Dereliction

Ever since I was a child I have been fascinated by derelict and abandoned places. Something about them appeals to both my historical interest and my appreciation for the Gothic and Noir. I love that chill when I spy an old building boarded up with grass growing high around it. What's inside? What was it like in its prime? There is also a sad loneliness about such places. A lost era.

Plymouth has many derelict or unused buildings. Most notably Union Street with the Art Deco theatre recently the Millennium Discotheque and Dance Academy the old Victorian 'New Palace Theatre'. In Greenbank there stands a sinister church and on Grenville Road a boarded up chapel. They look like vampire dens worthy of a black and white horror film.

In the early hours of this morning I discovered a fantastic forum called "Derelict Places" and registered today. It is full of constructions and spaces that have seen neglect either recently or for decades and even centuries. My favourite so far has to be St Joseph's Seminary in Upholland, Lancashire. It's a divine Gothic Revival building and is remarkably well intact. It fell into disuse simply because being a Roman Catholic priest just isn't as hip as it used to be. Its chapel is splendid and the hallways and rooms have a haunting touch. The library interests me greatly with its religious books scattered all around the room. I'd love to pick one up and read some of it.

The forum is a goldmine of eerie photos and interesting delights ranging from ancient council building boilers to decaying cinema projectors. If such things spark the more curious side of your nature then I recommend taking a look. The abandoned asylums are my favourite as they are just too creepy to describe.

Link to Derelict Places