Visited with Zotez, and many thanks to him for being a tour guide for me on this occasion. I was initially a bit hesitant about doing this one, with running the risk of travelling down there, only for our way in to be prevented by one plank of wood. Or for that matter, a watchful and angry caretaker to catch us and utter the dreaded 'none shall pass!' Talking of which, we were well aware of the neighbour/caretaker/groundskeeper living next door who has caught explorers in the past and called the police. Hardly surprising really, when Zotez's mum allegedly drove up the drive to the house and parked in his garden to drop him off! No wonder he's got a penchant for throwing a wobbly every time he sees someone turn up! Nevertheless, whilst the previous access point got barricaded from inside and out, we did find that another area had opened up in turn.
Where do I start with this one? I have to be absolutely honest here, but I had pretty mixed feelings about this explore. From a point of view of an urban explorer, this one is a really brilliant explore; one of a very, very rare kind. Beautifully ornate throughout, with a real plethora of artifacts left for the explorer to look through. Pupil's classwork still left on desks, an intact library and chemistry lab, a wood-carved staircase complete with stained glass looking in, drama scripts still left lying around the stage area, it's very rare one can find places such interesting time warps nowadays. True, this place had been used as bedsits up until 2007 whilst the school owners sat on the site and pondered what the future plans for the site were to be, but it's quite astonishing when you consider when this place closed: 1988. 1988! That's 25 years, and the place is still in near original condition! Maybe a lot of this was under lock and key during that time, for it to have been kept this way?
We went on to see the pupil's bedrooms on the top floor, but apart from a mural painted by a former tenant that I forgot to photograph, these were of little note. So, we moved on downstairs to have a look at the basement, but things were to take a funny turn... continued in next post.
Where do I start with this one? I have to be absolutely honest here, but I had pretty mixed feelings about this explore. From a point of view of an urban explorer, this one is a really brilliant explore; one of a very, very rare kind. Beautifully ornate throughout, with a real plethora of artifacts left for the explorer to look through. Pupil's classwork still left on desks, an intact library and chemistry lab, a wood-carved staircase complete with stained glass looking in, drama scripts still left lying around the stage area, it's very rare one can find places such interesting time warps nowadays. True, this place had been used as bedsits up until 2007 whilst the school owners sat on the site and pondered what the future plans for the site were to be, but it's quite astonishing when you consider when this place closed: 1988. 1988! That's 25 years, and the place is still in near original condition! Maybe a lot of this was under lock and key during that time, for it to have been kept this way?
Obviously stuff has been moved around for photos, but it's still quite amazing really!
The conservatory area (?). One or two of the rooms have been locked up since his visit, along with more boarded up windows from the inside; developers securing up the place, prior to renovation?
The stage
The 'isolation unit' (that's what I knew it as in school), for disobedient pupils
I can't be sure, but judging by the pews stored at the back of the room, this room may have been the chapel
The centrepiece of the building, the main hall
Unfortunately, since this place hit the explorer's radar, the wood-carved fireplaces in both the main hall and the library have been stolen!
The library, still complete with books and magazines.
The staff room, or so I suspect.
The infamous gilded mirror
The conservatory area (?). One or two of the rooms have been locked up since his visit, along with more boarded up windows from the inside; developers securing up the place, prior to renovation?
The stage
The 'isolation unit' (that's what I knew it as in school), for disobedient pupils
I can't be sure, but judging by the pews stored at the back of the room, this room may have been the chapel
The centrepiece of the building, the main hall
Unfortunately, since this place hit the explorer's radar, the wood-carved fireplaces in both the main hall and the library have been stolen!
The library, still complete with books and magazines.
The staff room, or so I suspect.
The infamous gilded mirror
We went on to see the pupil's bedrooms on the top floor, but apart from a mural painted by a former tenant that I forgot to photograph, these were of little note. So, we moved on downstairs to have a look at the basement, but things were to take a funny turn... continued in next post.
