. We walked through each of the beautiful rooms in amazement as each one presented different objects all left by the previous owner like a museum of curiosities.
Me and Ian decided to re vist, as he had never been, this time will be my last. It has been one of my favourite explores to date, but for reasons of dangerous floorboards and crumblings ceilings and quite frankly the fear of the bull that guards it and the farmer owner, of whom there is stories of chasing people away with a shot gun was enough to have my heart racing the whole time we were inside.
We got up at 4am to arrive at the manor before dusk, we crept through the field with the bull and didn't see him as it was pitch black but I had this horrible fear that we would run straight into him. I must say when inside the house my heart slowed down and felt very relived we had made it in one piece. We waited in the hall way till the sun came up, I showed Ian around some of the rooms and it all began to sink in again. I cant really explain the feeling inside the house, it tells a big story of sadness, neglect, something very atmospheric, that I cant put my finger on, but special all the same, like watching a period drama in real life.
In 1945, a family purchased this beautiful Manor House together with 60 acres of land the site, rearing bulls in the land and working on the farm. The story is that in time of financial hardship the house suffered from dry rot and as it slowly took over the house, the family couldn't rescue it, it slowly ate away and with no money to sort it out, the house slowly rotted away. It is heart wrenchingly sad to view each room with such personal item, photos, a babies pram, a beautiful piano and organ and even the old ladies clothes and blankets still in the cupboards, I could go on forever with a list of the things left. Its like something happened one day and everything just froze in their place. Its a true museum from the era and no one to see how magnificent it is.
Its strange to think the baby that was in the pram is now an old man or woman and that the last residents are probably dead. Each room presented itself with a different atmosphere and maybe it was my mind running away and having not slept really the night before I started to imagine daily happenings in the house, I could picture the man of the house with his paper in the grand front room by the fire, the light pouring through the window and residing in the library of books.
The lady of the house busy cooking, with the aga cooker, or maybe in a manor house so big she would have servants and she would be brushing her hair in the bedroom, or lounging on the chaise lounge and spending the afternoon painting the beautiful countryside around her.
The house in its hey day would have been truly grand, its just a shame that the owner cant get the planning permission to extend his farm to create the revenue to restore it to its former glory. It will be forever etched in my mind and I will always remember my divine brush with the past.
It was also great to meet some fellow explorers that day, first we ran into Oliver and Robbie and then when we noticed more explorers running across the field from the bull, Ian put on the clown mask to jump out at them when they got in, poor folk were terrified enough by the bull and then got jumped on my a clown. At one stage there was 8 of us inside the house. Was cool to meet you Skeleton Key, Nelly Urbex, Stuart Dobson and Lowri Jên Bate. Hopefully get to meet you guys again sometime.
UK House of Sisters 2012
Visited this magnificent convent with Subversive and Odins Raven.
A nice explore as the building itself was in pristine condition, no graffiti and no vandalism. With a beautiful statue of the Mother Mary chiselled beautifully from stone and paintings set in stone angels of jesus andsacred hearts.
The main chapel was rather stunning with a stunning alter and stained glass windows and wooden crosses and ornate fabric still all in tact.
The actual convent is up for sale, hopefully this will go to someone who will develop it into something amazing.
UK Burnt Church 2012
On missions with Phoenix Libra, we were visiting the County Court and on our way in the car, I spotted this church with fencing round it, I knew there and then we had to try and get in. After a bit of persuading I had Phoenix Libr over the fence with me and so glad we did.
It's a very tragic thing to see a church burnt out, it makes you ask who would do something like this. It turns out it could have possibly have been the person who recently bough the church and lets just say, wanted the land, but perhaps didn't want the church on top of the land, very very sad indeed.
But there is still something very hauntingly beautiful about the skeletal structure, still with such epic and beautiful features its surprising that amongst the blaze things like prayer books, the alter and christening bath were not completely destroyed.
UK Burnt Factory 2012
This was the last place I visited with Phoenix Libra on our little trip, a factory that had been burnt, I was edge a little here as some teenagers had decided to make the location their playground, shooting bb guns, it hasn't been the first time I've encountered teenagers mucking around with bb guns in an industrial site, but these ones seemed like they were up to more then just mucking around playing games. It was clear that a lot of vandalism had happened since the factory had burnt down, the industrial units had been smashed and bad graffiti all over the place.
We weren't here long, but it was great to see the frames of the buildings left by the fire, theres something beautiful in the textures of the burnt walls, the peeling paint, against the rust and the patterns of the burnt wood
UK County Court 2012
Visted with Pheonix Libra Ipswich County Hall is a grey brick building , later becoming the shire Hall. There was once an 18th Century gaol at the rear The Tudor Style building was designed by W McIntosh Brooks in 1836. The central entrance door has heavy double doors and a portcullis grille above. Above the entrance doors is a shield bearing the buildings completion date of 1837.
The court is very grand with a very lovely wooden staircase to the second floor, it was fun squeezing our way up to the clock tower through a very small gap. The buidling appears to be used a squat now which is very sad, evidnec of which was matresses and clothes and a washing line with socks drying. I feel lucky to not have run into them while we were there.
UK Cottage in the Woods 2012
A cute little cottage found in the woods with Phoenix Libra on an explore, the amazing thing was it can barely be seen from the outside through being over grown with ivy and foliage, inside the ivy grows through the window, maybe one day the inside will be claimed back by nature too.
UK Ship Graveyard 2012
A trip to the Purton Hulks was Subversives idea, we sent him off to find them, while me and Odins Raven watched him trying to avoid the mud. It was an interesting find, each ship had its own plaque and one someone had even laid flowers.
'Who could possibly have known, following the intentional beaching of a small fleet of semi-redundant timber lighters in the winter of 1909, to strengthen the nearby eroding canal bank, that the Purton Ships' Graveyard would eventually number some 81 vessels and in turn represent the largest collection of maritime artifacts on the foreshore of mainland Britain today.
Further, following an ongoing programme of research, spanning the past decade, it has been discovered that this wonderful collection is in real danger of being lost, in part to the ravages of time, tide and natural attrition, but more pressingly, to the destructive hand of man.
Sadly the site, as it stands, has no legal protection and it is this that has culminated in the formation of the Friends of Purton, a dedicated group of like minded individuals who, through an ongoing quest, hope to secure these remains of archaeological interest.'
'Who could possibly have known, following the intentional beaching of a small fleet of semi-redundant timber lighters in the winter of 1909, to strengthen the nearby eroding canal bank, that the Purton Ships' Graveyard would eventually number some 81 vessels and in turn represent the largest collection of maritime artifacts on the foreshore of mainland Britain today.
Further, following an ongoing programme of research, spanning the past decade, it has been discovered that this wonderful collection is in real danger of being lost, in part to the ravages of time, tide and natural attrition, but more pressingly, to the destructive hand of man.
Sadly the site, as it stands, has no legal protection and it is this that has culminated in the formation of the Friends of Purton, a dedicated group of like minded individuals who, through an ongoing quest, hope to secure these remains of archaeological interest.'
UK Gloucester Cathedral 2012
Just a brief visit while me, Subversive and Odins Raven were in Gloucestershire
The cathedral is a great example of English Cathedral design and building, you can enjoy examples of art and architecture from across the ages. You can see examples of stained glass and sculpture and see truely spectacular cellings and stonework.
Inside the cloisters a man of the cloth wanders down the corridor when I am taking an HDR shot which I'd already waited 5 minutes for the tourists and old people to shuffle their way down the corridor for, I must have looked quite peeved he says to me.
'Wouldn't that make the perfect photo, a cathedral corridor and a priest'
So he then wants me to take a photo of him, don't think he knew he would be roped into a full 20 seconds of HDR though.
'Stand still dont move until I say stop'
I ask him if they get a lot of photographers and he replies..
'Yes but none like you'
I guess he was referring to me being a girl with a shaved head, tattoos of skulls and piercings, I guess I didnt look too religious to him and he was defiantly confused why I was there, but I was totally blown away by the architecture in this cathedral.
I hope he doesn't mind me turning him into a gothic hooded monk, but i guess it was one of those perfect moments and he was right, a hooded monk in a gothic cathedral corridor does look pretty dam cool.
UK London in Black and White 2012
Had a great day in London shooting these architectural images.
I had certain places I wanted to go to for their futuristic qualities that have always caught my eye around London.
Getting the shots was actually a lot harder then I imagined, I faced more resistance from security then I have ever done on an urban exploring mission.
Every place I went to I was told I looked too professional with my tripod or that photography wasn't allowed full stop. Luckily most places it was just one shot I was after and I managed to grab it before moving on. It's a shame it's so hard to take photos in central London as there are so many cool shots to be had.
UK Hospital M 2012
A really nice explore on this one, it was the end of our Northern trip with Reaper and Gravitas, we were all a bit tired, after not much sleep for the last two nights. We had left Gravitas asleep for a while in the car (poor guy had driven many miles) he was happy with our return with coffee and, soon we made our way into the hospital. It turns out we were quite lucky as we were meeting up with Rusty a few hours later in there and he couldn't get in due to security returning to the hut we had passed on our way in.
Inside the hospital was fantastic, the operating room, still in tact with table and light, which was nice to see and lots of chairs, table and bits remaining in this place, that with a nice amount of age, decay and peeling paint, was laid with atmosphere. You kinda just dream your way around a place like this about the histories it holds, how many lives had been saved, the dramas, the stories. I found myself wandering off on my own for a while to experience a strange sense of solitude and peace.
On exit, Ian got covered in grease from trying to climb the fence, dam security, funnily enough a guy living across the road saw us trying to get out and ran to fetch a key to the fence, not sure what happened there, pure luck, but poor Rusty who had waited by the security hut to film our 'capture' was mildly disappointed.
We stood for a few minutes cleaning ourselves with baby wipes and this woman in her garden is just staring at us, giving us the worst kind of evils you can imagine, like we had just killed someone. She asks.
'What are you doing?' to which we reply
'We are cleaning ourselves with baby wipes, what is it to you?' She says
'You've just been in the hospital haven't you? I don't see why you people cant just keep out of there, there are plenty of photos on the internet, why don't you just look at them?'
We shrugged. I held it inside but what I really wanted to say, something along the lines of, why don't you go look at photos of your family on the internet and never 'experience' them or see them with your own eyes.
Apparently a lot of the people living around the hospital on a housing estate are annoyed by the whole situation of the hospital, I can see why, they moved in when it was open and running and now its just a wreck on their doorstep. But I don't see why they get annoyed by photographers, we do no harm, just go and take photos. We aren't there to damage things, if they just ignored it they would probably get a lot less annoyed. They don't understand why we do and it can often be hard to explain to someone like that. That we find a beauty in the abandonment of buildings, like walking into a museum seen by no other.
UK Saint Johns Chapel 2012
When me, Ian and Danny arrived at Saint Johns Chapel, it was very different to what we had seen in previous photos, completly gutted and broken up, it is clear this building is either being torn down to build on or redeveloped into something. There were signs of builders, with hard hats, florescent jackets and powertools on charge. It was great that the chapel actually had power as I managed to power up my iphone and camera batteries while we photographed the building, thanks builders.
The chapel opened in 1889, it comprises of two adjoining buildings. Both the church and the church hall are of solid brick construction with stone detailing and with pitched slate roofs. The church building is quite ornate with a square tower, cupola and crenelated parapet.
The chapel opened in 1889, it comprises of two adjoining buildings. Both the church and the church hall are of solid brick construction with stone detailing and with pitched slate roofs. The church building is quite ornate with a square tower, cupola and crenelated parapet.
UK Cannon Brewery 2012
Visited with Ian and Dany.
The brewery was originally owned by Shepherd, Green & Hatfield and was taken over by William Stones in 1865. The company was highly successful and very profitable in to the second half of the twentieth century, brewing - most famously - Stones Bitter as well as Carling Black Label and various other beers and ales. The brewery itself fell victim to the decline in popularity of Stones Bitter and the ownership of the site changed hands a number of times in the years before its final closure in 1999.
UK Post Office 2012
On tour up North (UK) with Ian and Danny
We arrived at the post office at around 11pm at night, this was meant to be our place of sleep for the night on the second night of the Northern Tour with Reaper and Gravitas. We arrive and quickly realised this wasn't possible, with a climb over a large fence and a pub just moments away and lots of shouting drunk people at stones throw away, we decided to go and sleep in a small car park just 15 minutes away next to an abandoned pub and return in the morning when it was less busy.
Which was a rather amusing story in itself, at around 1am I am awoke to flash lights in my eyes and a gang of cops tapping on my side of the car window. they ask what we are doing and then quickly apologise for waking us, I explain we have driven from London and we were just taking a nap in the car before driving further.
Apparently someone had called them as we looked suspicious, that had to be a first, there's one thing cops being called when inside an abandoned building, but being told off for sleeping in a car well thats just dumb. It was however at this point that movement comes from the boot of the car and it's Gravitas waking up, suddenly the cops become alert and mutter.
'Theres someone in the boot of the car!' Pretty funny when they realised he had just been sleeping too and wasn't a hostage.
Anyways we were up again at 6am to see if the post office was less busy and apart from one guy sitting at a bus stop we made it in and out un noticed and with not a thing touched it was like we were never there.
The best thing about the post office was the staircase, the rest was pretty much gutted out with very little remaning. But totally worth it for this inspiring master piece of a staircase and a prefect usage of my fisheye lens to capture how surreal looking it was.
The Post Office operated in the square for almost ninety years. Built in 1910 as an addition to the 1897 post office building, it closed in 1999, with the main post office moving to new premises within the Co-op store. The Grade II listed Post Office building was up for sale for a considerable time before finally being sold for development in early 2006.
