Tales of the Urban Explorer: Angela's Place

I don't get to do many time capsules so when @anidiotexplores shared a couple with me last year I made some plans to visit them at the first opportunity.

As they were absolutely miles away it was some 3 months later when I got the chance. I am not one to make special trips no matter how great the eye candy.

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This was one of @grindle’s first documented explores on Steemit and I find it interesting to compare his findings with my own.

While he stated Angela appeared to be alone with no obvious signs of 'man things', I found evidence of a 'Mr. Angela' (no more names will be revealed).

I had limited time to check out 'Angela’s Place’ as @bingbabe was patiently waiting in the car for me again.

@anidiotexplores warned me to keep as incognito as possible as the cops arrived just as he was leaving during his visit. They got away but it was a close call. Nosey neighbours again no doubt.

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I saw no one or nothing while straddling this gate and walked down a not-so-overgrown dust track. The track continued to a distant farm, probably home to the 'protectors of the house'.

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I didn’t arse about and immediately started looking for a way in. Getting close appeared to be a nightmare but I found a worn path through the brambles and weeds snaking around to the back of the property.

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It was cold inside, really cold. Talk about a 15-degree temperature drop, and after a bit of a struggle getting in which I tortured my balls a little... I was in.

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The cold did not deter me in the slightest. I mean look at all this stuff. It seemed like the lot had been left behind.

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I could see there was a little vandalism; I mean why would the sofa be upturned? Sofas don't move on their own.

Hopefully little had been stolen over the years, but just how many years had it been left empty?

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A reel-to-reel tape deck; My late father had one in a similar style.

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I guess someone loved to read, the old-fashioned way.

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…and just look at that, an old record player with a built-in tape deck so you can rip off your own music.

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Besides being cold it felt damp. That’s what you get when there’s an open entrance to your property. The books were looking a little forlorn.

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I couldn’t shake the feeling that this record collection had been rifled through.

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Ooooh, now what’s that?

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A bank statement from 2004 showing Angela in the red by over £2000… and... shopping in Kwiksave of all places.., I guess they have little choice being in Wales.

Fucking Kwiksave, some might know how I feel about that shithole of a place.

She paid off £40 and gained another £27 of interest. This is clearly someone who can't control their spending.

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So much to look at and so little time. There were plenty of personal items to check.

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This is interesting bedtime reading for an aged lady.

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Perfume and make-up; She lived in the sticks but still wanted to look nice.

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A copy of ‘The Mail’ from 2016; So was the house inhabited during this year? I can’t imagine anyone bringing in their own copy just to read it and dump.

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Why did she leave all her clothes? Strange considering she did not die in the property (I will come to this later).

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Two old VCRs, but why two? Was Angela a video pirate? I had a Panasonic one just like the bottom one, it was a decent player.

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Excuse the foot, I must stop doing this.

I took the stairs up and found it hard to navigate; such was the mess of stuff everywhere.

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I noted the moth-balled animal fur coat @grindle photographed was still there. I mean why wouldn’t it be?

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I think I see a family resemblance.

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Angela has contacts outside the UK, in multiple European countries.

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A letter from 1993; Dear Mrs. Rudford… what? I found the pensive scribbling hard to read.

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I hope Angela read 'Write your own will'. Can you see it in the stack of books? Leaving your rotting house to someone might be a bright idea.

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I had to censor this postcard but it did tell me that Angela lived elsewhere once and there was a 'Mr' in the picture.

He could have died, and she moved here to see out her days. It’s just speculation.

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Sadly her contents were very much strewn everywhere. I don't think this location has hit the Tour Bus but has been done over a few times.

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You can see the clothes draped over the staircase banister. Like the sofa, they don’t get there on their own.

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Did she play golf or are these ‘Mr. Angela's' clubs?

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That is some quite stodgy reading material.

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I wonder how many records used to be here before some were stolen?

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The almanacs are for Astrologers. I know as I was one at the age of 16. It was one of those passing phases.

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The old one is something special. 1947 and published in 1946! World War 2 was just finishing.

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I was tempted to correct this sight and move the sofas but they were too damp and stinky.

Having obtained Angela’s full name from material viewed inside the house I looked her up as she has an unusual surname.

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Sadly she died in 2019 while living in a care home in a larger nearby town. As for the property, it is likely to get in a worse state than it currently is and be left for years to come.

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I have been told there was a Volkswagen Beetle in the garage that I missed. What garage? You always miss a little.

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Even vinyl. The joints you show us, if it were over here, wouldn't have a chance at growing one vine on the exterior before someone/anyone emptied the place out. I'm impressed each time with the amount of things left behind. My mother had an old reel to reel too. Good stuff.

About how many spelunkers have you teamed up with in the area and are they all people you knew prior to this platform?

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The are a closely guarded secret.. the locations that is. If everyone knew they would be ransacked in a short time. I have few contacts but they are all decent and in the same mindset as me.

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(Edited)

OMG there are houses like that with that much stuff still left inside?! It's hard to imagine the situations leading to that...doesn't land get auctioned off or something if there is no one to inherit it?

That's amazing though! I'd be so curious to find diaries or the like. Postcards are a little taste, but id love to see hidden dramas

I bet there is some valuable stuff in those collections, collectible albums or books

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I guess there was no inheritance on this one. A few have gone the same way and end up just like this. Empty for years and rotting away.

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Dang, it would have been some real temptation for me not to nick some of those records. Awesome stuff. That junk drawer is just about the best. I think everyone has at least one of those in their house! This looks like it was a real winner for you!

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It did not even cross my mind to take anything @bozz. It's like taking from a store when you know the owner can't see you and there is no CCTV. You don't do it.

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Are the people still around or are they long gone? I didn't say I would do it. I just said I was tempted. I guess this is just another reason why this whole things isn't my cup of tea.

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Having obtained Angela’s full name from material viewed inside the house I looked her up as she has an unusual surname. Sadly she died in 2019 while living in a care home in a larger nearby town.

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Great post mate, when I saw the reel to reel, it reminded me of the evil dead films, I'm thinking "don't play it!!" lol.

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Haha, it's been years since I saw the original. It's probably still got a kick even now!

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Kinda sad, when someone passes away and the house is just left behind to rot. Cool to at least get some urban exploring out of it though. I bet my house would look something like this if I left it abandoned, just books and music all over the place.

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It's a typical state I see them in. Stuff everywhere..., there's always someone looting.. this is what has happened.

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Was bingbabe being lookout or they just don't like going in with you? :)

Ergh I really can't cope with the people who were in before you who left the place in such a state and probably pilfered things -_-

The story about Angela made me a bit sad but at least gave me a partial explanation for why this place was left; it's entirely possible that she thought she would be going home at some stage :S I'm kind of half-observing a situation playing out currently where an elderly lady I know is in care because she has dementia but she is pretty convinced that she's just out for a holiday and will be going home "soon". All her stuff has been left in her house (which at least is currently being maintained but all her stuff is being sorted through, she'd be pissed if she knew x_x) so not likely to end up like Angela's house but if there weren't people to do that it could definitely have gone that way.

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@bingbabe is my other half who is not into this at all, it creeps her out. She tolerates me but then I can't mess around and have to be quick about things.

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Holy shit, what a fucking cool dive this one is! The vines are amazing, and I'm shocked at the number of books she had collected. Gotta get me some shelves like that when I buy a house! LOL.

Nice little collection of vinyl too. Pity they got left and ruined, but that's how it goes eh. Very cool, I loved this read and your photos. I feel like I could spend all day looking at shit in that house!

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There are always places that have too much to take in. I end up on the floor looking underneath piles of stuff for other stuff at times. It's all very damp and musty so paper items usually disintegrate in your hands.

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Nicely captured, it’s a great mooch.

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Not a lot has changed in 2 years.

This is the garage, this could be the VW

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I was kind of rushed doing it, I didn't even see this garage. Was it further around the back somewhere? The front was an impenetrable wall of foliage. A crushed VW sits there... somewhere. This one seems to be quite a well kept secret.

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I went in through the kitchen window,the garage was about 30ft away in the undergrowth

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This is unreal, I've never explored someone's abandoned house, but what an interesting look at Angela's life, as told by what's left behind.

It feels intimate & bizarre simultaneously to me, lol.

P.S. For some reason the photo of the record player really speaks to me, you mind if I play with it in photoshop?

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Time capsules are rare and the community is very guarded about sharing. Paper items may disintegrate in your hands but there are antiques within of value. Sure.. go ahead with the record player image.

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Totally understandable. You mentioned looting in your post, but the idea didn't even occur to me that that's actually a thing. Possibly just because my sensibilities are so modern-oriented.

And thanks, it'll be fun to see what this photo and I come up with :)

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Such a full house now left so much in a mess, it feels a little spooky with the kind of mess around, and guess in the years to come all these books and wooden furniture might be all worn out with termites.

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It was quiet inside, and I was alone for this one. You do get used to it and to ignore sounds. I didn't spend long inside, it was really cold. Thank you for the tip!

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That poor Benzo, mind you sadly looks past redemption, or restoration for that matter, thank you for sharing

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