"Urban exploration (often shortened as urbex or UE) is the examination of the normally unseen or off-limits parts of urban areas or industrial facilities" UK Urban Exploration Forums
HASTINGS ICE RINK Sussex
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Originally opened in 1874 when the promenade was only 10 feet wide, the roof of the underground public baths formed part of the parade extension. There were two baths, and the bath furthest from the pier was originally intended as an aquarium but due to lack of funds it was opened as a small bath for ladies. It possessed steps down into the bath rather than the usual side steps and was popular amongst younger swimmers. The Hastings water polo team played their matches in the larger pool. Both pools were of salt water. White Rock Baths was transformed into The Baths Cinema during 1912 and opened in 1913 with seating for over 1,600 people.
stonehouse asylum
Built after the Commissioners of Lunacy had insisted that the Corporation of London provide its own asylum for pauper lunatics rather than sening them to Bethlem Asylum in Lambeth, the City of London Lunatic Asylum opened in 1866 at Stone, near Dartford. In 2003 the West Kent NHS and Social Care Trust began to run down the facilities at the Hospital. It finally closed in 2005 with 145 beds.
Box mine Wiltshire
The Mine consists of a network of tunnels, which originate from stone mining work, initially started during the Roman occupation of Britain.
u475 blackwidow soviet submarine
Also known as Foxtrot B-39 by NATO this submarine prowled the worlds oceans for 27 years, it was built in 1967 and was in active service until 1994.
NGTE Pyestock
For over 50 years Pyestock was at the forefront of gas turbine development and was almost certainly the largest site of its kind in the world. V bomber, Harrier and Tornado engines were all rigorously tested on site, the power of the air house allowed Concorde's engines to be tested at 2,000 mph, every single gas turbine installed in the Royal Navy were checked here, captured Soviet engines were discretely examined - and all this on terra firma, without a single plane taking off. NGTE Pyestock closed down in 2000.
D.U.M.P.Y
Dumpy is an underground complex of tunnels deep down in the cliffs below dover castle it was built in ww2 as an extension to the three levels of casemated tunnels above (most of which where built in napleonic times i think). They were used in ww2 as a very important command centre where some of the most famous military operations were lead. During the cold war dumpy (because of it being so deep in the cliffside) was turned into a fully operational nuclear bunker and in the event of a nuclear attack there was a small BBC recording studio from which the warning broadcast for the country would have come from, I also believe it would have been used as a temporary seat of government.
Graylingwell Asylum
Graylingwell Hospital
Other names/synonyms: Chichester asylum, Summersdale hospital. Date founded: 1894 Date opened: 1897 Date closed: 2003
London Road Deep Shelter
The Portsmouth War Emergency Committee was considering the possibility of providing the civilian air-raid shelters by tunnelling the chalk pits on Portsdown, and at a meeting held on 11 June 1941 the City Engineer reported that although he had not received definite instructions from the Ministry of Home Security to proceed, he had been told verbally to get the Contractors started on the work of excavating the tunnels. The total capacity of the shelters was to be at least 5,000 persons.
Cane Hill Asylum
Cane Hill was the Third Surrey County Pauper Lunatic Asylum, the asylum was completed in 1882, and closed in 1991.
Airplane Graveyard West Sussex
Sitting in a field near peace pottage stripped and rusting, i can only assume that this is/was some sort of buisness which involved breaking/selling the parts of these machines.
All Saints Hospital
All Saints Hospital was built between 1867 and 1869 on land given by the 7th Duke of Devonshire; its chapel was added in 1874. All Saints was built as an Anglo-Catholic nunnery and convalescent home and designed by Henry woodyer.
Blackrock Caves South Wales
Potters Mannor East Sussex
Built in 1904, the last owner was a french born artist and potter james francis walford who lived there with his wife murial walford, the house was originally named steep park house and the name potters manor was thought to come from james walford and his connection with the craft potters association, the house sits on an 11.8 acre site, the house is for sale at £1.5 million with planning permision for development.
Coulsdon Deep Shelter Surrey
One of four deep shelters that was built by surrey council this one sits near cane hill asylum, After the war, the shelter was used by a lense manufacturing company and later as a garage.
Eastry Hospital Kent
Eastry Hospital started off life in 1835-6 as a poor mans workhouse, in later years it was to become known as Eastry Hospital which became a centre for the care of those with learning disabilities.
Severalls Asylum Essex
Severalls Asylum was built in 1913. It closed in the late 1990s. In it’s heyday it housed 2000 patients
Midwales Hospital South Wales
The Mid Wales Hospital was a pychiatric hospital in Talgarth, Wales. It opened in 1906 and was formerly known as the Brecon and Radnor Joint Asylum or Mid Wales Counties Mental Hospital. It is in echelon style (narrow arrow)and at its peak could serve 1,000 patients.
Longcross Army Barracks Surrey
Loncross Barracks near Chertsey in Surrey opened in the mid 1960's at the height of the cold war. The nearby tank testing track and Qinetiq buildings were probably the reason for the building of an MOD barracks in the area. The site closed around 2000
West Park Hospital Epsom
The hospital was designed by William C. Clifford-Smith, When complete the hospital could cater for around 2,000 patients of mixed class,The hospital was slowly run down from the mid 1990s, and by 2003 most of the hospital was closed and derelict.
Temple Court London
This was the former headquarters of Legal & General, constructed between 1957 and 1968.
Ramsgate Tunnel Kent
The Tunnel Railway (also known as the Ramsgate Cliff Railway, the Ramsgate Tunnel Railway, the Ramsgate Underground Railway and the World Scenic Railway) was an underground railway in Ramsgate Kent, England. It was open for only three years before being converted to a major air-raid shelter during ww2
Raf Wartling GCI Rotor Station Sussex
RAF Wartling became operational in 1941 as a radar station. In 1943 it was fitted with a larger type of radar which consisted of a rotating aerial array with both the transmitter and receiver beneath the array. RAF Wartling and its radar played a crucial part in the war, tracking, intercepting and thereby enabling the destruction of some 380 V1 (the so-called Doodlebug) flying bombs.
Shorts Brothers Air Raid Shelter Kent
These tunnels were constructed in 1941 at the rear of the Shorts Seaplane Factory, The tunnels were abandoned since the 1990s when Blaw Knox left.
Isaac Newton Telescope East sussex
The Isaac Newton Telescope was a very large telescope for its day, and the largest in England. It was a little smaller in aperture then the 100-inch Hooker in the United States, but much newer. It originally had a 98 inch mirror when in England, but given a new, larger 100 inch mirror by Grubb Parsons after the move.
Top Gear Track Plane
Used for filming in Casino Royal (james bond) this 747 sits on the air field that top gear use to test there cars.
Westbourne Sewer London
The River Westbourne is one of London's lost rivers. During the Victorian period it was diverted underground to allow for more housing development. Its actually a combined sewer system.
Hellingly Asylum East Sussex
Hellingly Asylum (personally my favourite) also known as East Sussex County Asylum or just Hellingly, was opened in 1903. Its architect was GT Hine, one of the great asylum architects of the era.The majority of the hospital closed throughout 1994, sufferd repeated vandalism and multiple arson attacks, As from mid 2010, the site was starting to be cleared to make way for new housing. Only a couple of the out buildings and the outer shell of the main building remain.
ST Ebbas Hospital
The third of the Epsom clusterto be built, the Ewell Epileptic Colony, lying partly in the parish of Ewell, was officially opened in 1903 by the Duke of Fife, the Lord-Lieutenant of the County of London, accompanied by Princess Louise, the Duchess of Fife.
Park Prewett Hospital Hampshire
Due to the intervention of the first world war, the building was first used by the Canadians as a military hospital. Park Prewett opened as a mental hospital in 1921 and by 1936 catered for 1,400 patients. The hospital returned to military use again during World War II. Part of the hospital - Rooksdown House - was used by Sir Harold Gillies, the pioneering plastic surgeon.
Denge Sound Mirrors Kent
A forerunner of radar, the sound mirrors were intended to provide early warning of enemy aeroplanes (or airships) approaching Britain. They did work, but the development of faster aircraft made them less useful, as an incoming aircraft would be within sight by the time it had been located. Increasing ambient noise made the mirrors harder to use successfully, and then radar rendered acoustic detection redundant.
Grand Shaft Dover
The Grand Shaft is a unique 19th Century triple staircase built during the Napoleonic Wars.The shaft was built to provide a short cut for soldiers based in barracks and forts on the Western Heights of Dover. At the time of the French Wars in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries it was generally feared that Napoleon would invade Britain and that Dover as the nearest English port and town to France would be a prime target.
Truleigh Hill R2 Chain Home Extra Low Station Sussex
Decommissioned in 1958 and sold to a local farmer in 1965. He converted some of it to use as a night club but due to health and safety problems it had to close. The under ground bunker is now abandoned but the Bungalow and masts are now used by the Home Office.
st margarets 5.5" Battery Shelter Kent
This site was the first one to use the unrotated projectile known as the Z - Rocket which was a anti - aircraft (AA) weapon. It was officially known as a UP or unrotated projectile. It was not particularly accurate, but the thinking was that if fired in large enough amounts an enemy plane just might get hit.
Eagle House London
The London Borough of Hackney has given consent to proposals for Eagle House. A fully integrated proposal which will include a new residential tower, retail units, offices, start-up business units for local people, a supermarket and a health and fitness club focused around a new central public space. Current status - On hold
Battersea Power Station London
Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned coal-fired power station located on the south bank of the riverThames, in Battersea, South London. The station comprises two individual power stations, built in two stages in the form of a single building. Battersea A Power Station was built first in the 1930s, with Battersea B Power Station to its east in the 1950s. The two stations were built to an identical design, providing the well known four-chimney layout. The station ceased generating electricity in 1983, but over the past 50 years it has become one of the best known landmarks in London and is Grade II* listed.
Ramsgate Tunnel West Cliff Section Kent
This section is by far the most unstable of the entire system, access is very interesting which has made for not to many visitors.
Atkinson Morley Hospital London
The hospital was opened in 1869 following a donation of £100,000 by Mr Atkinson Morley, a wealthy hotelier and landowne,r The hospital was noted as one of the most advanced brain surgery centres in the world, and in particular for the first use of computed tomography (CT) on a human being in 1972 by Godfrey Hounsfield for which he was awarded the 1979 Nobel Prize in Medicine. Closed 2003.
Athol-Guilford-Trevanion Tunnels, Dover
At the base of the cliffs under Dover castle you will find the Trevannion Caves and Athol Terrace Caves linked by a long Guilford tunnel, these caves and tunnel net work was used during WW2 as civilian shelter.
Richborough Power Station Kent
Richborough Power Station is a former power station close to the mouth of the River Stour near Sandwich, on the east coast of Kent. It was built on land within the Port of Richborough but being on the northern edge is mostly within the neighbouring parish of Minster, Kent.
The power station can be seen in several scenes of the 2008 film Son of Rambow, and was the location for the 2003 Channel 4 television series Full Metal Challenge.
Meads Tunnel East Sussex
The brick-built tunnel sections were constructed to house a 21” water main and run under the hillside between Friston, East Dean, Beachy Head and through to the Meads area of Eastbourne. The Victorian engineers who built the tunnel were also ahead of their time – they were energy conscious too. Rather than pump the water over the top of the hills from Friston to Eastbourne, they burrowed through the top of the hillside to allow the water to flow by gravity.As well as helping to transport 12 million litres of drinking water each day, the tunnel, which runs in two sections from Friston to Eastbourne, is often used by bats for hibernating and as a nursery for their offspring.
Lillesdon Girls School kent
Originally built as the privately owned Lillesdon Estate Mansion, way back in 1855, and later became a public girls school just after the 1st world war, It closed around 1999, and has been abandoned ever since
Aquarena swimming pool in Worthing, closed in 2012, earmarked for demolition.