Archive for the ‘Dereliction’ Category
Prohobohemia 3.2
Our third sleeping spot was set up in Stadtbad Duisberg, a sports centre on the outskirts of the city. We found a perfect room, adjacent to it was a flushing toilet with paper, that at least three of the group utilised. A flat floor gave us a reasonable night’s sleep, and we explored the buildings in the morning. Both a sports hall and a swimming pool were bathed with light from the high windows, but the rest of the site was vandalised.We found a footpump which served us well for the rest of the trip.
Standard.
Prohobohemia 3.1 – Belgium, July 2010
Prohobohemia seems to be the adopted name of this alcohol fueled, 3,400 mile trip and it initially seemed to ring true. At the point of writing, we’d slept in 4 different locations and they were all widely different. A train depot in Belgium, a steelworks in Luxembourg, a sports centre in Germany and a Soviet base deeper east.
Prohobo
Battersea Powerstation – Dec 2009
You can’t ignore it from the Chelsea Embankment. A brooding brick hulk decaying since the 1980s.
Go West – May 2010
Another 28DL meet was arranged, and my attendance in Cardiff was confirmed when I realised what there was to do on the way down. Following Guildford, Bristol and Manchester’s previous nights of antics in years gone by, I pencilled myself in and got arranging.
Dirty Military – November 2007
Military stuff doesn’t tend to get my juices flowing. Mostly because it’s usually pretty ancient and made of concrete, or because it smells of piss. Cold War Concrete was great fun in Germany, Russian Choppers in Belgium interesting, and there’s still stuff the Nazis left behind that I want to see out in Germany. But in the Uk, it’s never grabbed my attention.
We got up at what seemed like 5am to get out to Old Woking AA base, which was dissapointingly a big concrete box in a field. Rewind 50 years, put the gun back in there and then call me up for a play… Holy grail this ain’t!
Ticking Boxes – April 2010
March/April 2010 has been quite a busy period, what with visiting some drains, getting high in London, doing some interesting new stuff and then some stuff that’s under lock and key until I feel like it (probably next week or so…)
So here’s a few of those little things that just get done along the way. Read the rest of this entry »
Hobotrip – March 2010
Following Paris and the Einslife trip, the plan was to get away to Belgium again and see some powerstations and industry. More of the usual, whatever we can get our grubby, bramble scratched hands on. This trip seemed almost routine, a foray into dereliction for a prolonged period of time less of a novelty. If I’d have taken this trip a couple of years ago I’d have probably been beside myself with excitement. Thanks on this trip must go to Miles in particular, driving all the way to Liege and back in short stints between our long houred days of exploring.
Achtung Baby! (Part two) – August 2008
Following Noisy we headed for Hasard Cheratte, a mine on the edge of Liege. We sat in the car and laughed at both Duck-girl and the hugely dangerous game of football tennis played across the road. Access was easy, the sun was shining, and there was industrial goodness all around. Where would I rather be? Nowhere.
Memories of Hellingly
Nestled 10 miles back from the East Sussex coast lay Hellingly Hospital. Red brick, stark and decaying, closed in 1994; Hellingly is a place of some mystery from the exterior – an archetypal modern ruin. When Mental Health moved into the community in the early 1990s, Hellingly was boarded up and left, with only a small secure unit operating on site.
Einslife! (Part Two)
December 2009
Enter ins Deutschland. Home of leather shorts, big sausages and Radio Einslife. We arrived in the dark, having drank copious amounts of Blue Chimay and eaten dried apricots. Chris put up with us in the car on the way to St Josefsheim, where we walked in through the front door. Wilkommen ins Deutschland indeed. In the mostly enclosed courtyard, we could finally use our firewood. We found a little wheelbarrow and cooked sausages, onions, peppers and mushrooms. They were delicious.
