Casa de Campo, Farmhouse, Orgiva to Lanjaron Road, Las Alpujarras, Spain.

Here is a common view in the reddening, sun-sore fields of the Sierra Nevada farmland – a once beautiful farm building now decaying into the ground, melting like the Dali inspired clocks as society changes, again.

I climbed to the top of the roof structure and watched the sun set whilst my new exploring friend, Mango, toured the different levels beneath us. The red bricks dissolved into the red sun as I left here feeling very content; despite it being another sad story of capitalism’s impact on rural Spain as traditional farming becomes lost in the rubble…

Ruins of the Sierra Nevada

 

The mountains of the Sierra Nevada are much more populated than many in Europe due to their moderate climate and thus decent farm and grazing land.  The current inhabitants are however very different to the previous land dwellers, who would have largely been traditional Spanish farming families.  These days the winding tracks, pine forests and snowy peaking views attract expat families from England, Germany, Holland and alike.  This means that although many people own land with previous foundations already there, they are unlikely to use this in favour of newer built structures.  Some of these ruins are are still used by the occasional shepherd when travelling across the mountain tops however most lie lost in the rubble..

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…

 

Newton Poppleford House, Devon.

This house is currently up for auction – I think there will be a quick and easy sale so that the building can be recovered before it erodes any more.  The vines have already began to engulf both the building and the objects left behind – though most belongings look like they have been removed, or burned in piles in the garden.  Hopefully this wont another beautiful place, lost in the rubble.

Inside Mr. Davies’ House and surrounding cottages, Aberedw, Powys, Wales.

 

  

A friend of mine in Hay on Wye told me that he had found 2 houses ‘up a steep rocky track through a gate near the river’ in Aberedw; they definitely weren’t the best directions but after stopping to some locals having a tea party I got a better sense of the area.  I actually managed to find another abandoned cottage up a different rocky track before getting to the real deal.  This house had been abandoned in August 1991 – you could see because the calender was still on the wall; in fact, a lot of the stuff was still there.  Obviously people had come and made the floor a mess, but the character of the rooms still remained – the outer walls painted a bright blue and the kitchen a bright green.  There were the most amount of half full or empty spirit/alcohol bottles that I had ever seen, alongside a variety of different medications most aged around the 1980s and still containing large pills.  It is a truly remarkable place; the owners’ suits still hanging in the wardrobe covered in cobwebs and fire still stocked in the Aga.  We drove further up the track to find another older derelict cottage that was now used for sheep supplies and hay… On the way back down the track another jeep approached us… The 2 yocal men jumped out and suspiciously peered into the back of my landrover – we wound down the window and they asked us what we had in the back, I replied ‘just a few bodies’ they looked a bit confused, when I explained I was there to take photos and showed them my camera they shrugged and looked very confused. Why on earth would someone want to do that?!  They’d had a tip off from someone else that an-un-local landie was roaming around… Oooh Wales.  A great afternoon of adventure and some of the best objects I’ve found in one place, though apparently the owner is still alive, his former life is decaying, becoming lost in the rubble.

 

House on the Hill, Cusop Dingle, Hay on Wye, Wales.

This house can be seen from pretty much anywhere in Hay.  However, somehow it still took me 3 attempts to find it!  There is no longer a road nor track to the house, it is nestled between winding single track roads and steep mountain verges packed with sheep and Spring lambs.  None of the roads quite go near enough at the right angle to see it up close from the road and so you have to judge the direction from further away to find it… Once you do though, wowee.  Sheep baaaahing and scattering in front of you, the best view over Hay on Wye, blossom tree bloooming and this white stone bricked farm house/cottage jutted out upon a natural stage like edge.  ‘Hippies beware’ and ‘fuck sid’ scrawled on the door, this used to be a hang out for said ‘hippies’ I was told – it has been derelict for years and years, the farmer, who lives a few miles down the road, just won’t sell it even though there’s been countless attempts to buy it from him, simply because it’s his land.  Inside the rooms could be beautiful, with the picturesque views outside, fireplaces and wood beams.   It isn’t until I come back downstairs (which is a dark experience, luckily I had a torch) that I noticed the sheep carcass rotting by the old stove. It must have accidentally strolled in one day and never come out. Ahh!  I’m glad I found this place at last 🙂