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.
Drainor MKII – May 2010
Following our inaugaral trip to the Tyburn, we intended to revisit and photograph the sections we’d explored. Given the advice we’d recieved on these pages we decked ourselves our in hard hats and hi viz, and all 3 of us looked legit and proper as we went about our evening’s work this time.
The manhole we intended to use was now in the middle of some roadworks, and the next one down was locked. As we walked around the area looking for lids. (hint: there’s plenty, but just not the right ones), we could see the other one we had earmarked as potentially suitable was outside a busy street with bars and restaurants. Somebody was surrounded by papparazzi as we slowly drove past, but our cameras stayed firmly locked away, our sights set on a nice pooey drain instead.
We moved on to another lead, and this yielded. The lid popped with ease, the ladder went down and with the smell we knew we were definitely in a foul water drain.
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!
In the Gasometer – April 2010
I’d looked at Gasometers since I was a kid, always fascinated by the scale of them, what they were, how they worked, and why they were built. Never quite got it, you see. Since long before I started exploring, I’d always fancied going up one, and on a night where we scoped out several other sites, this was the only one we ended up doing.
(This is why I still shoot Film)
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 »
London Highs – March 2010
Beneath London, above London, in London. Get it all here. We approached the capital with vague intentions of hitting something high. We discussed various sites we didn’t even go near, took the piss out of Nebba’s noddy car and upset taxi drivers by driving erratically. First site was the delightful Temple Court, a medium sized block close to Bank. In fact, it’s right next to New Court. Easy as pie, comical almost. Only downside was the presence of the wind, which knocked Nebba’s tripod over before he’d even opened his bag.
My First Sewer – March 2010
Having not been much of a sewer-rat since picking up this Urbex hobby/lifestyle/affliction, its been over 3 years since seeing pictures of the London Sewers and actually getting down there. Having always put it off in place of chasing asylums and local sites, the underground has grabbed me a little more having visited the Catacombs in Paris, and as such I made arrangements to get down under London for once.
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.
