NEWS / DIARY

03 Nov 2007: Well whaddya know? Since we’ve been gone, I’ve been surprised by the amount of people asking us where the site went! Over the last couple of years, I’ve checked the site’s mailbox only two or three times but each time there have been a few encouraging messages asking us to revive this clunky old nugget of Urbexery. I was personally both surprised and hugely grateful that anyone even remembered us, seriously! It only took one further E-Mail from CookFromFrozen (who is presently on some huge global odyssey with his delightful girl Carla) to convince me that we should at least revive it for the sake of nostalgia alone. And so here we are… Needless to say, much of the material on the site will be totally biff because of the 3 years that have passed, but I’ve filtered through each page and killed off anything that was obviously inaccurate, but if you spot anything else, please feel free to let us know.

Thanks to all those who expressed continuing interest in the site. It’s good to be back. LOL – What next? Some new material maybe? ;-)

09 May 2005: If you screw your eyes up a little (not literally, that would be hideous) Arial, the font type… looks a bit like ‘Anal’. Another one of those… same time tomorrow. Ahem, anyway – UPDATE! No seriously! We’re not kidding this time. It’s not exactly the abandoned metropolis we dream of finding, but Hilltop Cottage has its charms nonetheless. Check out the Urban Exploration index for the usual account and photo’s.

08 May 2005: We’ve been lucky enough to receive E-Mails from a former staff member at Park Prewett hospital, as documented on the Urban Exploration section. Abdool Outim has been kind enough to submit a piece of writing detailing his time as a trainee nurse at the hospital. You can find the piece in the miscellaneous section.

03 Apr 2005: Oh dear. How long has it been? Too long. The psychology of being four days earlier with this update eluded me until this point. I could have made the news page look ever so slightly better if this had been done in MARCH! Everyone thinks we’ve quit the whole (S-P) affair, and given the lack of updates, I’m not really surprised, but I’m afraid to say, we are still very much alive and well, and work continues on the project despite numerous setbacks and hindrances. As far as account material goes, I’m afraid that the last couple of trips we’ve made have been washouts, and not even funny ones that we could at least salvage some humour from, hence, you haven’t heard about those. However, one of the distractions that has made it difficult to get any major trips done, is in fact a very healthy distraction indeed. UncleEggMan has been busy composing his most significant contribution to the project so far, and he has every right to be proud of his thirteen track composition ‘The Growing Seed Of Industry’. The music is inspired largely by the environments we’ve visited and is a collection of instrumental, cinematic and industrial pieces. Head over to the Music section on the menu to download all thirteen tracks in high quality MP3 format.

11 Jan 2005: Happy New Year and all. Very good. So anyway, been a LONG time off the radar (with anything useful or interesting at least) so I write now with news for anyone that cares, that UncleEggMan and Groobs will be roadbound once more in Late January. Am I gonna tell you where we’re going? OF COURSE NOT ;-) But I assure you, it will be a splendid update and no mistake.

03 Dec 2004: Apologies for the seemingly recurring non-windows-user problem, resulting in the inability to view images. I have attempted to fix the problem, and all *appears* to be in order once more.

30 Nov 2004: The Guestbook returneth.

10 Oct 2004: WE’RE BACK! Finally; success! After 3 weeks of downtime, the site has been moved to a new server, allowing far more space and increased functionality… apparently. As such, we’ve made a few revisions to certain elements of the site, most significantly, we’ve attempted to improve the way in which images are presented within the Urban Exploration accounts, utilising scrolling thumbnail galleries. Still not perfect, but certainly far better than previous methods. We’ve also included a couple of extras, and reinstated the images for exploration accounts that we previously had to drop. We’re genuinely appreciative of feedback of any kind, so if you’re unhappy about any of the changes we’ve made, please let us know.

15 Sep 2004: Some minor revisions and tweaks take place, including the upsidedownalisation of the Urban Exploration page, to give more recent explorations the deserved priority.

11 Sep 2004: The first [S-P] ‘Collabo-sploration’ (Yeah, yeah, I know it’s good isn’t it? I’m in talks with ‘Collins’ to get it included in the English dictionary. True story.) takes place, with Groobs enjoying the company of JonDoe & Stoop_Master from the excellent Sub-Urban group, and the supremely knowledgeable NutBolt from Nobodythere. (See the Links page to pay your respects!) Severalls asylum was the target, and many were the pleasures. Go check it out on the Urban Exploration page.

04 Aug 2004: It’s been a quiet month or two, but the photos and account for Groobs’ visit to the Joseph Lemaire Sanatorium in Belgium are now on the Urban Exploration page. It’s a heck of a place! Go have a look! Oh, and think twice the next time you order ribs at the Chinese.

29 Jun 2004: Oh yeah. Groobs is planning some explorations in Europe. I have a couple of days away in Belgium later this year, and if anyone has seen any of the Belgian UE sites on the UE webring, then you’ll understand why I’m quite excited about that! More soon.

25 Jun 2004: Groobs & UncleEggMan have been on the road again, and although the trip was nowhere near as successful or as memorable as the last one, we have managed to bring back some pictures of the magnificent and thoroughly impressive Duke Of Lancaster passenger ferry. Check it out here. The boat has been dry-docked for years (since 1979 possibly), apparently, it was intended the boat would be used as a nightclub (?) or a Sunday market (??) but now it simply sits rusting in the mud. We were however, unceremoniously kicked off the site by some needlessly aggressive thugmonkey.

10 Jun 2004: Returning from a weekend away, Groobs spots an absolute whopper of an industrial target. Time unfortunately didn’t permit much more than a quick sniff about the place, but it’s definitely on the hit-list. Brief details can be found on the Urban Exploration page. We’ve also added two more links to the Links page, go have a look. Unfortunately, we’ve had to lose the images for the first RAF Poltimore trip, due to limited webspace. They were a bit guff anyway, and given that it was one of our earlier explorations – it was only right they should bow down first. Once additional space has been secured, we’ll put them back up.

04 Jun 2004: The steady flow of updates continues, most significantly – CookFromFrozen has donated some of his valuable time to create the new menu you see to your left. *Thanks for that badboy!* There are also a few additions to the links page, as well as some minor tweaks, spelling corrections, revisions and other stuff too tedious to mention.

02 Jun 2004: [S-P] complete their first summer roadtrip and there are a couple of updates as a result. We’ve got a West Park asylum account and the associated photographs on the Urban Exploration section and we’ve also got a couple of updates to the Miscellaneous section, including some hellish good BBQ recipes! Apologies as follows: Firstly, to all non-windows users, who, I gather – have had issues viewing the pictures on the site, due to spurious backslashes. We are working on this, but it’s unfortunately very time consuming, and right now, I have about as much time as I have learjets. And to the second recipient of a genuine [S-P] apology, those we have pledged to link to, following various requests from some great websites. The links page will be updated very soon. And dammit, while we’re all here, I’d like to say a massive thanks to all those who have offered kind words, support and inspiration for all of us here. We’re under no illusions as to our place in the grand scheme of things, but we’re thankful for every single one of our visitors, and the encouragement they’ve offered. There… isn’t that nice?

15 May 2004: In response to recent complications for various explorers regarding site access and legality, Groobs attempts to throw water on the rising flames, quickly realising that the bottle in fact, contained an unlikely, but volatile mix of petrol, smirnoff and erm… gunpowder. Only kidding. Go have a look at the latest addition to the Miscellaneous section of the website, Article 4: Cause For Alarm.

12 May 2004: Groobs discovers an empty country house. Hooray. Go have a look at the Urban Exploration section.

09 May 2004: Minor update to the way the Urban Exploration missions index looks. We hoped it might look a little more… how you say… enticing!

06 May 2004: News came to us recently that RAF Poltimore is now under surveillance, with a camera mounted at the top of the antenna of the ROC building (building 2). Our source told us that he knew of someone that had gone along to visit and was unwittingly spotted by the camera. He was picked up within minutes by the site owners and asked to leave immediately. Groobs has since visited and can verify that this is indeed true.

05 Apr 2004: Miscellaneous section updated with the new Side-Orders Article. It’s essentially a list of the things we dig.

04 Apr 2004: Links page updated to include ‘Worldoftheshadows’ If you haven’t already seen the site, go check it out. Very tidy.

20 Mar 2004: Groobs and UncleEggMan visit BAe Filton in Bristol, with enormously successful results. Paradise. Undoubtedly our largest target so far. It’s industrial, it’s techno-freekin-logical, it’s smashed up so bad!… and it’s here.

19 Mar 2004: If for whatever reason – you’re unsure why the hell anyone wants to creep around derelict buildings, then Groobs puts all his baggage on the table in the updated Miscellaneous section.

11 Mar 2004: [S-P] consult their calendars. Holiday cards are renewed at work. We have plans. We’re roadtripping in May and June, and we’re excited. Expect an exploration-filled summer, and for the love of dust, check back here once in a while won’t you?

11 Mar 2004: We’re not sure when it’ll go live, but we’re sure it won’t be long… the goodfellas over at Sub-Urban have made a trip to Park Prewett Psych, with excellent results, having conquered the tower and the main-hall. They’ve helped bring yet more of the fantastic atmosphere of PPH alive for you, we’re happy.

01 Mar 2004: It was bound to happen sooner or later. Another visit to RAF Poltimore reveals that a moderately ‘successful’ arson attempt has made quite a mess of building 2. One of the external walls of building 1 looks a bit ropey too. Check out this minor excursion here.

29 Feb 2004: Groobs fails to gain access to an interesting looking building on the quayside in Exeter. The place was accessible only a week prior, but it’s all bolted up now. Initial research also turns up nothing but blanks… curious. We’re working on it. Check out a couple of exterior shots here.

28 Feb 2004: It’s a full time job for sure. Driving home from a friends house in Bristol after crashing there for the weekend, Groobs spots a massive, empty building on the edge of the city. It turns out that this huge listed building was once the offices of BAe (British Aerospace) This new target jumps straight to the top of the to-do list. More coming soon.

23 Feb 2004: Groobs celebrates his birthday by visiting Poltimore House on a beautiful, crisp winters morning. Just as well… it looks like Poltimore may be on it’s way out. See the account and photographs here.

16 Feb 2004: Guestbook added. (See Nav Panel) Go on, say something, we want to hear from you people!

08 Feb 2004: Links page updated with a link to some harrowing excerpts from a document written by a former patient of Pennhurst Asylum, Pennsylvania.

07 Feb 2004: Groobs, UncleEggMan and TheMuffin have a successful trip to Park Prewett Psychiatric Hospital in Hampshire, requiring some smarts and some discretion – but ultimately resulting in a great day with some reasonable photo’s. Check it out here.

06 Feb 2004: Due to font embedding problems (as per news update 26 Jan 2004) we have reverted to standard fonts for the time being, so that you can understand what the hell we’re going on about.

04 Feb 2004: A ‘miscellaneous’ section has been added to the nav bar, for all the nonsense that has no place else to go. It’s kicked off with a look at a few of things that keep us going back for more.

31 Jan 2004: Groobs narrowly avoids the unwanted attentions of a security guard, and single-handedly tackles the elements during his infiltration of the previously undiscovered upper section of the RNSD Topsham facility. This site is HUGE. The risk and intrigue increase with each new discovery on this site, further updates will follow. For now however, [S-P] brings you more photos of the latest visit. Check it all out at RNSD Topsham 3.

26 Jan 2004: OMFG. Groobs and CookFromFrozen, during discussions about the website, have realised that you poor people have been seeing a really ugly looking [S-P] because the sexy fonts we work with aren’t embedded. How embarrassing. We had a look at what you see when you visit us and it looks like dog-egg. We’re sorry, but rest assured, we’re working on it.

25 Jan 2004: Yeah badass. RNSD Topsham. Consider it photographed. See the RNSD Topsham 2 account in the Urban Exploration section. Ahem… OK, so I only got half of it done due to SINISTER GOLFMAN but damn, my glass is always half full.

24 Jan 2004: As an interim measure, we’ve replaced the XML images in the RAF Poltimore account with a row of thumbnails, this means that the images are now downloadable. Some of the shots of the interior are a little grainy, because the 35mm camera Groobs was using at the time doesn’t allow for long exposures. So, until ‘Frozen can take some time out of his busy schedule (he’s in a band dontcha know!) and code us some galleries – you’ll have to put up with these.

21 Jan 2004: Good news. We’ve gone all digital and that. Groobs is now the proud owner of a Fuji A203 digital camera. No more screwy pictures, no more expensive reels of high definition film, no more expensive developers fees (25 APS shots used to cost me about £20 all in! Not to mention the hassle.) And no more scanning! Ideal. Initial impressions of the camera are very good, it’s certainly a lot of camera for less than a hundred notes anyway. RNSD Topsham is first on the list to be revisited and photographed.

16 Jan 2004: Both Groobs and CookFromFrozen , as co-creators of this site would like to take a moment to apologise to newcomers for the text-heavy nature of the session accounts, this is something that will be put right real soon. In truth, we’re just too lazy to continue scanning in hardcopy images – and are holding out for a new digital camera. CookFromFrozen just sorted out some new webspace for us too, meaning we’ll have loads more space for loads more pictures. Word. ‘Frozen also knows how to work this damn internet thing, and will be adding in some new flash based features when he can be bothered, such as fast access/hi res photo albums and slideshows. As Alan Partridge once said… “Ah… yes… it’s all happening Jill!”

15 Jan 2004: Groobs , having moaned on the UER forums recently about the lack of targets in Southwest England, manages to make a complete knob of himself by discovering a whole bunch of abandoned military hangars and buildings. Oh, how he laughed. A preliminary account has been added to the Urban Exploration section, however it’s only a matter of time before it gets the full [S-P] treatment. Go have a look in the meantime.

13 Jan 2004: [S-P] confirm finer details of a UK Asylums road-trip due to happen in February. Groobs expects to have a spanky new digital camera for the trip, and UncleEggMan will haul some kind of DV-Cam around too, so keep your eyes on the site for a healthy and wholesome batch of updates, coming soon.

12 Jan 2004: Groobs recces RAF Poltimore for the impending second trip to the more recent of the two buildings. Predictably, the recce turns into a full-blown solo infiltration, however, he discovers that it’s possibly not quite as good as we thought it would be, and promptly de-prioritises its ass until after the February road-trip.

26 Dec 2003: UncleEggMan, our man in Cornwall; informs us that ‘The Smugglers’, is now a swanky bistro-pub type thing. It has a conservatory. Which is, I assume, where ye olde pirates used to drink ye olde tankards of gin and tonic history fans! We will never drink there again.

21 Dec 2003: Groobs humbly requests fellow UE websites to consider linking to us, in order that we may be able to get our garbled message to the masses.

20 Dec 2003: You’re now looking at our new look [S-P] and it’s looking like the new look we’ll stick with. I know stuff needs to be updated, and there’s not much in the way of content yet – but we’re confident we’ll have much more time to do the necessary research and exploration for some great trips in 2004.

19 Dec 2003: Groobs , whilst on a company Christmas night out in Cheltenham, gets drunk as hell and on the way back to his hotel room, decides to ‘chimney’ his way up the abandoned Millennium restaurant, managing to scale the entire building (something he would ABSOLUTELY not attempt sober) and sit under the ‘futuristic’ roof canopy with a bag of chips he’d tied round his wrist, observing the world beneath him. Fool.