Hainford Hall, Norwich, Norfolk.d,

Whilst out on an early morning bike ride I cycled past an overgrown driveway with signs for a Motor Salvage center – not only does the thought of derelict property get my juices flowing but a nice old derelict motor can have quite the same affect on my investigative mind.  I must have looked a site cycling through on my beautiful atomic turquoise ladies vintage bike, all in purple carrying a bunch of purple wild flowers I’d picked whilst riding (you know, just accessorizing).  Anyway, the men of Hainford Hall Motor Salvage seemed most pleased to see me, and I was most pleased to have found not only a scrapyard for vehicles but in the center of these piles of metal lay an abandoned manor house – full of the promises of former glory.  I asked the manager if I could get inside for a few photos and he most kindly agreed for me to return later that day as he had a key to get inside.  It turned out he’d bought the property but that it’s now falling into disrepair after countless break-ins by vandals left the task of restoring the property more distant.

Hainford Hall itself is said haunted, the man told us about a young girl who had died in one of the rooms – this room still had an old kettle on the cooker, however I didn’t feel any different, or more eerie vibes compared to a lot of the places that I explore – maybe everywhere’s haunted, that’d make more sense to me – why would lost souls choose only to hang around in bird-nest infested rotting walls?  Perhaps to watch the beauty of the decay around them?

Most of the rooms were used to store personal items of the owner – previously being an antiques dealer he had some real special artifacts among the gaudily decorated wallpapers and impressive central fires.  I think I got to this one just in time, before its owner unfortunately has to pass it on and it almost definitely will become another flattened ruin lost in the rubble.

Farmhouse, Tablones, Southern Spain.

This is one of the many thick walled remains of a traditional Andalucian working farm. This one was particularly photogenic thanks to the Spring flower invasion and it was a real bonus to find the original fireplace and window intact.

The San Joaquin Mill, Maro, just outside Nerja, southern Spain.

A huge amount of sugar cane was grown in the Nerja area from the 16th century onwards (nowadays, the surrounding fields grow mango, papaya and avocado along with other crops). The first sugar factory was opened in Nerja in 1588, amazingly enough, and there were several others.

The San Joaquin mill was built in 1884. It was originally owned by the Marquis de Tous, closed in 1911 and re-opened in the 1930s. I haven’t been able to find out when it finally closed but it is now roofless and pretty derelict, although its chimney   (with an interesting criss-cro ss brickwork pattern) still stands, along with the waterways running between the buildings and an impressive sense of worth – the location and the views are more than remarkable.  An incredible place, now lost in the rubble.

Old Moroccan Castle, Orgiva, Spain.

Factory, Tablones, near Orgiva, Spain.

Whilst cruising through the dry river bed of the Rio Sucio I noticed this large complex of, what seemed like, abandoned factory buildings.  During the exploration we found 2 dogs locked in one of the warehouses, they were barking loudly and did not look well – I think that this means that the property was being guarded in some way; I doubt it was being squatted!  The huge piles of sand, cement and other aggregate was piled up on all of the walls of the building and there were several diggers dotted around the place, rotting slightly… There was one room full of paperwork dated from 1975… I could not quite work out what the factory was for; or whether it was still fully, or just party in use.  Either way, another incredible place now lost in the rubble…

 

The Pools of Castlenou, Barcelona, Spain.

The pools of Castlenou can be found on the outskirts of Barcelona.  Once an extremely popular attraction, the gigantic concrete carcass now canvasses street art, rather than swimwear-clad locals and tourists.

The reason behind its demise sounds like a bad fairy tale – as rumours began to spread between locals that several people/children had fallen to their deaths, jumping from the top board to their bloody ends, the place soon became deserted… And now it is only home to graffiti sprayers, skaters, or trespassers… What a crazy reminder of its once innocent haunts… Now, lost in the rubble..