My Visual Journey Through Urban Exploration

DOCUMENTING THE DECAY

Production / Design:

Ryan Macdonald

ryan@whynotcollective.com

www.ryanmacdonald.co.uk

Thanks:

Susie Smith

Shaun Knopek

Ryan O’Donnell

Matthew Benson

Southampton Solent University

References:

http://www.silentuk.com/?p=3782

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24685687@N04/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heygate_Estate

URBAN EXPLORATIONUrban Exploration is the exploration of man-made structures, usually abandoned

ruins or not usually seen components of the man-made environment. It has

become a popular underground culture over recent years and explorers document

their findings through photography. The state of abandonments can vary through

amount of decay and some can become heavily vandalised and graffiti is common.

UR BAN D E CAY

Civil Trespass: Civil trespass, also known as “simple” trespass, is not a criminal

offence in the UK. You cannot be arrested for civil trespass, though police may

attend if there’s a possibility that another offence has been committed or will be

committed. In England and Wales, you can be sued by the landowner in a civil

court for trespass, in Scotland you can only be sued if actual damage was caused.

Repeat trespass could be prevented if a landowner takes out an injunction, but this

is unlikely in urbex situations.

Aggravated Trespass: This applies to trespass committed with the intent to in-

timidate or disrupt people taking part in a lawful activity. If you trespass on a golf

course to move the flags, it’s aggravated trespass. Generally, this does not concern

urbexers. You cannot be prosecuted for aggravated trespass where there is no activ-

ity to disrupt, so it does not apply to derelict sites. It would only apply to live sites if

you intended to cause disruption.

Criminal Trespass: One type of this offence applies to a specific list of sites, includ-

ing defence sites, nuclear power stations and royal palaces. Another type applies

to sites where bye-laws forbid trespass - these include MOD property, railway

property, and perhaps other sites like power stations. There is no centralised list

of bye-laws, unfortunately, but the MOD have bye-laws. A third type of criminal

trespass applies to Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

From an urbex point-of-view, it is a good idea to stay away from any active mili-

tary, nuclear, royal, utility or railway property - pretty much common sense.

LAWS

NO UNAUTHORISED PERSONS ALLOWED BEYOND THIS POINT!

Burglary: This applies to trespass with intent to steal, commit criminal damage,

rape or inflict GBH. All the police need to do to justify arrest is to show that they

reasonably expected that you had intent to commit one of these acts. Intent could

cover such things as carrying tools, carrying a “swag” bag, or theoretically even tak-

ing pictures of valuable objects. It is unlikely that you would be charged, however,

unless you did actually steal or cause criminal damage. From an urbex point-of-

view, it is important to do nothing which would give the police any idea that you

are there to do anything other than take pictures. Burglary can also be called Break-

ing and Entering or Housebreaking.

Theft: This should be blatantly obvious. It is a criminal offence to take anything

which belongs to someone else. From an urbex point-of-view, it is a very bad idea

to take anything whatsoever from any site. As an aside, it has been ruled that theft

does not apply to information - photographing documents, plans, or indeed sites

would not be classed as theft - though data protection, copyright or official secrets

legislation may apply to some types of information.

Criminal Damage: This is where someone intentionally or recklessly causes dam-

age to another person’s property, or intends to do such damage. It covers such

things as graffiti, arson, and vandalism. Intent includes posessing an item with the

intention to use it to damage or destroy property - carrying a chisel for levering

open windows, for example. From an urbex point-of-view, this means that you

should never do any damage. Case law is mixed on details - for example temporar-

ily unscrewing a panel to get in, then replacing it afterwards may not count as

damage, but it’s certainly not advisable.

Breach of the Peace: This is a very wide-ranging offence, covering any activity liable

to cause distress or alarm to a member of the public. This could include refusing to

leave a site when asked by security, or perhaps even showing off

BREAK ENTER&

After doing some research into the laws that could stand in the way of urban

explorers, I worked out how I could get in without breaking any laws which actually

was pretty easy however I went to extreme levels to get in which at the time gave

me an adrenaline rush and made me feel as if I was doing something wrong. This

included climbing high walls and fences, squeezing my way through tiny holes

in fences, dodging barbed wire, security huts and even had an interaction with a

security dog. I found that the challenge made this project really exciting as It was

tricky to gain first hand research.

I’VE ALWAYS BEEN IN TWO MINDS WHEN IT COMES TO LONDON AND THE BUILDINGS THAT NOW INHABIT IT. WHILE BEING A FINE DISPLAY OF VICTORIAN, EDWARD-IAN AND TUDOR ARCHITECTURE, LONDON HAS HIT, IN MY OPINION, SOMEWHAT OF A SPEED BUMP IN RECENT YEARS. GIANT GLASS AND CONCRETE EYESORES HAVE BEEN SPROUTING UP ALL OVER THE CAPITAL, EACH SEEMINGLY INSPIRED BY FRUIT, VEGETABLES AND ITEMS THAT HAVE LIKELY MELTED IN THE SUN. I SHOULD PROBABLY STATE THIS NOW, I DON’T UNDERSTAND MODERN ART IN THE SLIGHTEST. THE LAST TIME I VISITED A GALLERY, I SAW THE WORKS OF TRACY EMIN, GLANCED AT THE PRICE TAG, LAUGHED AND LEFT. SERIOUSLY, THIS IS WHO THE CURRENT GENERATION CLASSES AS AN “ARTIST”? CON-ARTIST PERHAPS,

NO DOUBT SHE WAS LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK UPON DISCOVERING HOW MANY HAD PURCHASED HER LATEST AND GREATEST, A PIECE WHICH BASICALLY AMOUNTED TO TWO COLOURED LINES ON AN OVER-SIZED CANVAS. IM A SIMPLE PERSON, I LIKE TO TAKE THINGS AT FACE VALUE. IF SOMETHING LOOKS LIKE IT TOOK TIME AND EFFORT, CLEARLY SHOWING OFF THE PASSION AND TALENT OF THE ARTIST THAT CREATED IT, THEN I CAN RESPECT AND ENJOY IT. HOWEVER, SOMETHING A CHILD COULD HAPPILY DRAW IN TEN SECONDS CARRYING A PRICE TAG OF OVER £300,000, JUST DOESN’T MAKE SENSE TO ME. NO DOUBT THIS SUBTLE HATRED COMES DOWN TO JEALOUSY. I, LIKE MANY OF YOU, HAVE YET TO DEVELOP THE ABILITY TO SELL A BLANK CANVAS YOU ACCIDENTALLY SPILT SOMETHING ON FOR MORE THAN £1. ONE DAY PERHAPS?NOW BEFORE I START RECEIVING HATE MAIL, DEAD ANIMALS WEARING SUNGLASSES AND CREATIVELY SHAPED TURDS THROUGH MY LETTER BOX, THE ABOVE IS JUST AN OPINION. I’VE BEEN KNOWN TO BE IGNORANT OF OTHER’S BEFORE, SO DON’T TAKE IT TOO SERIOUSLY. SECONDLY, AND MORE TO THE POINT, I AM IN NO WAY CALLING ARCHITECTS LAZY, I CANNOT STRESS THAT ENOUGH. EVEN I, WHO HAS ABSOLUTELY NO EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD, KNOWS THE AMOUNT OF WORK IT TAKES JUST TO DESIGN SOMETHING THAT WON’T FALL OVER. THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE IS THAT DUE TO MY OWN REASONS, I MAY SOMETIMES NOT SEE THE BEAUTY IN DESIGN AS OTHERS DO. THE SHARD OF GLASS, ALSO KNOWN AS THE “VERTICAL CITY” IS ONE SUCH BUILDING THAT I DON’T QUITE UNDERSTAND. STANDING AT A MONSTROUS 310 METERS TALL, OVER 1000 FEET, IT NOW DWARFS THE LONDON BRIDGE QUARTER, LEAVING THE PREVIOUS DOMINATOR, GUYS HOSPITAL, IN ITS SHADOW. UNSURPRISINGLY, AS ITS NAME SUGGESTS, IT IS DESIGNED TO RESEMBLE A SHARD OF GLASS, ONE THAT WOULD GIVE EVEN THE PYTHON FOOT A NASTY CUT. THE SHARD IS CERTAINLY AN IMPRESSIVE SIGHT, A VISIBLE LANDMARK ON THE SKYLINE FOR MILES, BUT IT JUST LOOKS, WRONG. NOW, I’M POSSIBLY BEING SLIGHTLY UNFAIR AS THE PROJECT IS STILL INCOMPLETE, PORTIONS OF THE CORE ARE EXPOSED, THE MAJORITY OF FLOORS EMPTY WITH THE SPIRE YET TO BE CONSTRUCTED. AT CERTAIN POINTS OF THE DAY, WHEN THE SUN IS POSITIONED CORRECTLY REFLECTING OFF THE GLASS SO THAT YOU CAN’T SEE THESE THINGS, YEAH, IT LOOKS GOOD. AN INDICATOR OF ITS FUTURE COMPLETED STATE. EVER SINCE ITS PREDECESSOR, THE SOUTHWARK TOWER CAME DOWN IN 2008, EXPLORERS HAVE BEEN PATIENTLY WAITING, WATCHING THE FOUNDATIONS AND CORE SLOWLY MATERIALISE. WE HAD ONE UNWRITTEN RULE, WAIT UNTIL THE CORE REACHED 72 STORIES, THE FINAL INHABIT-ABLE FLOOR BEFORE THE RADIATOR LEVELS. THIS WAS FOR ONE SIMPLE REASON, FOR EXPLORERS, THE SHARD WAS POORLY POSITIONED. IT SAT UNCOMFORTABLY CLOSE TO ONE OF LONDON’S

BUSIEST RAILWAY STATIONS, ONLY TWO OF ITS SIDES WERE EXPOSED AND THOSE WERE SURROUNDED BY A 15FT HIGH FENCE COVERED IN CAMERAS. THIS MEANT WITHOUT CONSIDERABLE CLIMBING SKILLS AND LUCK, THERE WAS ONLY ONE WAY IN AND OUT. WE HAD ONE SHOT, IF SOMEONE WAS CAUGHT, THERE WAS A HIGH CHANCE WE WOULD NEVER GET IN AGAIN, SO WHY TAKE THAT CHANCE EARLY? SEVERAL MONTHS PASSED, THE SLOW PROGRESS PUSHING THE SHARD TO THE BACK OF THE MIND. THEN ONE MORNING, I OPENED THE PAPER TO SEE A STORY CELEBRATING THE TOPPING OUT OF THE CORE, THE TIME HAD COME. IT SEEMED I WASN’T THE ONLY TO ONE TO READ THE ARTICLE, AS WE SAT BESIDE THE TOWER, WAITING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE SHOWED UP. PRETTY SOON WE HAD A LARGE CONTINGENT OF EXPLORERS, ALL WITH THEIR SIGHTS SET ON THE TOWER. BY THIS POINT WE HAD FAR TOO MANY TO ATTEMPT ANY FORM OF STEALTH, WE JUST HAD TO GO FOR IT AND HOPE STRENGTH IN NUMBERS PREVENTED ANY SERIOUS RAMIFICATIONS FROM BEING CAUGHT. ONE BY ONE WE ENTERED THE SITE, HEADING STRAIGHT TO THE CORE AND BEGINNING THE ASCENT. THE TASK AHEAD WAS DAUNTING, I STRUGGLE CLIMBING 30 FLOOR BUILDINGS, BUT OVER 72 WITH AN AD-DITIONAL CRANE? THE MIND WAS WILLING, BUT THE BODY WEAK. IN THE END OUR ENTRANCE WAS SURPRISINGLY SUBTLE. WITH THE LACK OF AN AUDIBLE RESPONSE, WE ASSUMED WE HAD GOTTEN IN CLEAN, UNDETECTED BY THE PATROLLING SECURITY GUARDS UNTIL WE REACHED THE 23RD LEVEL. “OI, STOP!”, A VOICE ECHOED IN THE STAIRWELL. INSTINCTIVELY WE HIT THE DECK, SLOWLY TURNING OUR HEADS TO SEE WHO HAD CAUGHT US. NO-ONE? AGAIN WE HEARD THE VOICE, “WHO ARE YOU?!”. THE CONFRONTATION WAS HAPPENING TWO FLOORS BELOW, ONE OF THE STRAGGLERS HAD THE MISFORTUNE AND BAD TIMING OF BUMPING INTO A WORKER ON HIS WAY BACK DOWN. THE WORKER WAS UNAWARE OF THE LARGER GROUP ABOVE HIS HEAD, PROVING SECURITY HADN’T BEEN ALERTED TO OUR PRESENCE, HIS FOCUS PRIMARILY SET ON TAKING THE CAPTURED EXPLORER DOWN TO SECURITY. WE COULDN’T HELP HIM NOW, HE HAD TAKEN ONE FOR THE TEAM AND DESCENDED WITHOUT INCIDENT OR REVEALING US. WITH A SILENT ALMOST HALF AN HOUR AND SEVERAL HUNDRED SWEAT INDUCING FEET LATER, WE REACHED THE SUMMIT, A PANORAMIC, UNSPOILT VIEW OF THE CITY OUR REWARD. THE WIND HOWLED, THE CRANE UPON WHICH WE STOOD CREAKED AND SWAYED, LONDON STRETCHING AS FAR AS THE EYE COULD SEE. WE WERE HIGH, EXTREMELY HIGH. ACTUALLY, WE WERE TOO HIGH. WHILE THE INITIAL VIEW WAS BREATHTAKING, AND BELIEVE ME IT WAS, ONCE THE ADRENALINE AND SATISFACTION OF WHAT HAD BEEN ACCOMPLISHED SUBSIDED, WE SLOWLY DISCOVERED THAT THIS VIEW WAS FOR THE MOST PART, A PHOTOGRAPHIC NIGHTMARE. NOW I KNOW, LOOKING AT THE AMOUNT OF PICTURES MYSELF AND MANY OTHERS HAVE POSTED, YOU MIGHT CONSIDER WHAT I’M SAYING AS SLIGHTLY RIDICULOUS. ITS DIFFICULT TO EXPLAIN, I TRIED TO PUT MY VIEW INTO WORD, BUT NOTHING I WROTE WAS ABLE TO CONVEY IT. ITS SOMETHING YOU

WILL HAVE TO EXPERIENCE FOR YOURSELF IN A FEW MONTHS TIME WHEN THE FIRST TOURS ARRIVE ON THE OBSERVATION DECK. I’M NITPICKING HERE AS THIS WAS A MINOR DRAWBACK, ONE WHICH IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS DIDN’T TAKE MUCH AWAY FROM THE OVERALL EXPERIENCE. IT WAS JUST ONE I DIDN’T EXPECT. AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE EXPLORE THESE SITES PRIMARILY FOR THE EXPERIENCE, ANY DOCUMENTATION AND PHOTOGRAPHIC REWARD IS JUST THE ICING ON THE CAKE. THAT NIGHT WE HAD OUR CAKE, MORE THAN WE COULD FINISH IN ONE SITTING, IT WAS JUST SLIGHTLY LESS SUGARY THAN WE EXPECTED!

I’VE ALWAYS BEEN IN TWO MINDS WHEN IT COMES TO LONDON AND THE BUILDINGS THAT NOW INHABIT IT. WHILE BEING A FINE DISPLAY OF VICTORIAN, EDWARD-IAN AND TUDOR ARCHITECTURE, LONDON HAS HIT, IN MY OPINION, SOMEWHAT OF A SPEED BUMP IN RECENT YEARS. GIANT GLASS AND CONCRETE EYESORES HAVE BEEN SPROUTING UP ALL OVER THE CAPITAL, EACH SEEMINGLY INSPIRED BY FRUIT, VEGETABLES AND ITEMS THAT HAVE LIKELY MELTED IN THE SUN. I SHOULD PROBABLY STATE THIS NOW, I DON’T UNDERSTAND MODERN ART IN THE SLIGHTEST. THE LAST TIME I VISITED A GALLERY, I SAW THE WORKS OF TRACY EMIN, GLANCED AT THE PRICE TAG, LAUGHED AND LEFT. SERIOUSLY, THIS IS WHO THE CURRENT GENERATION CLASSES AS AN “ARTIST”? CON-ARTIST PERHAPS,

NO DOUBT SHE WAS LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK UPON DISCOVERING HOW MANY HAD PURCHASED HER LATEST AND GREATEST, A PIECE WHICH BASICALLY AMOUNTED TO TWO COLOURED LINES ON AN OVER-SIZED CANVAS. IM A SIMPLE PERSON, I LIKE TO TAKE THINGS AT FACE VALUE. IF SOMETHING LOOKS LIKE IT TOOK TIME AND EFFORT, CLEARLY SHOWING OFF THE PASSION AND TALENT OF THE ARTIST THAT CREATED IT, THEN I CAN RESPECT AND ENJOY IT. HOWEVER, SOMETHING A CHILD COULD HAPPILY DRAW IN TEN SECONDS CARRYING A PRICE TAG OF OVER £300,000, JUST DOESN’T MAKE SENSE TO ME. NO DOUBT THIS SUBTLE HATRED COMES DOWN TO JEALOUSY. I, LIKE MANY OF YOU, HAVE YET TO DEVELOP THE ABILITY TO SELL A BLANK CANVAS YOU ACCIDENTALLY SPILT SOMETHING ON FOR MORE THAN £1. ONE DAY PERHAPS?NOW BEFORE I START RECEIVING HATE MAIL, DEAD ANIMALS WEARING SUNGLASSES AND CREATIVELY SHAPED TURDS THROUGH MY LETTER BOX, THE ABOVE IS JUST AN OPINION. I’VE BEEN KNOWN TO BE IGNORANT OF OTHER’S BEFORE, SO DON’T TAKE IT TOO SERIOUSLY. SECONDLY, AND MORE TO THE POINT, I AM IN NO WAY CALLING ARCHITECTS LAZY, I CANNOT STRESS THAT ENOUGH. EVEN I, WHO HAS ABSOLUTELY NO EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD, KNOWS THE AMOUNT OF WORK IT TAKES JUST TO DESIGN SOMETHING THAT WON’T FALL OVER. THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE IS THAT DUE TO MY OWN REASONS, I MAY SOMETIMES NOT SEE THE BEAUTY IN DESIGN AS OTHERS DO. THE SHARD OF GLASS, ALSO KNOWN AS THE “VERTICAL CITY” IS ONE SUCH BUILDING THAT I DON’T QUITE UNDERSTAND. STANDING AT A MONSTROUS 310 METERS TALL, OVER 1000 FEET, IT NOW DWARFS THE LONDON BRIDGE QUARTER, LEAVING THE PREVIOUS DOMINATOR, GUYS HOSPITAL, IN ITS SHADOW. UNSURPRISINGLY, AS ITS NAME SUGGESTS, IT IS DESIGNED TO RESEMBLE A SHARD OF GLASS, ONE THAT WOULD GIVE EVEN THE PYTHON FOOT A NASTY CUT. THE SHARD IS CERTAINLY AN IMPRESSIVE SIGHT, A VISIBLE LANDMARK ON THE SKYLINE FOR MILES, BUT IT JUST LOOKS, WRONG. NOW, I’M POSSIBLY BEING SLIGHTLY UNFAIR AS THE PROJECT IS STILL INCOMPLETE, PORTIONS OF THE CORE ARE EXPOSED, THE MAJORITY OF FLOORS EMPTY WITH THE SPIRE YET TO BE CONSTRUCTED. AT CERTAIN POINTS OF THE DAY, WHEN THE SUN IS POSITIONED CORRECTLY REFLECTING OFF THE GLASS SO THAT YOU CAN’T SEE THESE THINGS, YEAH, IT LOOKS GOOD. AN INDICATOR OF ITS FUTURE COMPLETED STATE. EVER SINCE ITS PREDECESSOR, THE SOUTHWARK TOWER CAME DOWN IN 2008, EXPLORERS HAVE BEEN PATIENTLY WAITING, WATCHING THE FOUNDATIONS AND CORE SLOWLY MATERIALISE. WE HAD ONE UNWRITTEN RULE, WAIT UNTIL THE CORE REACHED 72 STORIES, THE FINAL INHABIT-ABLE FLOOR BEFORE THE RADIATOR LEVELS. THIS WAS FOR ONE SIMPLE REASON, FOR EXPLORERS, THE SHARD WAS POORLY POSITIONED. IT SAT UNCOMFORTABLY CLOSE TO ONE OF LONDON’S

BUSIEST RAILWAY STATIONS, ONLY TWO OF ITS SIDES WERE EXPOSED AND THOSE WERE SURROUNDED BY A 15FT HIGH FENCE COVERED IN CAMERAS. THIS MEANT WITHOUT CONSIDERABLE CLIMBING SKILLS AND LUCK, THERE WAS ONLY ONE WAY IN AND OUT. WE HAD ONE SHOT, IF SOMEONE WAS CAUGHT, THERE WAS A HIGH CHANCE WE WOULD NEVER GET IN AGAIN, SO WHY TAKE THAT CHANCE EARLY? SEVERAL MONTHS PASSED, THE SLOW PROGRESS PUSHING THE SHARD TO THE BACK OF THE MIND. THEN ONE MORNING, I OPENED THE PAPER TO SEE A STORY CELEBRATING THE TOPPING OUT OF THE CORE, THE TIME HAD COME. IT SEEMED I WASN’T THE ONLY TO ONE TO READ THE ARTICLE, AS WE SAT BESIDE THE TOWER, WAITING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE SHOWED UP. PRETTY SOON WE HAD A LARGE CONTINGENT OF EXPLORERS, ALL WITH THEIR SIGHTS SET ON THE TOWER. BY THIS POINT WE HAD FAR TOO MANY TO ATTEMPT ANY FORM OF STEALTH, WE JUST HAD TO GO FOR IT AND HOPE STRENGTH IN NUMBERS PREVENTED ANY SERIOUS RAMIFICATIONS FROM BEING CAUGHT. ONE BY ONE WE ENTERED THE SITE, HEADING STRAIGHT TO THE CORE AND BEGINNING THE ASCENT. THE TASK AHEAD WAS DAUNTING, I STRUGGLE CLIMBING 30 FLOOR BUILDINGS, BUT OVER 72 WITH AN AD-DITIONAL CRANE? THE MIND WAS WILLING, BUT THE BODY WEAK. IN THE END OUR ENTRANCE WAS SURPRISINGLY SUBTLE. WITH THE LACK OF AN AUDIBLE RESPONSE, WE ASSUMED WE HAD GOTTEN IN CLEAN, UNDETECTED BY THE PATROLLING SECURITY GUARDS UNTIL WE REACHED THE 23RD LEVEL. “OI, STOP!”, A VOICE ECHOED IN THE STAIRWELL. INSTINCTIVELY WE HIT THE DECK, SLOWLY TURNING OUR HEADS TO SEE WHO HAD CAUGHT US. NO-ONE? AGAIN WE HEARD THE VOICE, “WHO ARE YOU?!”. THE CONFRONTATION WAS HAPPENING TWO FLOORS BELOW, ONE OF THE STRAGGLERS HAD THE MISFORTUNE AND BAD TIMING OF BUMPING INTO A WORKER ON HIS WAY BACK DOWN. THE WORKER WAS UNAWARE OF THE LARGER GROUP ABOVE HIS HEAD, PROVING SECURITY HADN’T BEEN ALERTED TO OUR PRESENCE, HIS FOCUS PRIMARILY SET ON TAKING THE CAPTURED EXPLORER DOWN TO SECURITY. WE COULDN’T HELP HIM NOW, HE HAD TAKEN ONE FOR THE TEAM AND DESCENDED WITHOUT INCIDENT OR REVEALING US. WITH A SILENT ALMOST HALF AN HOUR AND SEVERAL HUNDRED SWEAT INDUCING FEET LATER, WE REACHED THE SUMMIT, A PANORAMIC, UNSPOILT VIEW OF THE CITY OUR REWARD. THE WIND HOWLED, THE CRANE UPON WHICH WE STOOD CREAKED AND SWAYED, LONDON STRETCHING AS FAR AS THE EYE COULD SEE. WE WERE HIGH, EXTREMELY HIGH. ACTUALLY, WE WERE TOO HIGH. WHILE THE INITIAL VIEW WAS BREATHTAKING, AND BELIEVE ME IT WAS, ONCE THE ADRENALINE AND SATISFACTION OF WHAT HAD BEEN ACCOMPLISHED SUBSIDED, WE SLOWLY DISCOVERED THAT THIS VIEW WAS FOR THE MOST PART, A PHOTOGRAPHIC NIGHTMARE. NOW I KNOW, LOOKING AT THE AMOUNT OF PICTURES MYSELF AND MANY OTHERS HAVE POSTED, YOU MIGHT CONSIDER WHAT I’M SAYING AS SLIGHTLY RIDICULOUS. ITS DIFFICULT TO EXPLAIN, I TRIED TO PUT MY VIEW INTO WORD, BUT NOTHING I WROTE WAS ABLE TO CONVEY IT. ITS SOMETHING YOU

WILL HAVE TO EXPERIENCE FOR YOURSELF IN A FEW MONTHS TIME WHEN THE FIRST TOURS ARRIVE ON THE OBSERVATION DECK. I’M NITPICKING HERE AS THIS WAS A MINOR DRAWBACK, ONE WHICH IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS DIDN’T TAKE MUCH AWAY FROM THE OVERALL EXPERIENCE. IT WAS JUST ONE I DIDN’T EXPECT. AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE EXPLORE THESE SITES PRIMARILY FOR THE EXPERIENCE, ANY DOCUMENTATION AND PHOTOGRAPHIC REWARD IS JUST THE ICING ON THE CAKE. THAT NIGHT WE HAD OUR CAKE, MORE THAN WE COULD FINISH IN ONE SITTING, IT WAS JUST SLIGHTLY LESS SUGARY THAN WE EXPECTED!

THE LONDON UNDERGROUNDI really wanted to explore The London Underground however i found it really

hard as their security was really tight and didn’t enable me to explore without

breaking the law and risking a £1000 fine so i chose to go no further then these

signs. In the urban exploration world it is a great accomplishment to explore the

underground and i was disappointed that i was stopped in my tracks.

,

SHAUN KNOPEKInterview:

Shaun Knopek is a 22-year-old

Graphic Designer from London. In

his spare time he likes to explore un-

seen parts of the city. He went on to

explain that it can be therapeutic for

him as it helps to clear his mind and

takes him away from everyday life.

I LOVE THE ADRENALINE RUSH YOU GET FROM IT!

Probably the most interesting story is when i was 18 and just started

exploring. Me and two others were exploring this abandoned mansion

out in the middle of nowhere. We hadn’t visited the site before so was

new to us. We had to walk down this long dinge path to the house but

the site seemed deserted. We found a window to climb through to get

in, but once inside we found these two hillybilly hobos chilling there

staring at us. One of them had a plank of wood over his shoulder. They

asked us what we were doing and we told them we were exploring the

house. One of the guys replied we couldn’t because they were staying

there. We thought better of arguing with two weird guys in the middle

of nowhere so climbed back out of the window and started making our

way back up the path we came from. Half way up the path though we

turned and the two guys from the house had began following us. One

of the boys I was with just said fuck this and we legged it. We went back

a few days later and the two guys weren’t anywhere in site. However,

while exploring the house I did have in the back of my mind I may turn

a corner and bump right into one of those squatters.

I wen

t to an

aban

do

ned

spo

rts hall, w

hich

was m

assive and

covered

in graffi

ti. Th

e colo

urs o

f the p

lace were m

ad, th

e

bu

ildin

g fused

togeth

er with

all these d

ifferen

t pieces co

vering th

e walls an

d ceilin

gs. Th

e bu

ildin

g itself was o

pen

spaced

so y

ou

cou

ld see th

rou

gh a lo

t of it, all co

vered in

pain

t and

colo

ur m

akin

g it great to p

ho

tograp

h.

SHOM

WEETHOM

E

E!

The Heygate Estate is an abandoned housing estate in Walworth, South London. It

used to be home to over 3000 people before they were moved/rehoused in 2004 as

part of a regeneration scheme. Buildings are still empty and have not been knocked

down which has led to the estate becoming very popular as it is an amazing

example of post-war urban decay.

The Corbusian concept behind the construction of the estate was of a modern living environment.

The neo-brutalist architectural aesthetic was one of tall, concrete blocks dwarfing smaller

blocks, surrounding central communal gardens. The architect’s concept was to link all

areas of the estate via concrete bridges, so there was no need for residents to walk

on pavements or along roads. In fact, it was even planned to build bridges to

the neighbouring Aylesbury Estate, further south in Walworth. It was

designed by Tim Tinker and was completed in 1974.

CH R C OTAP RS

I R SUR YGERO

The C

hiropractors Surgery was found abandoned and at first it seem

ed that not a lot had changed as the waiting room

and office w

ere

exactly how they w

ould have been like when it w

as business as usual but as i made m

y way up the stairs it got a lot m

ore mysterious.

The C

hiropractors Surgery was found abandoned and at first it seem

ed that not a lot had changed as the waiting room

and office w

ere

exactly how they w

ould have been like when it w

as business as usual but as i made m

y way up the stairs it got a lot m

ore mysterious.

NEXT PATIENT PLEASE

TDOCORD

ORERS

S

!

THEY HAD BEEN USING THE ATTIC AS A CANNABIS GROWROOM

C R CA

CKS

MATTHEW BENSONMatthew Benson is a 27 year old Photographer from London. He is an

active Urban Explorer and has been taking photos for 8 years. He is also

the owner of London Lifestyle/Culture blog called BNTL (Better Never

Than Late). He has worked with the likes of; Lacoste, Nike, Trapstar,

Plan B and the BBC.

Interview:

ALSO IT TOOK US A WHILE TO GET IN AS WE HAD TO HIDE IN A BUSH FROM A SECURITY GUARD FOR ABOUT AN HOUR

It appeals to me because you see an

uncommon view of the most observed

(CCTV) city in the western world,

you get a different thrill to normal

photography as you never know exactly

how you’ll get in, what you’ll see and

if you’ll get caught - and furthermore,

the repercussions of getting caught are

increasingly severe.

This image is one of my favorites, mostly due to how relaxing this whole experi-

ence was, aside from climbing 30 odd storeys of stairs - such a central location,

with such ease is very rare, we visited this place with about 6 of us and it was just a

really amazing rooftop. I went back about 5 times prior to this, one time with a few

writers - which saw the security of the site being increased heavily - in- sighting

fury in the urban explorer forum world.

The most interesting stories are always the worst in this case, because something

has gone wrong to make it interesting, but one night a few years ago me and a few

friends went up a block in Bow called Mallard Point, which was round the corner

from where I was living at the time. It was being renovated so getting in was easy.

After quietly climbing up the 25 story building we reached the roof at which point

my friend took a photo with flash - we continued taking in the views, obliåvious to

what was about to happen. A few minutes later we looked at the ground and there

was a police car parked at the back of the block, assuming it wasn’t for us we stayed

up there a little longer - then another police car turned up, and another. and an-

other.. Eventually there was a collection of about 8 various vehicles, including dogs,

under- covers and a multitude of police. We decided it was probably best to wait it

out on the roof and let them come and get us, a mistake in hindsight. As we waited

we suddenly heard the loud bark of a dog somewhere in the block, which became

increasingly louder - until out of nowhere a massive Alsatian flew round the corner

and attacked my friend! Followed by a furious police officer commanding us to stay

down or he’d set the dog on us again. We were arrested shortly after on charges of

suspected terrorism (this was around the time the IRA were threatening to attack

London so the police were on high alert) - at the station our charges were knocked

down to theft and then again to unlawful occupation, we were in cells for only 3

hours, and they were still processing our papers as we left the station, aside from

my friends leg we were unscathed and uncharged, so it just ended up being a good

story. I revisited the same rooftop in broad daylight as we moved out of the local

area, attempted to climb a ladder on the roof, which ended up not being securely

fastened to the scaffold, resulting in me swinging down and dangling precariously

over the side of the block, luckily I wa¬s able to clamber back onto the ladder and

have vowed to never go back.

FA LN

DM

II OSSI

E

This was an abandoned office block that I visited in Stonebridge, London. A lot of

time and planning went into getting into this building as it was situated right next

to a dual carriageway making it very dangerous. I climbed a wobbly fence with

barbed wire attached however once over the fence I couldn’t get into the building

as the door had been secured with breezeblocks.

THE DOOR WAS LOCKED SO WECOULDN T GET IN

TRELLICK TOWER

Trellick Tower is a 31-storey tower block in Kensington, London. It is home to over

500 people. I came across what seem

ed like an old lock up which was situated under

the tower block. It was dark and smoky and there was a real eerie vibe about the place.

I found that getting out of the buildings

was always a lot more easier and sometimes

there were even signs leading me to the

exit. There was usually a direct route, which

was a major contrast when compared to the

amount of time, effort and planning that

went into getting into the buildings. I

found that my exit from the buildings

and urban environment was almost a

celebration as I knew that I had got out

safe and I felt a sense of achievment.