Urban Exploration - Horncliffe Mansion Part One: The Car Graveyard

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

When there is an Urban Exploration location that is heavily documented and close to where you live, it simply begs a visit. This was the case with Horncliffe Mansion, a rambling manor house built in 1869 but left abandoned since 2009.

The house has been subject to much abuse including fire, vandalism and squatters who had to be forced out via an eviction order in the last few years. It is now up for sale at a price of £380,000.

Reading the many reports on sites such as www.28dayslater.co.uk, I felt a little intimidated by attempting such an infamous landmark but the pull was too much and I had to go and take a look.

A fellow Urban Explorer who goes by the name of @mender1 on Steemit had also expressed to me an interest in Horncliffe Mansion but I figured it was too short notice to expect him to drop everything so I went alone.

One early Saturday morning I made the twenty-minute car journey and visited several locations including Stand FC, with Horncliffe being the second of these.

The mansion is set back but on a busy road so I parked my car not too close and walked up to the place.

It looked big, creepy and whats more, empty! Checking the road for inquisitive motorists I vaulted into the grounds and strode up to the house. Vandals have spray painted the whole of the front area in blue paint.

I cannot condone such actions and am firmly in the camp of ‘leave things be’. However, this fence is not really going to keep anyone out.

I know @mender1 had tried to infiltrate the Mansion earlier in the week but had been foiled by some builder blokes who seemed to be fixing things up. I think they keep coming back to seal the place up after the vandals had broken in again.

Having a really creepy looking tree in front of your mansion does wonders for it's reputation!

After looking around the front and sides of this previous stately home, I checked the back for any access points.

Short of going dropping down this hole or hopping over the gap where that door is, the answer was negative.

No matter as the car graveyard was something I had been looking to check out for a while.

It was not raining but what I was standing on was a little muddy. At the back of the mansion are several other buildings all in a bad state of repair.

Walking a little further brought me to this Triumph Dolomite, the boy racer car of the mid’ 80’s. Though its racing days appeared to be over.

It was then I saw the masses of cars. They were not all Jaguars like the link portrays although I counted around SEVEN of them.

What a mess they were in. Nature was taking over in a major way and I doubt that even parts could now be retrieved from these old beasts.

The walking underfoot got worse at this point with a veritable stream running down the incline and I had to be careful with my footing.

In the corner was a caravan, wrecked and messy inside.

Around the back of the other derelict house were even more cars and vans.

The car collector I have been told was the previous owner of the property, a drunken bloke who had let the business go and now it seems his cars have gone the same way.

The great recession may have also been a factor considering the year of 2009 is when the place went belly up.

It seemed he liked his Mini’s too, a couple were rotting away behind the van.

This car was the worst of the bunch. I don’t even recognise the brand or model. There was so little left.

This was the other house from the back. There were some steps that I tentatively climbed. Being stone it’s a little safer! Inside was trees, bushes and little left that looked like a house. I think I can assume this house had been left to rot away a lot longer than 9 years.

The engines on all these cars seem to have been hit the hardest. Maybe that part rots quicker than the rest?

A more modern looking building was next to the derelict one, and I entered with trepidation.

This place really gave me the creeps though it appeared empty and vast with some graffiti at the other end. I left after quickly taking a few shots.

On my way back to the Mansion I once again considered jumping this gap or climbing up but thought better of it. That plastic pipe would have collapsed under my weight and the thought of scrambling up all the slime didn't appeal.

Could I drop down this gap and get access? Perhaps but could I then get out! Being alone makes me more cautious and once again I decided against this.

Make a note of the blue door, on the right edge of this photograph. It has some significance in Part II of the Horncliffe Mansion Urban Exploration trip.

After a few parting shots, I left Horncliffe Mansion quite satisfied though I failed to gain access to the building proper.

I was happy to be able to see the car graveyard, but this was not going to be my final visit to the Mansion. The adventure was not yet complete and will be continued in the next Urban Exploration post.

All photographs were taken by myself.

Other articles in the ‘Urban Exploration’ series:

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

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