cant really say much about it other than it was effing freezing cold and the greek part [they had their own fenced off bit] felt rather creepy as opposed to the rest of it.
So enjoy some photos...
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
Norwood Cemetery 23/11/10
So on one of the coldest days thus far me and my cousin head off with Boris to Norwood Cemetery. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Norwood_Cemetery for the lowdown.
cant really say much about it other than it was effing freezing cold and the greek part [they had their own fenced off bit] felt rather creepy as opposed to the rest of it.
So enjoy some photos...
cant really say much about it other than it was effing freezing cold and the greek part [they had their own fenced off bit] felt rather creepy as opposed to the rest of it.
So enjoy some photos...
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
Sutton Cemetery 16/11/2010
Lovely crisp winters day and I have the urge to go out and do some photography. No car today and had young Boris with me so only real option was a cemetery and one close to Chops' school for picking up time.
So I called ahead beforehand to see if it was ok to go take photos in a local cemetery, permission granted provided I pop my head in the superintendants office to let him know I was there.
Colder than a witches tit out there today so we wrap up warm, arm ourselves with a bag of Haribo and head off to Sutton Cemetery.
The superintendent was a lovely guy, told me the history of the place [previous to a cemetery there was a gallows for public hanging by the main entrance] and about the woodpeckers pecking holes in the spire of the Chapel.
I love wandering round graveyards, there is an enormous sense of peace and tranquility but the graves of children always make me sad with their toys and windmills, birthday cards and birthday balloons. The saddest one I saw was that of the little girl who was murdered by our school caretaker when we were at primary school.
Not a lot I can say about the place except to share some photos...
So I called ahead beforehand to see if it was ok to go take photos in a local cemetery, permission granted provided I pop my head in the superintendants office to let him know I was there.
Colder than a witches tit out there today so we wrap up warm, arm ourselves with a bag of Haribo and head off to Sutton Cemetery.
The superintendent was a lovely guy, told me the history of the place [previous to a cemetery there was a gallows for public hanging by the main entrance] and about the woodpeckers pecking holes in the spire of the Chapel.
I love wandering round graveyards, there is an enormous sense of peace and tranquility but the graves of children always make me sad with their toys and windmills, birthday cards and birthday balloons. The saddest one I saw was that of the little girl who was murdered by our school caretaker when we were at primary school.
Not a lot I can say about the place except to share some photos...
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
West Park May 2010
Tis now spring/summer official so what better way to spend a free day than a visit to West Park with my cousin and Lis. And Urbex Peg.
With many extreme thanks to Professor Frink we gain access to Laundry/Stores. But alas couldn't get any further but who cares, had a whale of a time exploring a bit I haven't seen before.
Entry a doddle thanks to the info although almost ended up with a head injury thanks to a falling piece of wood that I saw in the nick of time whilst witnessing some 3 inch earwig type creature.
Aside from massive laundry machines came accross a plethora of excercise bikes of which Michelle had a go on, odd commode type things, again Michelle had to go on [because we made her lol. Thoguth we had struck gold at one point in the shape of a straight jacket but it turned out to be sling things for broken legs.
Plenty of cack yourself moments thanks to the fucking copious amounts of pigeons roosting inside there flapping around because we were rudely entering their domain, picking our way through their piles of shit. And believe me, they've been there so long that the piles were indeed piles not just few droppings.
We grab some pics, a video, a nurses uniform. [take only photos, leave nothing but footprints kind of went out the window as there was a store room full of uniforms all brand new and sealed in plastic. will never fit unless i become a 13 year old skinny midget wretch]
We go back outside to see if we can gain entry elsewhere and decided to stop, under cover [so we thought] for lunch when suddenly the shop keeper appeared. security to me and you.
He first off asks what we are up to, we say photography students. I tell him have permission from the landowner [which I did last year but cant remember the guys name and wether he is still the landowner]. He assumes we are not alone and asks where our colleagues are. Must escort us off the premises and asks where we parked so we are vague as dont want to let on although our entry point to the grounds at the back must be fucking obvious if security did their job properly as its been that way for months even if years.
His agressive standing over us stance with attitude and a high vis vest causes the Peggster to nip his foot whilst protecting us. Believe me a grown man scared of a very small dog brings nowt but a smile. Call yourself a security guard.
So he says to follow him and we follow along behind quietly discussing among ourselves how to get rid of the menace. Torch round the head, run naway and hide etc., but we follow until we reach a gap in a wooden perimeter fence where he says we must leave. we refuse, bust main road out there plus a massive ditch and not where we came in via. He gets the arse with us, we stand our ground, I tell him I have a dodgy leg [knee which is true] and refuse to go through. This makes him irate. We are wasting his time, e argue the toss and eventually we must follow him again and listen to his tales of girls who shouldn't be out there alone because their are snakes as big as his thigh [he saw one aparenlty a while back] and monsters.
Erm hello, do we look like 5 year olds??
So a lot of piss taking ensues, quite childish at times from me I must admit and he tires of us and threatens to call the police because we are wasting his time. His manner was very 'im a security guard therefore I have the power'. He has fuck all power and I counteract with a threat to call the old bill to report him for harrassment as he is in my personal space.
We are escorted back to the car but refuse to nter any vehicle in the car park as he wants the reg. no., and we refuse him this as he has no right. eventually he bores with us and walks off.
O we will be back, we know his name so just need to find out when he isnt on duty.
Yes it's dodgy to enter buildings but he wasn't aware we had done this but its not against the law [in a court of law] to go and take photos of the outside.
Short report but it's late and I want to get this out before I go back to work tomorrow after a week and a bit off. Some photos.......
With many extreme thanks to Professor Frink we gain access to Laundry/Stores. But alas couldn't get any further but who cares, had a whale of a time exploring a bit I haven't seen before.
Entry a doddle thanks to the info although almost ended up with a head injury thanks to a falling piece of wood that I saw in the nick of time whilst witnessing some 3 inch earwig type creature.
Aside from massive laundry machines came accross a plethora of excercise bikes of which Michelle had a go on, odd commode type things, again Michelle had to go on [because we made her lol. Thoguth we had struck gold at one point in the shape of a straight jacket but it turned out to be sling things for broken legs.
Plenty of cack yourself moments thanks to the fucking copious amounts of pigeons roosting inside there flapping around because we were rudely entering their domain, picking our way through their piles of shit. And believe me, they've been there so long that the piles were indeed piles not just few droppings.
We grab some pics, a video, a nurses uniform. [take only photos, leave nothing but footprints kind of went out the window as there was a store room full of uniforms all brand new and sealed in plastic. will never fit unless i become a 13 year old skinny midget wretch]
We go back outside to see if we can gain entry elsewhere and decided to stop, under cover [so we thought] for lunch when suddenly the shop keeper appeared. security to me and you.
He first off asks what we are up to, we say photography students. I tell him have permission from the landowner [which I did last year but cant remember the guys name and wether he is still the landowner]. He assumes we are not alone and asks where our colleagues are. Must escort us off the premises and asks where we parked so we are vague as dont want to let on although our entry point to the grounds at the back must be fucking obvious if security did their job properly as its been that way for months even if years.
His agressive standing over us stance with attitude and a high vis vest causes the Peggster to nip his foot whilst protecting us. Believe me a grown man scared of a very small dog brings nowt but a smile. Call yourself a security guard.
So he says to follow him and we follow along behind quietly discussing among ourselves how to get rid of the menace. Torch round the head, run naway and hide etc., but we follow until we reach a gap in a wooden perimeter fence where he says we must leave. we refuse, bust main road out there plus a massive ditch and not where we came in via. He gets the arse with us, we stand our ground, I tell him I have a dodgy leg [knee which is true] and refuse to go through. This makes him irate. We are wasting his time, e argue the toss and eventually we must follow him again and listen to his tales of girls who shouldn't be out there alone because their are snakes as big as his thigh [he saw one aparenlty a while back] and monsters.
Erm hello, do we look like 5 year olds??
So a lot of piss taking ensues, quite childish at times from me I must admit and he tires of us and threatens to call the police because we are wasting his time. His manner was very 'im a security guard therefore I have the power'. He has fuck all power and I counteract with a threat to call the old bill to report him for harrassment as he is in my personal space.
We are escorted back to the car but refuse to nter any vehicle in the car park as he wants the reg. no., and we refuse him this as he has no right. eventually he bores with us and walks off.
O we will be back, we know his name so just need to find out when he isnt on duty.
Yes it's dodgy to enter buildings but he wasn't aware we had done this but its not against the law [in a court of law] to go and take photos of the outside.
Short report but it's late and I want to get this out before I go back to work tomorrow after a week and a bit off. Some photos.......
Saturday, 24 April 2010
How Time Flies
I've been very very naughty, and for a change it's not because I have been poking my nose where it shouldn't be. I have been bad and not updated for ages because, if you are a UK resident, you will know what a shockingly shit winter we had and that's really not a good time to go out nosing. Snow time would have been a dream to go to West Park had we been able to drive there, snow time = no security and follow the footprints for a way in.
Have been for a drive round Springfield for a peek at the whole place but moreso access to the bit they no longer use.
But i'm still about and will soon be back to business.
To keep myself in tip top condition I have been curtain twitching like crazy!
Have been for a drive round Springfield for a peek at the whole place but moreso access to the bit they no longer use.
But i'm still about and will soon be back to business.
To keep myself in tip top condition I have been curtain twitching like crazy!
Friday, 25 September 2009
West Park 24/09/09 - Access All Areas
Except due to timescale we couldn't do much inside the main part. Let me tell you....
We arrive and go via our usual route. Reports recently suggest West Park is like a swiss cheese at the moment. After our epic fail @ Hellingly we figure that more local would be better to do.
Indeed there are loads of doors open and we manage to go inside various buildings, some of which we don't know the names of. Urbex Peg leads the way, she had a whale of a time. Especially when she discovered the dead cat in the Mortuary building.
So we do the outside again and whilst happy with what we managed to get into we crave getting past the spikey topped security fence. Absolutely no sign of security, MC Hammer has left the building for good aparently and it is open and a free for all if you can find your way in.
So there we are wondering how the hell you get past the fence and into the heart of the building when, call it fate, I spot something. Can't possibly mention what it was, but it was a great find. And in we go....
Once you're in the corrdoors then there should be no problems getting to the wards within the heart of the Hospital. The place is so very similar for the four wards that we done and very, very disorientating. We could have also done with a torch for the ground floors.
The floors are dodgy as hell in some places, the worst was encountering the 'drop of death'. You know not to enter a room until you have sussed out the floor and seen if it's safe, so I get to a room, look down and see a 6 foot plus drop into an unknown black abyss. Talk about crap yourself for a moment or two. We went down a staircase and at the bottom the only way out was the 'drop of death' or back where we came from. If a room does look safe then a firm foot on the floor with one ;eft outside the door will give you an idea on how safe it is. Any visible holes or sagging and 'its no way Brian May'.
Most rooms you can walk accross and round but the floors feel kind of spongy. Common sense in our case deduces if there is a hospital bed still on the floor then it can't be that bad as they are heavy things. But still be very careful. Keep to the beams if you can.
Before we entered the heart of the place we poked our noses into the Mortuary. Not a lot left of it now, no slab. Believe someone might have nicked it or smashed it to fuck. Find the body fridges. Excellent. Spot a giant dead rat. Not so excellent. The room off off where the fridges are looks like a school science lab in a gone wrong explosion. Stuff everywhere, another massive dead rat and Urbex Peg discovers a dead cat. Well we assume it's the decaying/mummified body of a dead cat. Peg rubs herself on it. Lovely.
Perhaps it's the body of some West Park freaky creature unknown to man!! We cover it with a box to stop Urbex Peg from further investigation.
The worktop is covered with boxes and a rack/drawer of slides with names written on them. Going by what I have seen @ Atkinson Morley, these are probably slides of brain matter.
Freaky!!
Anyways back to the main part, the heart now we are in it....abandoned isn't the word. Find clothes hanging in a wardrobe [although my buddy thinks they were too fresh to be part of the history but who on earth would wear what we found in this day and age?].
The whole place was just literally abandoned. No packing done, nothing put away, not even food [bottle of Daddies Sauce gone green] just like everyone was shipped out on one day and no one ever returned.
We search for the elusive Padded Cell using the info I was previously given. Seems the info was wrong as i've had 3 people now tell me where it really is and all match.
Was it spooky? Not really. Some bits were creepy-ish but I felt at home there and very calm apart from having to be so very quiet wandering round.
Fave find? Probably the pateint notes i've put on the pics. What an insight to what went on @ West Park. Albeit a small insight. I'm sure there is more to see and I know for sure there is so much more to see and doscover.
Why couldn't we have found the way when we first arrived?
And if anyone is wondering what you do when you need a wee when exploring you have a choice...wee behind a bush or use an un-trashed toilet lik me buddy did. Note to yourselves, always take a bog roll.
Other kit to take is a small first aid kit. Haven't yet had to use ours but it's handy should the need arise. Hand gel for washing hands or baby wipes. Dust masks, tut tut didn't use them yesterday but will in future, nowt worse than the taste of dust plus some protection against whatevers floating round in the dust. And a torch. We needed a torch. And so we will return. With a torch, and a portable potty for my weak bladder LOL.
As always the rest of the pics can be found @ http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v89/AnthillMob/West%20Park%20240909/
We arrive and go via our usual route. Reports recently suggest West Park is like a swiss cheese at the moment. After our epic fail @ Hellingly we figure that more local would be better to do.
Indeed there are loads of doors open and we manage to go inside various buildings, some of which we don't know the names of. Urbex Peg leads the way, she had a whale of a time. Especially when she discovered the dead cat in the Mortuary building.
So we do the outside again and whilst happy with what we managed to get into we crave getting past the spikey topped security fence. Absolutely no sign of security, MC Hammer has left the building for good aparently and it is open and a free for all if you can find your way in.
So there we are wondering how the hell you get past the fence and into the heart of the building when, call it fate, I spot something. Can't possibly mention what it was, but it was a great find. And in we go....
Once you're in the corrdoors then there should be no problems getting to the wards within the heart of the Hospital. The place is so very similar for the four wards that we done and very, very disorientating. We could have also done with a torch for the ground floors.
The floors are dodgy as hell in some places, the worst was encountering the 'drop of death'. You know not to enter a room until you have sussed out the floor and seen if it's safe, so I get to a room, look down and see a 6 foot plus drop into an unknown black abyss. Talk about crap yourself for a moment or two. We went down a staircase and at the bottom the only way out was the 'drop of death' or back where we came from. If a room does look safe then a firm foot on the floor with one ;eft outside the door will give you an idea on how safe it is. Any visible holes or sagging and 'its no way Brian May'.
Most rooms you can walk accross and round but the floors feel kind of spongy. Common sense in our case deduces if there is a hospital bed still on the floor then it can't be that bad as they are heavy things. But still be very careful. Keep to the beams if you can.
Before we entered the heart of the place we poked our noses into the Mortuary. Not a lot left of it now, no slab. Believe someone might have nicked it or smashed it to fuck. Find the body fridges. Excellent. Spot a giant dead rat. Not so excellent. The room off off where the fridges are looks like a school science lab in a gone wrong explosion. Stuff everywhere, another massive dead rat and Urbex Peg discovers a dead cat. Well we assume it's the decaying/mummified body of a dead cat. Peg rubs herself on it. Lovely.
Perhaps it's the body of some West Park freaky creature unknown to man!! We cover it with a box to stop Urbex Peg from further investigation.
The worktop is covered with boxes and a rack/drawer of slides with names written on them. Going by what I have seen @ Atkinson Morley, these are probably slides of brain matter.
Freaky!!
Anyways back to the main part, the heart now we are in it....abandoned isn't the word. Find clothes hanging in a wardrobe [although my buddy thinks they were too fresh to be part of the history but who on earth would wear what we found in this day and age?].
The whole place was just literally abandoned. No packing done, nothing put away, not even food [bottle of Daddies Sauce gone green] just like everyone was shipped out on one day and no one ever returned.
We search for the elusive Padded Cell using the info I was previously given. Seems the info was wrong as i've had 3 people now tell me where it really is and all match.
Was it spooky? Not really. Some bits were creepy-ish but I felt at home there and very calm apart from having to be so very quiet wandering round.
Fave find? Probably the pateint notes i've put on the pics. What an insight to what went on @ West Park. Albeit a small insight. I'm sure there is more to see and I know for sure there is so much more to see and doscover.
Why couldn't we have found the way when we first arrived?
And if anyone is wondering what you do when you need a wee when exploring you have a choice...wee behind a bush or use an un-trashed toilet lik me buddy did. Note to yourselves, always take a bog roll.
Other kit to take is a small first aid kit. Haven't yet had to use ours but it's handy should the need arise. Hand gel for washing hands or baby wipes. Dust masks, tut tut didn't use them yesterday but will in future, nowt worse than the taste of dust plus some protection against whatevers floating round in the dust. And a torch. We needed a torch. And so we will return. With a torch, and a portable potty for my weak bladder LOL.
As always the rest of the pics can be found @ http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v89/AnthillMob/West%20Park%20240909/
Sunday, 23 August 2009
Hellingly 23/08/09
EPIC FAIL
So I leave the kids at home in the capable hands of Mr Ant and off I trot to Hellingly with my cousin and 'urbex peg' [the dog]. An hour and halfish drive from where we live. Park up and try to find a way in....
I was informed there is a little house type thing as you come into the 'drive' and to pop there and find a way. The door was open so we were very hesitant about going any further and walked down to the bottom on the feild where i saw a gate on my reccee last week.
The gate had barb wire, not too much to cause a problem but we weren't too sure if it would take us where we wanted and was very out in the open so decided to walk back and up 'the drive'.
We pop back to the 'house', cant find owt, walk a small track next to the house and get some old fart appear from the back of his private house and ask if we are ok. I tell him im looking for somewhere quiet to have a wee! [what is it with me and my stupid mouth?].
Decide to walk up the drive and no longer than 2 mins security car pulls up.
'what are you doing girls' asks the donut eater with a huge dog in the back of the car.
'walking the dog'
'you cant go up there its private property'
So we turn on our heels and go back to the car, donut eater watches us and no doubt takes a note of the reg plate. He then started down the road slowly so we guess he knows that we were telling lies [of sorts] and was prepared to follow us.
For him to appear and know who he was looking for he must have had a tip off. Was it the 'old fart' or is there CCTV there that we didn't see that picked us up?
So we drove back home, defeated, and stopped for a wander in Ashdown Forest.
No pics i'm afraid so have one of a spider that I took the other day as way of consolation....
So I leave the kids at home in the capable hands of Mr Ant and off I trot to Hellingly with my cousin and 'urbex peg' [the dog]. An hour and halfish drive from where we live. Park up and try to find a way in....
I was informed there is a little house type thing as you come into the 'drive' and to pop there and find a way. The door was open so we were very hesitant about going any further and walked down to the bottom on the feild where i saw a gate on my reccee last week.
The gate had barb wire, not too much to cause a problem but we weren't too sure if it would take us where we wanted and was very out in the open so decided to walk back and up 'the drive'.
We pop back to the 'house', cant find owt, walk a small track next to the house and get some old fart appear from the back of his private house and ask if we are ok. I tell him im looking for somewhere quiet to have a wee! [what is it with me and my stupid mouth?].
Decide to walk up the drive and no longer than 2 mins security car pulls up.
'what are you doing girls' asks the donut eater with a huge dog in the back of the car.
'walking the dog'
'you cant go up there its private property'
So we turn on our heels and go back to the car, donut eater watches us and no doubt takes a note of the reg plate. He then started down the road slowly so we guess he knows that we were telling lies [of sorts] and was prepared to follow us.
For him to appear and know who he was looking for he must have had a tip off. Was it the 'old fart' or is there CCTV there that we didn't see that picked us up?
So we drove back home, defeated, and stopped for a wander in Ashdown Forest.
No pics i'm afraid so have one of a spider that I took the other day as way of consolation....
Monday, 17 August 2009
Hellingly 15/08/2009
Right, lets do things a little differently seeing as Blogger has changed the way you can post photos. Blog first, photos after. Makes life simpler for me, otherwise I have to sod about with the HTML which i'm not a genius at....and the pics are all backwards!
So....Mr Ant was off to Horsham for a drink with the lads so I decided I would take the kids somewhere. Hellingly was calling me, however Hellingly is about 50 miles in the opposite direction from Horsham. I looked on the web and enquired about things to do and see around Horsham but decided that Hellingly it was. Printed myself a map, dropped Mr Ant off and made our way there via country roads through West and East Sussex. Piece of piss and no need for satnav or directions from passersby, except what should have been a 45-60 minute drived turned into an hour and half because I couldn't find my sodding way out of Horsham and ended up on the council estate!
Ants doesn't do satnav. Never have, I can usually look at a map and see how to get there without that or asking for directions. At least my brain has one function.
I arrive with two sleeping kids in the back of the car, who I woke with a WOAH as a deer wanders out infront of us, it stood there for a while until I produced my camera. Obviously it was camera shy.
Where to park? I chose to plonk the car in the most obvious place right opposite the old Admin building. Post widdles done (and to remain discreet i used the urbex potty that i sat in the footwell of the front of the car. No handy bushes you see. Car doors make for the perfect discretion, apologies if anyone in Hellingly did see my arse though) changed Boris in the boot of the car much to his amusement. Picnic given to the kids and off we go.
Admin is totally trashed. No roof, no nothing, just a shell. I thought Cane Hill admin was trashed but jesus this one was trashed beyond belief. Opposite stood the Chapel which was in one piece for a change. Obviously the scum who trashed Hellingly have a bit of respect for holy places.
We take the route I believe will take us to follow the outside route of the hospital, bearing in mind this is only a perimeter walk as I have the kids with me. Chops spots a picnic bench and wants to sit there and finish her grub, mummy obliges and has a hell of a time wheeling the buggy on the boggy grass and round the million and one molehills. The bench is a little creaky and wobbly and is graffitti scratched with the word 'deadly'. To add to this some bloke walks by on the road and stops at the 'Badgers Rest Cafe' opposite where we are sitting and stands watching us. Giving me the creeps.
We go on a little further over the boggy field and watch the rabbits running wild. It becomes apparent that there is a live bit of hospital next to us so I decide we should walk the other way. When we find the pathway I notice the maximum security bit of the live path, all 50ft fences and a woman roaming inside pulling at her hair and mad wailing noises.
Walking back from where we came Chops says 'mummy, a bird!' and we see a pigeon on it's back legs in the air. Closer inspection reveals half a pigeon. Skinned. No feathers showing there has been a struggle so to me that ruels out foxes and the like, and no maggots or blood, so that tells me fresh kill. It is missing it's head and neck.
No sign of creepy man.
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek............
We walk on, quite frustratingly as other than the bit around Admin and what I later find out was where security hang out there isn't anything to see because the hospital is hidden away behing some dense trees and bushes. If I hadn't viewed it that morning on flashearth I would never have believed that if you get past the fences the place is huge.
We see a few cars go past and some people who I assume stay at the live bit (not the fenced off live bit) and I do believe from info I gave and got back that security walked right past us but never said a word. So bravo for a reccee without the hassle. Helps having the kids and just looking like a random family out for a stroll.
We head back to the car and encounter creepy man again, he gave me the willys the first time and now I see him again after the pigeon incident so we load up back into the car and head for home.
Not an epic fail though because i've found out a few things and noticed a few things for the return which will be very soon.
Enjoy the pics........
the rest of the pics can be found @ http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v89/AnthillMob/Hellingly%20150809/
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