Urban Exploration: A Trilogy of Failures II

December 2018 · 6 min read · England

We are Urban Explorers, we are not vandals. We take nothing besides photographs and leave nothing but footprints.

On Boxing day, I earmarked three venues to visit all in the space of around 2 miles. With three I could hardly fail on all of them, right?

The title is a little misleading I will admit, although as a sequel to Urban Exploration: A Trilogy of Failures it is similar.

Urban Exploration Target #1 – Star Paper Mill

I got this information from www.28dayslater.co.uk, though the report was a few years old. They rarely tell you where these places are so you need to cast a beady eye with Google Maps, and so with all the clues I figured I had found it.

The gates to where I thought the Paper Mill was were firmly bolted closed but it looked like there were cars and activity going on up the lane. Maybe they had flying cars and had used their aviation skills to get in?

Not to be deterred the maps showed me that my target was close to the Leeds/Liverpool canal, so I got on the tow path and started walking and walking and walking more. A splashing sound startled me and a bloke in a canoe came sailing by and wished me a Merry Christmas.

He took off quickly and I was looking at a solid metal green fence with spiky bits on the tops thinking this was a bad idea. There was no sign of any derelict mill either, just a modern one with smoking chimneys.

Source

The most annoying part was the half mile walk up the canal. Bah, waste of bloody time! I went back half jogging past a few dog walkers that gave me strange looks and got back in my car. I then noticed the road I was parked on, ‘Star Road’.

I had the correct place, but the old mill had put on its Harry Potter invisibility cloak and wasn’t having any of it or has been demolished!

Urban Exploration Target #2 – An Abandoned Vicarage

My new policy is to not go and look for places when the last report is five years old. The building in this old article is quite distinctive, the problem being it’s no longer there!

Source

There is a St John’s Vianney Church, but it’s a modern building, still used and full of ‘keep away’ signs. Perhaps they are for the likes of me who’s searching for ghost buildings.

Here’s a snap of a real derelict church that was yet another of my recent failures. Being sealed tight means it’s off limits. I bet there were some good photography opportunities in there but it was not to be that day.

Urban Exploration Target #3 – Feniscowles Hall

My last target was not a true UrBex location, more a ruin. Still undeterred I parked up in a very posh area in my white car that is more black due to the amount of shit and dirt covering it. I don’t like to draw attention to myself, if you see what I mean 😊

Looking at maps I determined there was a river in the way, and a big gate stood in front of me with spiky tops. It was a case of being skewered and soaked vs finding another way in.

Common sense got the better of me and so I ventured into the small lanes and rambling country houses area on the other side of the hall.

Dumping the car, I started walking down a lane and saw a closed gate with a dirt lane that led to my target. A couple were walking toward me with a dog. Was this going to be a complete failure again?

‘Hello’, I said cheerily…. (keep it friendly)

‘Is this the route to Feniscowles Hall?’

‘Yes, but there’s no public right of way’…

Their tone was not angry or protective, a good start.

‘I’m looking to take some photographs; would that be OK’…. (I’m not a mindless shithead graffiti spraying vandal honest guv...)

‘You can jump over and go down, many others do’, replied the bloke with the dog quite cheerily.

‘Merry Christmas and thanks’’, I retorted jumping over the gate.

Well that went well, I was full of beans and thinking it wasn’t a complete waste of all my time.

Around 500 yards further on was another gate, this one had some barbed wire. A very poor attempt at keeping people out I thought. One strand of wire will do very little.

Vaulting over the gate with incredible agility I started down the hill and on approaching the ruin noticed some more people. Photographers and more than one; so it’s not just me who’s completely insane.

As I said, Feniscowles Hall is not UrBex and there’s very little left of it. It was a case of making the most of a bad trip.

The hall was built in 1808 and nature has overtaken the grounds in a big way.

Only part of the walls remain and some are completely gone. There is no sign of a roof, and entry to the cellar areas have been blocked off for safety.

The morning mist had almost burnt off and so any ‘ghostly snaps’ were not going to happen though it didn't stop me from trying.

I noticed there was a bridge over the river so I could have used this entrance if I was happy with my body being full of bloody spikes. The original entrance was connected to the main road I originally started on.

Feniscowles Hall was a little anti-climactic just because there was so little of it left. It must have been a grand building once and here’s a link which shows what it looked like when inhabited.

On leaving I noticed what was once some outbuildings, maybe stables but they were in such a bad state that I missed them initially.

The other blokes were still there taking even more photographs as I left. After a friendly goodbye I left and proceeded up the hill back to my car.

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In the next invigorating episode, I’m targeting yet another abandoned mill, a spooky mansion and an abandoned football ground.