Report - Hellingly Redevelopment - What's Changed?

[ghost-trains]

There's been a lot of speculation about what's been demolished or removed as it's a bit awkward getting in here recently, so I hope this gives some sort of idea of what's happened on the site recently.

In short: It's still possible to get in weekdays - we saw no security thursday morning. Less than 1/6 of the site is being worked on and the majority of it is how it was 12 months ago, albeit some windows on top floors have gone and in some areas downstairs floors missing.

The Acute block has indeed gone. The roof of the main building is fine and nothing has been removed in this respect.

The smaller ancillary buildings in the courtyards/exercise courts are being gradually demolished.

Most activity is behind the Admin block, around the Laundry and the base of the Water Tower. The tunnel network is totally intact but opens to daylight at the base of the Water Tower, making you very visible to the builders! Also there is an excavator currently working above the tunnel under the water tower and it's a bit bloody scarey when it starts up inches above your head. The water tower is as it was 12 months ago, so anyone wanting to get up it, go soon coz it's being demolished in August by explosives!

Some of these shots are panoramics and a bit wide/not to the 800 rule, so apologies for wide pics, but hope you'll want to see them regardless.

1.

Main focus of redevelopment behind the Admin block and water tower/laundry

2.

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Looking from 3rd floor of nurses accomodation to the hall

4.

This hacks me right off the way the builders have just thrown shit out the windows, frequently without removing the f***ers first.

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Newbuild area between Acute block and main building. Urgh

7.

The big pile of bricks here used to be the Acute block

8.

Close shave....

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We're going to try and get back over there every few months until its finished, so hopefully more info and piccies soon. Hope this all looks okay, if anyone wants to join us sometime, please PM me.

ghost

 

[ghost-trains]

Ok, I didn't get back on here last night as I was totally shagged out, but I'm here now...

More pics, along with footnotes for clarification where necessary:

1.

Gladly, despite my initial kneejerk thing, the hall is still 100% there at the present time. There are quite a few buildings on this side of the hall that will need to be removed before they can even get to it. As I said in one of my previous comments, it won't disappear overnight coz it's a huge structure and there's only about 6 blokes we could see working on the place and they weren't exactly rushing, so I'm guessing they are concentrating on the newbuild bit at present as a way of generating revenue to press on with this bit...

2.

Ok, I know it's a pan and it's a huge image, but TBH I surprised myself with this one. On a practical note, it shows that there's no development work been done on this (the south?) side of the hall

3.

This pic was a bit tricky to get because we were stood about 30ft away from the builders - you can just see them under the trees. This is the view at the far end of the hall, to the right of the first photo (hence previous comments "they've got to the hall"). If you're using the corridors to navigate around this point, the one that goes along the side of the hall opens directly onto the construction LZ, in full view of the builders:

4.

Sorry for the brightness , this one wouldn't clean up very well and whatever I did to it made it look worse - maybe it's just a shite pic, but illustrates a point. "Hello, what are you doing here?"

5.

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This is the courtyard seen earlier in this report, looking the other way, so peeps can figure out the viewpoint we took the original photos from. this block is being kept, so far as I can tell from the plans.

7.

We finally got up the balls to cross what was left of the courtyard on this visit and went in to have a look around what was left of the laundry and kitchens etc.

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Finally found what's left of the Hairdressing Salon, but TBH is a shadow of its former self. Very sad.

12.

As I said before, anyone wanting to get to the water tower, it can still be done at the moment, but some of the service tunnels are now filled in, so I'm not sure how much longer it will be possible to do. It was around this point that I'm sure we heard one of the builders say "there's someone down there", so we went and lurked somewhere else!

So far as I can work out, all the villas, service tunnels, corridors etc. to the north/west corner of the site (ie: bound by central corridor, hall, laundry and water tower are going, as it looks like there is going to be a new access road built into the heart of the main building from this corner. I cannot determine whether or not the Admin building is being kept - structurally the walls look okayish as far as we could see, but the floors and roof are pretty comprehensively f***ed.

We also noticed that some new areas of the laundry had been burnt and were in new areas which weren't connected with the area where the gas cylinders were, so I'm guessing that they get fed up with recycling bits and burn them out instead, as they have happened since our last visit.

Again, apologies for size and quality of pics - they are straight off my mobile phone and it has a tendancy to be a bit on the bright side (we had awesome sunshine which makes for a great day but awkward light for photos).

We hope to get back every month or so to keep a record of the demolition as a tribute to my favourite explore, so hope to bring you a bit more soon.

 

[mimulus]

Been a so called urban explorer, all my life. Really did not know what it was called till 2 weeks ago .just came across, a site on hellingly asylum.. well thats it, a new world has been opened . Gathered all i could get, on hellingly in one night..how to get in etc. and made my first visit last week . parking in the woodland car park and dodging builders to get in once in me and my good buddie cannon 7d was put into good use ...stealth like operations not to be seen

This is a beautiful building , yes it is trashed ,and in parts so dangerous but still a beautiful building

the rooms are filled withe some of the best artwork i have seen , just do not know what you are going to come across...The tower is still standing not for long still feel there is plenty to be seen yet if you are quick

wonderful place to see but time is slowly running out

peace jason