Underground & Abandoned

There’s something very seductive about the examination of areas of the man-made environment to which we do not usually have access, whether because they are considered out-of-bounds, have outlived their usefulness or are simply felt to be too dull or mundane for the public to be interested.
Silent UK‘s speciality is the investigation of major urban drainage systems. Originally focused on London, the intrepid explorers behind the site have since broadened their scope to Manchester, Birmingham and other locations, exploring underground spaces with such mythic names as Breach, Devil’s Gate, Labyrinth and Serpent’s Lair.
They also have an impressive collection of material relating to more traditional urbex locations such as abandoned hospitals, asylums, swimming baths, schools, industrial sites and even the odd unused police station! However, it’s the quality of the underground photography that sets this site apart from others. Who’d have guessed that sewers could be so sexy?
Abandoned Communities looks at what happens when a man-made environment becomes untenable, either gradually as the result of social or geographic change, or suddenly at the instigation of a government, landowner, hostile force or economic imperative. Though its focus is purely on Britain, its scope is broad.
Thus, it covers villages flooded to create reservoirs, wiped out by the Black Death, washed away by coastal erosion, or commandeered by the military for training purposes and target practice. I’d heard of a few of these before, but most were unknown to me. Many have been abandoned in recent times, but some have not existed for several centuries.
Abandoned Communities would be interesting enough if it were just a repository of documentary evidence, but where it really impresses me is its examination of the psychology of abandonment and the exploration of artistic works (mainly poetry and painting) inspired by the phenomenon. A psychogeography of ghost terrains, engaging with the vacated.