Urban Exploration: Extwistle Hall

in #urbex6 years ago (edited)


We are Urban Explorers, we are not vandals. We take nothing besides photographs and leave nothing but footprints.

Mixed results last weekend; one success which is what you are about to read and one failure in which I couldn’t find a promising abandoned farmhouse, despite great directions.

In the latter case I got some hassle from a half-naked angry bloke telling me, ‘Get off my land’ at one point. All good fun isn’t it?

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I sought out this ruined manor more than 2 weeks ago, but a nosey farmer was hanging around and giving me funny looks.

Driving right up to the front door generally does that I have found. I bookmarked it to return and hopefully visit it uninterrupted.

Getting my mental notes from the last failed visit, we parked around half a mile away but in view of our target.

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Look through the trees and you can see it. It’s not as far away as it looks. This vantage point is a good place to get there without attracting too much attention.

Extwistle Hall is quite well documented on the internet and a quick scan of Google Maps will take you to it easily so I have no qualms of adding this on the @steemitworldmap.

A walk past the local reservoir took us right up to this 16th century ruin. Yes this is over 400 years old. Talk about a relic. This was built before the Agricultural revolution when peasants were working in the fields for the landowners.

Some information about Extwistle Hall can be found here.

There is so much history in these places and the earliest date I can find for it is 1537. It is reportedly up for sale for around £500,000 and has been empty for over 25 years.

How to gain access is something I won’t tell, but let me just say that it was not difficult. In the spirit of the true Urban Explorer, nothing else will be revealed.

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The weather was a little strange. There was some sun but it was threatening to rain at the same time. It made for some interesting photography.

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As I got closer, I didn’t feel any bad vibes. Even so, I still get the tingles every time I visit places like this. It’s really the feeling that you are in a place that technically you should not be in.

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Note the lovely graffiti on the wall there. Fortunately that was about it and the vandals don’t seem to have done much more to it.

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I think this must have been a cellar or outhouse once. The roof has collapsed now revealing all the trash and rubbish left as well as nature taking over.

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This is the door to the house. Dare I enter? Yes I did as it seemed study enough with no holes in the floor. Is that the stairs right ahead? It looks like someone had the balls to walk the plank and then the remaining stairs.

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This was a three storey building once. Both upper floors have collapsed so I didn’t bother looking for any more stairs. Going up there would result in injury for sure.

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Some of the first floor roofing is still intact; did some other explorer fall through the hole I wonder?

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Signs of the old power switches. 25 years ago is not so long, but the place has fallen into rapid deterioration.

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This is the door that I came through from another angle. I didn’t find any personal belongings here. I think it’s past that point.

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Walls ice creams anyone?

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Here’s an outside view of the building from one side. It must have been a majestic sight once.

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There was an enormous barn next to the manor house. It seems they housed animals, possibly cattle once.

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Sometimes I wish I could hide my shadow. It messes up so many photographs.

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The main part of the barn was enormous and would make a fine house in its own right. The roof was decent too. It was a little messy underfoot in here so I refrained from having detailed look.

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That’s @bingbabe on the left, my reluctant Urban Explorer partner. She was on the phone sending me messages to hurry up. It’s really better to have someone with you in dodgy places like this.

She's wearing running shoes that @techslut would be proud of.

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Despite its creepy look and haunted reputation according to some on the internet, I didn’t get the willies while exploring Extwistle Hall.

It was deadly silent inside, but I seem to be getting used to this experience the more I do it.

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This is a listed Grade II building so it’s not going anywhere soon. It will take considerable expense to restore it to its former glory, and I hope someone comes along with a cool half million to do so.


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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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It's really hard to wrap my head around the fact that it stood for 400 years and the last 25 has seen this level of deterioration. Amazing.

Extwistle hall? I have to say that I thought immediately of John Entwistle, bassist for the Who Boys. My mind is often a strange and wonderful thing. Reminds me. Is the music challenge going to resume anytime soon? I may forget my choices for the last half of the 70s...

Thanks for a great UX look at a really cool place. I really do enjoy this series...

The built those houses good 400 years ago. The walls are still in good shape but little else is. Looking for the next site already... ;)

Wow, it looks like it would be a nice place to renovate and rebuild... Hope you were careful, it looks a bit dangerous in parts...

A night time exploration would be spooky, it looks like it could be the original haunted manor on the moors...

It's close to other habitable houses. This is why you need to be careful. Neighbours sometimes think your up to no good and damaging the place.

LOL, I think it is damaged already...

Wow, what an amazing old estate. The stonework was spectacular I am sure and it was interesting to see the choice of window placement on the side of the home. I bet you have come across some interesting finds on these old estates. Thanks for sharing, look forward to your next exploration.

Great pictures! I wouldn't have thought that it was close to 400 years old, looks like something from the 18th century perhaps.

From what I'm reading its from feudal times when big swords were the fashion. Some things last forever.., or might do if someone buys and saves it.

That is really cool! Thanks for sharing this. So you didn't take the chance and walk up the plank to the stairs? I don't blame you if you didn't. Wouldn't want @bingbabe to have to drag your injured body out of there. Though I have no doubt she could do it no problem. Probably fireman carry you right out of there!

I didn't actually notice it until checking the snaps later. There's so much to take in when the eyes are presented with views like this that you miss things.

@bingbabe was too chicken to come in and waited outside.

Ah, good point. I understand what you are saying :)

@bingbabe was too chicken to come in and waited outside.

Like I said. Wuss.

I'm working on her.

Beautiful photos! The third one down looks very Wuthering Heights. It could be used as a film set. The building looks very eerie, but the brickwork is beautiful.

Just a little sweeping and window cleaning and it will be move in ready. Lol!

That is the kind of place that me and my friends would sneak into at night and tell ghost stories by flashlight. Well, when we were teens!

I can handle these during the daytime but night,... woo no. They are creepy enough in daylight and usually totally silent. Any noise at all and you get very itchy.

I'm in training right now to move up to the lunatic asylums..., I should get badges for doing this!

@arcange can you create badges for this!? 😇 I would love to see some pictures from the lunatic asylums @slobberchopss will be sharing with us once he earned the badge.

Haha, I'm working up to them, but might never get there!

Hiya, @livinguktaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know you're being featured in today's Travel Digest #374.

Please drop by to check out all the rest of today's great posts and consider upvoting the Travel Digest if you like what we're doing.

Awesome, thanks so much!

Great post. A few years ago we did an explore on the western heights tunnels in Dover which was interesting. Over the years I've gotten to know the tunnel systems from Ramsgate to Folkestone. There's even small wartime tunnels and bunkers sitting derelict and forgotten in Kingsdown and St. Margaret on Cliff that are sort of hidden in plain site. Those were a blast to look around. Great post. Really enjoyed that. Always great to see urban explorers diving in. :)

Cool, good to hear from you. There's little UrBex content on the blockchain. I aim to do some more soon.

I love urbex, this place looks cool!

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