Urban Exploration - Allsprings House
We are Urban Explorers, we are not vandals. We take nothing besides photographs and leave nothing but footprints.
Sometimes you can find something interesting on your doorstep and ‘Allsprings House’ is just that. An abandoned gothic looking mansion that from what I can gather has been empty since the 1950’s.
It did take me three attempts to gain access to the grounds, attempt one being foiled by a nosey neighbour and attempt two, a barking dog gaining me unwanted attention. Access itself was relatively simple after getting past the human and canine busybodies.
I will refrain from adding this one to @steemitworldmap as its’ location is little known about and although it would prove hard to burn down (as there is little left), there’s always some dickhead who wants to try.
I dug up some history about ‘Allsprings House’. It was built in 1838 by the son of a wealthy landowner and is reputed to be haunted due to the many broken gravestones within the grounds (I didn’t notice these).
It served as a hospital during World War II for Polish refugees and boasts an air-raid shelter.
It is a Grade II listed building and there has been some legal wrangling over it being demolished, and so it has been left to rot away.
Another rumour says there is a tunnel leading from the house to a nearby church which may be St Hubert's or the tunnel may lead to the nearby River Calder.
Approaching ‘Allsprings House’ from the south I felt none of these haunted or strange vibes. It could be that I am numb to such things, but the more of these I do the more comfortable I have become.
There have been some previous reports where other explorers felt something in Allsprings House. Though I did this one solo I felt noting besides the usual emptiness and decay.
In the depths of winter, the house and grounds are extremely overgrown. A summer visit may render the place invisible until you are literally on top of it.
There have been some measures to board it up in the past, but it’s mostly open to the elements.
The roof has all but gone and 50-60 years of being empty has taken a serious toll. It did look dangerous to enter, but did it anyway taking care not to touch the walls or tread on anything that was loose.
Ivy was climbing up the inside of the walls en-masse and you could see what little there is left of the upper areas. This made for some decent photographs with the walls and sky contrasting each other well.
There were parts of the lower floors which I simply dare not attempt to pass. The basement was a death trap though there was an access point from the front of the house I may have been able to crawl through.
I exited at the side of the house and noticed this remains of maybe a pram.
Walking around the front greeted me with the front view of the house and though dropping apart it still presents an imposing visage.
The exterior if nothing else appears solid and quite unique in its ‘gothic’ appearance.
I was able to gain entrance again through the front door entrance but couldn’t make much ground due to all the crumbling rubble and archways that look like they are about to collapse.
There is some kind of bell tower on this building indicating there may have been a small chapel inside at one time.
A makeshift fence surrounded the front of the house with a clean cut down the middle, not that I entered from this direction.
I headed out via the east side of the house thinking, ‘what a waste’.
It seems like today if you own a Grade II building you have a liability on your hands. Live in it, and sell it quickly if you want to move on or this will happen to your once lovely home.
All photographs were taken by myself.
Other articles in the ‘Urban Exploration’ series:
Urban Exploration - The Latvian Consolute
Urban Exploration - Rose Bank Mill
Urban Exploration - Horncliffe Mansion Part One: The Car Graveyard
Urban Exploration - Horncliffe Mansion Part Two: The Mansion
Urban Exploration – Stand Athletic Football Club
Urban Exploration: Urban Exploration: A Trilogy of Failures II
Urban Exploration: Brodock Ltd, The Old Paper Mill (Failed)
Urban Exploration: Urban Exploration: Workhouse Farm
Urban Exploration: Hellifield Abandoned Train
Urban Exploration: Extwistle Hall
Urban Exploration: Huncoat Power Station (Demolished)
Urban Exploration – A Trilogy of Failures
Urban Exploration: Holdings Country Pottery
References:
https://www.theurbanexplorer.co.uk/
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/
https://www.whateversleft.co.uk/
https://www.britainsdecays.com/
http://www.urbanxphotography.co.uk/urbex-faqs
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The shot from inside looking up at what is left of rafters was something! Looked like one may come loose and spear ya!
They are great for photography. Get yourself an Uzi 9mm (for protection) and go find some local ones.
Ah wow! I love a good old abandoned building! Although for the most part i am too scared to go in haha
Great post SC!
I do these on a regular basis now, though I'm having to go further afield to find new ones. The photography opportunities can be unique.
Wow, that is pretty awesome. It must have been a really cool looking place back in the day. Nevermind the grave stones, I'd be more concerned that is used to be a hospital. I guarantee people probably died in there. That makes sense there would be a tunnel if it was a hospital or refuge during the war. Though being built in the 1800's might mean it was there much earlier than the war. If there is a tunnel at all. Really cool exploration!
It's too dangerous to go down in the basement; there is some graffiti down there but it's gotten so overgrown I wasn't going to chance it. Yes, as you say people have died here when it was a hospital, maybe that's why there's gravestones.
Really beautiful old building, despite being a ruin! Very nice photos. I like the decorative ivy. Grade II listed though - can't imagine why! Does it really have historical significance?
What I posted is all I can find, if this dumb law that says Grade II can't be demolished it would be a lot harder for me to find interesting things!
That is a good point!
Well that certainly was a nice looking place back in the day. Also I think I will barrow the fourth picture of this as reference some day, it looks so good I'd love to paint it :)
And it does look like a place that could be haunted. Usually if it's really the case, plant's don't grow so well, they root, trees grow in stranges shapes and such. Considering this place has been empty for 60 years, mother nature didin't claim this place well. There is a community center nearby me that was built very solidly, but 10 years of abandonment and that place look's almost like a forrset now.
I'm happy to let you paint picture 4. but post the results!
I don't seem to pick up on haunted vibes, just as well really considering the places I go into.
Have you considered going into the community centre for some UrBexing?
Thanks!
Maybe that's a good thing, I'm rather sensitive to the 'other side' as some people call it. Honestly it sucks most of the time :D
Yea I was thinking about it and I was there one time, took some pictures, sadly there wasn't anything interesting. But I wasn't there for long since the neighbours are extremely noisy and I don't want any trouble. But ther intersting part about this place was this - after I explored that place a bit, around 3 days later someone brutally killed two goats in there, later on hung them up in kids playground....They never found out who did it, but as I was at the community centre just a few days later, I did look like someone might have been living in there. Needless to say, I don't feel like going explore that place ever again :D
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I remembered when I was in my born city with my old friends and we used to play paintball in these places... These times was gold times.
This is a really cool one! Love that classic shot at the top of the post, this seems like it could easily be featured in a film. Great location. The outer shell of the building still looks great for how totally blown out the entire is.
The outside of these buildings always seem to be the last pieces to collapse, it was the same with Extwistle Hall and Thornseat Lodge.
Awesome!
That would have been a mightily impressive house back in the day. Too many years have now taken their toll!
1838 was also the year August Comte first used the word 'sociology'!
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Yes, it would have been a lovely place. Some reports say it was empty since for 50's and others, the 70's. I'm not sure which is factual.
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