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Saturday 4 January 2014

Abandoned - Why I Love Derelict Buildings


People tell me my love of derelict and abandoned buildings, (well any place that's abandoned, really) is strange.


I think people who don't love them are strange!


What is there to love?  Everything! It's the history, the peace, the mystery -the calm, and lots more besides!


Who was the last person to stand in here? Who was the last person to lock up and go?

Who put such and such on the floor and left it there?


What was this place like when it was 'alive' with people?


That's another thing. People make the mistake of thinking that a deserted building is dead and meaningless. It isn't. Even the decay process itself is beautiful, if you choose to see it that way. All those changes, colours, textures - and once again, the history.


What gives anyone the right to destroy something that has been there so long? Improve it, bring it back to life. Don't make it disappear, then act as if it never existed. Don't replace it with something ugly and modern, just because you can make money from it!


Money isn't everything!


If we don't protect these places, and protect our past, how can we learn from it?


I'm not saying that we must keep everything. Some things have to go, especially if they are dangerous, or whatever.


The point is, why let them get to that state?


Maybe I'm being too much of an idealist. We all know that money is a big issue. They say 'money makes the world go round' - but it doesn't have to - not always!


All I'm asking is for a bit of thought when you walk past one. Let your imagination run wild a little. Then, I hope, you will see what I mean.

I've lost count of the windows I've peered through, and the places I've wished I could get inside, like some do. With my difficulties, I can't of course, - but I can dream, and I can do so much wonderful research. 

There are so many beautiful pictures online, taken by people who have the guts to squeeze through gaps, under things, and over things, so that these lost treasures can be documented, shared, and kept,( in a lot of cases long after the building itself has been destroyed). 

 It's not always safe and it's not always legal, but urban exploration (or 'urbexing' for short), is a growing phenomenon, and I think it's a necessary one.

I can't describe the feeling I  get from looking at them. I get excited, like a kid in a sweet shop! I feel light, and happy.

It gives me a buzz similar to the one I get from writing, or singing.


These places are special. They are frozen in time, and they belong to a world that doesn't exist anymore.With everything around us changing so fast, and everyone struggling to keep up, shouldn't we be keeping pieces of our history?


Once they are gone, they cannot ever be replaced.


People loved these places once, and luckily, some of us still do.






 For more information search online for: 'urban exploration,' 'abandoned places,' 
'derelict buildings' or 'urbex' and see what you find. If you're anything like me, you'll be there for hours!


Image: Google!


#helenswriting







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