Selly Oak Hospital Morgue

Urbex: Selly Oak Hospital Morgue – November 2014

The first building on the site of Selly Oak Hospital was the old King’s Norton Union Workhouse which was built in around 1872 to consolidate existing services for 5 separate parishes. Originally the Hospital was built to accommodate 200 pauper inmates. In 1897 a separate infirmary opened at the site at a cost of £52,000 and was designed by Mr. Daniel Arkell. This infirmary was made to accommodate a further 250 patients and had basic facilities to cater for maternity care but there were no operating theatres or a mortuary at this point…

1 CommentHospitals & Asylums, Site Reports, Urbex

Broadoaks Manor

Urbex: Broadoaks Manor, Surrey – November 2014

The abandoned Broadoaks Manor was built in 1876 by Ernest Seth-Smith for his elder brother Charles. In 1898 the house was then sold to elderly rich industrialist and between 1911-1946 the house was owned by the brewery owners the Charrington family. The Ministry of Defence have confirmed that the property was originally acquired by the Ministry of Supply in 1946 and later used by the Army Operational Research Group (1948-1996). After closure in 1996 the site was sold by them in 1998 and since then has stood abandoned…

3 CommentsMilitary Sites, Residential, Site Reports, Urbex

Battersea Park Rooftop Fireworks Display

Urbex: London Rooftops, Battersea Park, November 2014 Bonfire Night!

Bonfire Night! We had plans to get up high somewhere overlooking Battersea Park where we knew there was due to be a decent fireworks displace. Sadly our original planned spot was a complete fail, with access being sealed and lots of activity on the site we had to change our plans. sheer chance and a random unplanned backup and we found ourselves several stories up overlooking both Battersea Powerstation and the park where the display was due to take place…

1 CommentRooftops, Site Reports, Urbex

Château Japonais aka Château des Chasseurs

Urbex: Château Japonais aka Château des Chasseurs, France – October 2014

A huge Château located in a large grounds, Château Japonais aka Château des Chasseurs is quite isolated from the nearby homes. This gorgeous castle has been somewhere I have wanted to photograph since I saw pictures online. Clearly the building had fallen into disrepair but observations during our trip suggest that the building is undergoing some renovation works and will one day hopefully be restored to its former glory…

3 CommentsSite Reports, Urbex