Day 216: Beauty in Decay

“There can be no true beauty without decay.”
– Bruce Robinson –

My most popular post to date was Who Will Stop The Rain and at the time I thought nothing of it, having spent a mere five minutes taking the photos and only slightly more putting the blog content together.

However since then, I’ve seen the very same flowers every single day outside of the window (they’re much taller now!) and have noticed the changes. Whilst the rain brought the vibrancy and colours of the flowers out, it has persisted most days since and has almost finished off the delicate petals.

So this is a slight revisit, to see the contrast and the change in just about a month or so. Pus I really like the quote, which is usually likened to urban exploration and the beauty in decay slogan that has fast become the urban explorers creed. In truth though, it fits with anything and everything. It is rarely possible to find true beauty without decay.

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Day One Hundred & Fourteen: The Derelict Hospital – Final Chapter

“Take Only Pictures – Leave only Footprints”

My more adventurous Photography side delves into the world of Urban Exploration, and whilst I can by no means call myself a ‘proper’ Urban Explorer, I have acquired a nice portfolio of shots over the past year or so of various dead and decaying places. Why? Somebody, somewhere, needs to document the fall of what could have been a hub of society and that, in a nutshell, is why I occasionally flit into the area.

Sometime last year I got the chance to explore a derelict hospital within the local area. It was a small hospital which focused mainly on rehab for elderly patients but had some other outpatient departments too. It’s a beautiful place, whilst it houses your typical ‘hut’ type buildings that are quick to fall down and decay – in the middle of the grounds is the most amazing Victorian Mansion with a beautiful tower. There’s no online documentation of when it actually closed – but it wasn’t that long ago. Despite this however, it fell rapidly into a state of decay and was soon trashed by local youths.

The only reason I found out it existed was because during my first week at a new job last August I was sent right to it for an important meeting. It was pouring with rain, windy, stormy and the roads were narrow and completely covered in mud. It was a joyful journey. My Satnav took me right down to the entrance for the hospital and I mentally swore at it for being so wrong. However it was quite correct. Tucked away behind the derelict building was the place that housed my meeting. I was itching to come back with the camera.

So on a bright but chilly Autumny day last year I did. There were Deer, noises, funny slogans and sayings such as a phrase written across a cupboard door saying I couldn’t sleep last night and various other exciting bits. There were also security guards. All the shots you see so far in the blog aside from the first one – were taken in Autumn last year. I wanted to give a sense of the place, something I only captured slightly today. Everything else now is from today!

Today I had another meeting in the same place and I arrived with eager glances at the derelict hospital to see how it was faring. Fences bordered it, blocking all form of entry onto the grounds and inside, contractors were hastily pulling down everything. When I walked into the meeting staff were complaining about the loss of their phone lines due to something being hit on the hospital site and last week they were without electricity for the same reason. Looking at the building we were in it was quite clear that it would one day be the next to go.

Nevertheless I got some shots today, the last shots of the grounds of the Hospital intact, I would imagine. Unless anyone sneaks their way in after hours, which, given the heightened security, is unlikely. Soon, the whole site will be a modern housing estate with absolutely no trace of what lay there before.

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