…Miscellaneous…
Welcome to the miscellaneous
part of [S-P] The section where nothing fits anyplace else. If ever we can be
bothered to write anything other than the mission accounts, or we ever have
some amusing photo’s, this is where they’re at.
INDEX
ARTICLE 1 – TIME MANAGEMENT? ARTICLE 2 – SIDE ORDERS ARTICLE 3 – CAUSE FOR ALARM ARTICLE 4 – KEITH FLOYD’S OUR GOD AND THAT’S
OK. ARTICLE 5 – THE GATEKEEPER. ARTICLE 6 – ABDOOLS MEMORIES OF PARK PREWETT
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ARTICLE 1 – TIME MANAGEMENT?
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I promised myself I wouldn’t do this, that
I wouldn’t try and explain what it is that we do. But for anyone that’s new
to the subject of Urban Exploration as a well-defined and documented
interest, as I once was, it actually seems really stupid and pretentious to
mask or diffuse our interest. Sure, it makes no sense to go yelling it from
the rooftops of the places we visit either, because alot
of the buzz comes from seeing what many others cannot, things that have been
forgotten. Despite the appreciation of a common interest, which is always
healthy in the ‘community’ sense, UE simply would not, by definition, be
exploration… if the corridors down which we creep were well trodden. But
damn, if you’ve found this part of the site, then you’re either a regular anyway,
or you’re at least curious – and if you’re the latter, then please - before I
go on - understand that I’m not trying to define UE in some all-encompassing
glory speech about how we’ve conquered the underground, or that we’re more
fringe than anyone else, I simply thought it might be a good idea to express
what motivates me. There are a few distinct stages of a planned trip, and I enjoy
the whole thing. I really enjoy the planning itself, the initial intrigue –
and metaphorically speaking, turning over stones of many different shapes and
sizes, to uncover valuable information about a potential target. Where
targets have security elements in place, I also get a massive buzz from
gaining access to a site and staying clear of security types etc! I also
enjoy the period after the trip, talking about it in the car on the way home,
updating the website and all… But these are things that I guess most Urbexers experience, so let me talk more about what it is
I feel when I’m actually there – stood in the serenity of dereliction. To me, it’s an overwhelming feeling. I feel tugged and
stretched in so many different directions in my day-to-day life,
that it sometimes seems hard to concentrate on, or care about…
anything wholly. But I manage, because I have to, I need a successful career,
I want to be a good Dad and a good Husband, but it can be confusing
sometimes, trying to establish where my thoughts and considerations are best
placed. I’m hoping I’m not the only person in the world that feels this way
at times, and I expect that this alone, is what inspires many people to
pursue their various hobbies and interests – some time away from it all, a
chance to regroup. For me it’s all about time. Not so much an involved or devoted
study of time, Steven Hawking style, more an appreciation of how it surrounds
us, defines our memories and leaves its own impression on our physical
environment. Rust, dust, mould and decay are uniformly and poignantly imposed
upon worldly objects and surroundings, and in these silent, forgotten
environments – I’m able to concentrate on ordered thoughts, in a way my
day-to-day life doesn’t allow. Time leaves an impression on everything,
absolutely everything, but never is this more tangible than when an
environment has had no other influence other than time itself. With nobody
around to clean the floor, hang a new picture, dust the light fittings or
scratch away at the rust, environments take on a very different atmosphere.
This realisation is principally why we chose to
name the site ‘Spaceminuspeople’. These are
environments that are devoid of human intervention and dominated by the one
thing that we’ve never been able to defeat or master, the one thing that
completely overshadows all our greatest achievements – we cannot defy time,
yet we seem to think it’s something we created, despite the fact that our
measurement of it is effectively arbitrary. In that respect, I see time as
the most beautiful thing we never created. It has a habit of making me feel
fragile and humbled. But, standing in a derelict environment and taking it all in,
sort of makes me feel as though I have a rewind button, and in the same way
as an artist may sketch out their subject, using their imagination to flesh
out what they see or imagine with colour and
texture, I stand in the silence and project what I feel into a picture of
what has passed before I arrived there. The lobby of a derelict hospital is
soon faintly alive with the hustle and bustle of its former existence, having shed the layers of decay that have
slowly crept in as time has passed. I find myself constantly wondering; what
happened in this spot right here? What echo of human existence can I feel
here? It’s like picking up an ancient photograph of someone you never even
knew, and simply asking yourself the question… who were you?
Eyes that saw a different life, stare back at you, someone who didn’t even
exist when they did. That same hospital lobby lies vacant and quiet, and in
the same way as the photograph, it leaves you with nothing but your own
imagination and suggestion… an amazingly fertile thinking space. I know this is a fairly emo view of
UE, but for me, that’s the bottom line. To be reminded of just how important
our memories are, and just how easily our lives can be forgotten, makes me
feel very grateful for a lot of things. Sometimes, I wonder that maybe
there’s the remote possibility that one day, just as I have done, someone
will sift through some dusty old photographs and see me, long after I become
just another echo, and wonder who I was. |
ARTICLE
2 – SIDE ORDERS
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UE as a lifestyle? Well maybe not, but for us here at [S-P], there’s much more to it than simply creeping around in abandoned or generally inaccessible areas. Some of the other stuff we do when we get together for an exploration session, is all part and parcel of similar motivations to those that make us want to explore in the first place, (we’re not that weird but it’s probably also an indication of being a bit bloody morbid, or of a slightly skewed sense of reality!) But a trip is a great excuse for us to hang out and watch a movie with some beers beforehand for example. We thought you might like to know what some of our favourite things are: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sounds Ah, a life without music simply wouldn’t be worth living. When I’m trolleyed on red wine, flicking through slideshows of UE photos, or when we’re driving to a site – it seems to make sense to be listening to something suitably thought-provoking. Here’s what gets us thinking: Beautiful, haunting and inspirational music that has had me hooked since I first heard ‘Jewel’. If anyone tells you they like Cranes… they’re lying. You can only love Cranes. A definite [S-P] favourite. Chilling, dark and grimy, but also at times very ambient. Superbly atmospheric industrial sounds. Check out ‘Drive’ for their finest moment. Brilliantly realised, this stuff is not worth trying to pigeon-hole.
It’s just good music. ‘Saboteur’ is my pick of the bunch. It’s like it
was made for creeping around to. Bright stars shine the shortest it would seem. At only 26 years old, Nick Drake tragically died and left a legacy of the most pronounced musical ability I’ve ever come across. The characteristically intricate picking in ‘Which will’ is truly incredible. The creator of the simply
stunning ‘Donnie Darko’ score. Swiss dark rock band with
excellent female vocalist. ‘Fingerprints’ is a good example of their
sound. Fine music indeed. The
darker, trippier side of the 90’s UK Indie scene. I’ve been a fan since around ’92 and have
loved all their stuff, but nothing comes close to ‘Some velvet morning’
well worth a listen. Black as coal. White noise
of the darkest kind. Lots of chanting, lots of thuds, a few bells and some
muffled, swirling orchestral strings. Really scary, but somehow soothing.
Refer to ‘Passage nacrastan’. More dark ambience, of a very pure
breed. It’s so dark and subtle that sometimes I forget I’m listening to it,
but it’s there alright, swirling around between my ears somewhere – making me
think about stuff. But I just want to clear something up, I don’t think about
‘Sludgy heads found in a bag’ the title of one of their pieces. Do not. Listen to ‘Far
beyond’ In the dark. Loud. Alone. Excellent music for
scuttling around in the darkness like a dirty little technobeetle.
Have a listen to ‘Drive’. Bloody marvellous. Nervy, twitchy darkhouse stuff. ‘Ren’
is a good example. Here’s where you need to be
if you just wish everybody would slow down for a second. Fantastic slowcore. Have a listen to ‘Going down’. Like a drop of the blackest
ink in the clearest water, this is fascinating stuff. Check out the very sexy
‘Razor sharp’. Excellent post-industrial
music with a superb, edgy sound. Have a listen to ‘Sa’den’. Making their mark on an
otherwise confused and constantly evolving genre, Katatonia
inject a really fresh sound into the Goth-Rock scene. It’s powerful,
and technically accomplished stuff. One of those refreshing bands that evoke
seldom heard comments such as: ‘I don’t know who they sound like
really…’ -
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - Vision Man, we love films. All kinds of films. I worry about my life expectancy when I think about how often UncleEggMan and I have stayed up stupid-late watching movies. It can’t be good for you. But any way, we can’t list all our favourites, because they’re not all relevant, y’know, to UE and that. But, for people with a penchant for the abandoned or the decaying… maybe the following selection will interest you: The Last Train – Granada TV series that
aired here in the Virus – Really shite
film about a badass virus that wipes out most of life as we know it and a
bunch of people who have to bugger off to an arctic wasteland or something,
and shag. To restore humanity. The cover was good. That’s why I bought it. Session 9 – An absolute must have for
asylum fans. A group of asbestos removal contractors are called in to rid the
magnificent 28 Days Later – Filmed entirely with
digital media – thus allowing some really stunning visuals, this
zombie-shocker featured an empty M1 motorway, which as any Brit will know, is
shocking enough, but also parliament square was shown empty, quite
remarkable. Not a bad film by any means, the required elements are there; the
zombies are frenzied and the survivors are still worried about women and
shagging. Christopher Eccleston’s in it though, and
he’s very good at acting, so watch it by tomorrow at the latest. The Omega Man – 1971 post-apocalyptica in which Charlton Heston
drives around an abandoned L.A. after a chemical
fallout. The amazing thing about this film is that the huge abandoned sections
of downtown The Stand – Steven King book-turned-film…
literally. I don’t think they left a word out. So very long that they made it
a mini-series. As ever, those pesky scientists have messed up again and let
loose one of their more potent cocktails, which quickly leaves hundreds of
thousands of corpses littering the streets. The excellent opening scene,
played out with Blue Oyster Cult’s ‘Don’t fear the reaper’ soon gives
way to a merely reasonable story about good guys defeating the influence of
the devil incarnate. There are lots of abandoned locations with crispy people
in them though – which is suitably catastrophic and disturbing. Yes. Kalifornia – Brad Pitt delivers a
fantastic performance in this psych-thriller road-movie, as an unhinged
killer redneck with his trashy girlfriend (Juliette
Lewis). They hitch a lift with a couple who are (foolishly) visiting the
sites of notorious killings in the states. The climax of the film takes place
in an abandoned town in the middle of a deserted nuclear test zone, inhabited
only by dusty mannequins. Very atmospheric. Dawn Of The Dead – Original Oh yeah, abandoned shopping
malls full of zombies. And that’s about the size of it. Great stuff though. Dawn Of The Dead – Remake Awesome, a remake that’s
actually better than the original??? Surely not? Heck yes, Napoleon! It’s at
least 16 times better! Hell In The Pacific – Loads of rubble and smashed
up stuff, and a script you could write on a cornflake. I watched this
absolutely battered on beers in a hotel after a day riding the Red Bull Trail
in Wales with ‘Frozen. But at the time, it seemed quite good in a very
weird way. Two surviving soldiers on opposite sides battle it out in a cat
and mouse game for a bit, then decide it’s all a bit futile and make friends
and build a raft or something. Presumably they fell out with each other
again, when deciding whether to turn left for Okinawa, or right for Ohio J Ghost Ship – A massive, rusty, hulking
wreck of an ocean liner turning up crewless in the middle of the sea, fifty
years after it sank, is very cool, and so is Gabriel Byrne… so why is this
film such utter bum-gravy? It’s because of the fact that despite all the
promise of the distinctly supernatural, and the amazing sets in which it’s
filmed, this film rapidly degenerates into a stupid action movie about some
nasty little brat with an attitude who is some sort of stroppy ghost wanting
loads of gold bullion. A wasted opportunity. But still worth watching for the
ship and the interior sets. Just make sure you turn it off when the new guy
turns up. The Ring – In my humble opinion, this
remake deserves scrutiny for the film in it's own right - rather than
comparisons with the original. I found the characters convincing, the visuals
incredibly provocative and I found the dark undertones of the story a
fantastic antidote to the multitude of mediocre horror films of the moment
that frequently fail to scare. Subtle combinations of disturbing set pieces
and jump out of your seat moments ensure The Ring is an assured and brooding
example of how to scare. Shot under leaden Seattle skies and at a gloriously
spooky moss-covered mountain shack. When I wasn’t nodding in unreserved
appreciation of the excellent camera-work, I was a nervous wreck. Excellent
stuff. The Shining – The Overlook hotel. The
Daddy. The Word. Twelve Monkeys – Some early, chilling
moments filmed in a deserted city location, inhabited only by escaped zoo
animals set a very alarming scene for the rest of this excellent future-shock
movie. The film stars Bruce Willis who turns in an underrated role as a
convict tasked with returning to the past to avert a political disaster which
if unchecked, will spell the end of life on the earths surface. Trouble is,
he turns up a few years too early and nobody believes him, so he gets thrown
in a mental institution, while the genuinely mentalist perpetrator, (played
to perfection by Brad Pitt) is free to develop his nasty little plan. Awesome
film. If you know of a film that I’ve failed to mention, or indeed if it’s a new suggestion – then please leave a message in the guestbook or chuck us an E-Mail. |
ARTICLE
3 – CAUSE FOR ALARM
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Have you ever questioned
the legality of our interest? The possibility that the exposure we give our
targets and conquests, albeit limited, may give rise to increased (and
perhaps ironically, unwanted) activity around these places? I’m sure many of
us have – and it’s right that we should care about the kind of attention our
coverage may attract, but recent events surrounding some UK explorations,
relative to various authorities, such as property owners and ‘community
groups’ highlight the need for some clarity – and above all else, the need
for the application of some common sense, and in my opinion, a little less bureaucracy. To me, UE is an interest,
admittedly – a consuming interest, but one that merely allows me to express
an appreciation that seems to be shared by a select few, for the beauty of
dereliction and the poignancy of the forgotten. Despite the clear intent to
trespass, and from this there is no escape or excuse on our part, I’m almost
offended that Urban Explorers are frequently tarred with the same brush as
the mindless individuals that constantly seek to destroy this beauty – the
arsonists, the vandals and the fakers. We could settle for the inevitability
of such judgment, given the financial interest that property managers and
developers have in many of the sites we visit, and the need for absolute
discretion and responsibility regarding what we publish on our websites.
After all, Urban Exploration can be, and often is – dangerous. Many sites
are, in the words of certain localised experts ‘as
rotten as a pear’ and once again, in terms of financial interest, companies
must protect themselves against liability claims and the like. But, given
that most, if not all urbexers have these
considerations clearly in mind when exploring, and that they care more for
the artistic endeavour that inspires what we do –
than for the possibility of pursuing a claim for personal loss of any kind –
then why is it so hard for authorities to understand that we are creating
something worthwhile, from what may, in many cases, soon be lost and
forgotten? Why should we settle for such harsh judgment? So, as urbexers,
what are our options (excluding of course, our present methods)? We might
apply in writing, or by way of a grovelling
telephone call, to the property owners, or the sentinel curtain twitchers – for access to the site. In such a case, we
might be lucky enough to be guided around the site, bound by the vagaries of
health and safety legislation, and therefore denied access to the core
elements of a site, or anywhere remotely dangerous. Or, we could sit in our
armchairs, unhindered in our passive appreciation of what we are not allowed
to see, and what may soon be destroyed and replaced by the heavy bootprint of modern development. For all the glorious
architecture, and brooding presence these sites possess, there is also the
hideous and looming threat of redevelopment, where these glorious buildings
are destroyed to make way for luxury shoebox apartments and such. In terms of
options – neither of the above fill me with anything but apathy. This article is not some
ridiculous call to arms – nor am I aiming to draw chalk between the Urban
Exploration community and authorities, what I am invested in doing though –
is illustrating that our ‘Cause’ if you will, that of Exploration, is one
that in it’s greater examples, has been an integral part of human curiosity
since our understanding of time began. Those choosing to pursue this as a
pastime, or even an art form, are so far removed from the basic thought
processes that might fuel a vandal or arsonist, or anyone else that may dent
the financial gain of a property owner, that the judgments we often face are
in my opinion, unnecessarily harsh. I have reviewed the content
of [S-P] as a result of these concerns, with a view to ensuring that what we
write and publish is mindful of the mutual interest shared by genuine urbexers and property owners, so as to prevent wherever
possible, the unwanted attentions of trouble-makers. We will no longer
publish location details, other than the name of the establishment itself,
and we will endeavour to discourage further visits
from other interested parties. Please forgive me if all
this sounds like an attempt to falsely unify two clearly opposed parties, or
a delusional assumption of our influence, but I genuinely feel that there is
some common ground shared by owners and the Urbex
community, and such measures on the part of UE websites, are a mandatory
responsibility. I hope this goes some way to assuring doubters of our
underlying intention. And for authorities reading
this… where do we go from here? I don’t want to sound arrogant, but… the same
place we were always going of course – into your property, but before you
contact your legal department, please understand that we’re going there with
cameras, not baseball bats, and all we ask is that you consider our reasons
for going there at all. It may be hard for people to fathom why on earth we
do this, but that’s not the point, what matters is that we unarguably care
more for these sites, than the idiots that should be the true cause of
your understandable concern. Message ends. Further
action is not required. Goodnight and thankyou. -Groobs |
ARTICLE
4 – KEITH FLOYD’S OUR GOD AND THAT’S OK
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Ahh, what could be better than
the companionship of your brothers and close friends, bathed in the fading
evening light and warmth of summer, with a tent, some great music, the
prospect of top notch exploration and a goddamn mutha-humpin’
BBQ! Not bloody much if you happen to be us. Which you’re not, but that
matters little, for we are willing to share the secrets of such man-like joys
with you – simply because the opportunities for such simple, social activity
are likely to pass you by if you’re not careful, (And you’ll know this if
you’re a fan of the John Hughes classic: Ferris Buellers
Day Off) so we’ve made some cast-iron plans for some days off of our own
this summer. Summer is just a collection of useless and obstructive dates
unless you, the wilderness dwelling man, are equipped with a functional BBQ,
and the accompanying tools. But a can of beer and some combustibles are not
the simple makings of the man. A man must be able to provide for his
brothers, furnishing and nourishing them with the fruits of his culinary endeavours. Behold then, the [S-P] recipes for BBQ
success: Explorers badass mushrooms: These are great if you fall
into either of the two following categories: 1. You’re a cheap-assed
crack-whore on a budget, or 2. You like good grub. Take one big ‘ol steak mushroom per person, place gills-up on the BBQ
and fill the gills with plentiful amounts of chopped garlic (No-one you’re
likely to meet during a trip is going to care how bad you smell). Add
coarse-ground black pepper and a legoman sized lump
of butter. As the butter melts, add about a tablespoon of crappy red wine,
healthy amounts of which should be in plentiful supply. When the butter is
completely melted and the garlic chunks appear limp like small, boiled,
albino woodlice, remove and sprinkle with the results of our SECOND recipe: Beercan-kayak onions: Drain the remaining dregs
of a can of Castlemaine and place horizontally on a
horizontal surface such as… the floor. Align the gob-hole upwards to avoid
embarrassing butter-leakage moments. Use the explorers
tool of choice, the Leatherman, to cut a ‘spraydeck’ like rectangular hole in the beer can. Place
on the BBQ and fill with a large, chopped red onion (per 3 people), a legoman
sized lump of butter and some paprika, oh and of course the residual faceful of beer that is likely, despite your best
attempts as a drainer, to inhabit the can. Fry until limp. Serve. ( And if you were paying attention to the previous recipe,
sprinkle drunkenly over the Explorers Mushrooms). The rest you can figure out
for yourself, it’s just meat, and beer, and both require constant attention. Peace. -Groobs.
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ARTICLE
5 – THE GATEKEEPER
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NO YOU CAN’T COME ABOARD!!! FIK URF!!!
If you’re struggling to understand what this is all about,
go have a look at the Duke of Lancaster account on the Urban Exploration
page. |
ARTICLE
6 – ABDOOL’S MEMORIES OF PARK PREWETT
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It’s always nice to hear from visitors to
[S-P], we’re often unsure of whether or not anyone’s listening to us (…I wouldn’t
listen to me if I wasn’t me. In fact I suspect I’d tell me to shut the hell
up…) BUT the project bimbles along regardless J The long winter months have been punctuated by the odd E-Mail
of encouragement, and in all honesty - this is all we need to keep us bimbling. So it’s especially gratifying when we hear from
people who have very specific, first-hand knowledge or experience of one of
the places we’ve visited. Hearing from people who have their own memories of
a place that now rests abandoned and derelict; consolidates our precise
reasons for documenting our discoveries in the first place. These places were
once alive in their own particular way, and when the past can only be seen in
terms of the dereliction of the present – a voice from that past can
be illuminating in it’s ability to describe life as
it used to be in these places. As such, the following account, kindly
submitted by Abdool Outim;
a former Nurse at Park Prewett Psychiatric
Hospital, makes for an interesting read. I’ll hand you over to Abdool… ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The initial shock of seeing my previous
workplace and second home in such a pitiful condition made me shudder! I
would be pleased to assist you and help visitors to the site understand
places like Park Prewett had a useful purpose for
staff, psychiatric patients and their families. Park Prewett
was the first hospital I arrived at in the late 60s to commence student nurse
training. The hospital was used during World War Two
to treat the wounded, especially following the evacuation at Dunkirk for rest
and demobilisation. After the war years it became a
hospital for the mentally ill. I was told of this by the senior nurses there.
In the late sixties there were approximately one thousand beds occupied by
psychiatric patients! The wards were spread in the grounds,
each ward housed thirty to forty patients. There were male and female wards.
Most wards were named after the local villages surrounding Basingstoke, ie: Overton, Kingsclere etc. Some of the charge nurses were trained in
the armed forces and acquired civilian positions after the war. The The hospital was recognised
as a teaching hospital by the General Nursing Council for England &
Wales. There was a Nurse training school in the grounds and Nurses came from
all over the continent and the rest of the world i.e. the British
commonwealth countries. Many stayed on after qualifying as Staff Nurses or
Enrolled Nurse. I enjoyed my time there very much as the social life was
great. There was a hospital social club in the grounds with sporting
facilities like the cricket pitch and the football grounds. I played football
in the hospital team. We played in the Basingstoke lower league. As for the patients, we had an admission
ward where all new cases came in and were assessed prior to receiving
treatment. There were a lot of alcoholics, problem gamblers and people with
mental illness who were there for a long time. The day would be spent as
follows: After breakfast some patients would stay in the wards and do
cleaning jobs for which they got an allowance and smokes! Others would go to
the industrial unit where they would do packing jobs like putting pens and
pencils in boxes for private contractors. Others were employed in
furniture/cabinet making supervised by qualified tradesmen. Groups of
patients used to help the gardeners and kept the place nice, Nurses used to
accompany them. There was a bakery, shop, hairdresser, sewing room, laundry
and dance hall, all of which located in and around the main building as you
saw on your visit. Above the shop and laundry there were the Nurses quarters,
lots of single rooms. There was also a separate three-storey building used as
the main Nurses home opposite the main admin building. I could not locate the
exact position from your pictures as the grounds looked so overgrown. In the
evening patients were entertained in the wards by Nurses. Some would watch
the TV, others would play table tennis, snooker, cards, cribs and there was
always an activity in the main hall, dance or a band practicing. At one end
of the building was an acute admission ward and the patients ran their own
coffee shop supervised by staff. All these activities helped the patients to
learn to rehabilitate. There was a regular bus service from Basingstoke town
centre to the front door of Park Prewett. I was almost speechless when I saw it again
on your website, its nothing like it was in 1969. In
fact the whole fence surrounding the grounds made it look like a prison camp!
Dr Mackarness and Dr Turton
were the two Psychiatrists there at the time, there were studies on the
causes of schizophrenia carried out there too, along with electric convulsive
therapy (ECT), which gave new hope to some of the patients. Patients were
admitted from all over Hampshire, some were discharged after some
improvement, others were readmitted time and again
following relapses. There was a dispensary in the main building from which
patients' medications were dispensed. They consisted of antidepressants,
antibiotics, major tranquillisers and liquid
medications such as largactil. The side effects
from these often resulted in strong pungent smell in urine, that's why in one
of your pictures of the urine cupboard room, the comment "smell of
urine" in the room was still present after all these years! The patients who lived there and were able
to go out and about did so on their own, they could
travel by bus to go to town or if they were looking for a job before their
discharge, they were assisted by the service to become independent. Those who
were severely disabled, or suffered from chronic
schizophrenia, dementia and related conditions remained there in long stay
wards. Over the years many of them have passed on so the bed numbers would
gradually have reduced, hence the Health dept policy of closing down long
stay hospitals following pressure from lobby groups. -Abdool Outim |