Exploring Mysterious Abandoned Mansions

Many of us would jump at the opportunity to live in a period property. The thought of reclaiming the character intrinsic within those old features and integrating it into a modern living space is irresistable, barring the price tag of course!  Here’s a selection of fine yet derelict mansions, which are currently more the subject or urban exploration than revival.  But if money were no object, how would you fancy taking on one of these abandoned buildings as a renovation project?

1. Cambusnethan Priory, Scotland (above)
Built in 1820 for the Lockhart family of Castlehill, Cambusnethan Priory is one of the few remaining examples of gothic revival architecture in Scotland.  The house was converted into a hotel in 1980, but this change of use was short-lived.  The hotel closed in 1984, leaving it to the mercy of a nasty cocktail comprising time, arson, vandalism and a liberal helping of inclement Scottish weather.  Awarded both Grade A listed status for its historic importance, and a well earned place on the Scottish Civic Trust Buildings at Risk Register, Cambusnethan Priory is in terrible condition today and urgently in need of some TLC.

2. Shandon House, Scotland










Remaining in bonnie Scotland, we stumble across this spooky – and very derelict – example of Scottish Baronial architecture.  The pointed towers are distinctive of 19th century Scottish revival, and you get the impression the Wicked Witch of the West may have rented this place had she ever decided to visit chilly Caledonia.  Shandon House was built for William Jamieson in 1849 and is set in 31 acres overlooking Gare Loch.  This once picturesque setting is now dominated by Faslane Naval Base, home of the UK’s Trident nuclear submarines.
Due to its location, the house (formerly used as St Andrew’s School) was purchased by the Ministry of Defense, but has been derelict for over a decade.  The views are now marred by the abandoned remains of a remand home, and now that the place has been allowed to rot for a sufficient length of time, renovation would be a time consuming and costly affair.  As a result, the Ministry of Defense is apparently looking to sell it.  Any takers?

3. Hafodunos Hall, Wales


Across the British Isles, the abandoned Hafodunos Hall still stands well amid the North Wales countryside, just 10 miles from the coast (and currently for sale!).  The fantastic abandoned mansion remained in good condition until it was targeted by arsonists in 2004 and consequently gutted by fire.
Situated close to the village of Llangernyw, the hall was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott (grandfather of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott who designed the famous Battersea and Bankside power stations) between 1861 and 1866 for Henry Robertson Sandbach.  Scott was considered among the most important advocates of Gothic Revival styling in domestic architecture, and Hafodunos is the only example of his Venetian-inspired country house style in Wales.

4. Abandoned Mansion, Ostrowo, Poland

Ostrowo is a village in Poland, and home to the grand house above which looks to be in reasonably good condition.  Though clearly once the home of an affluent family, perhaps this abandoned house is not quite ready to give up its secrets yet – except perhaps to urban explorers.  Despite the lack of information, check out these awesome pictures by the same photographer.

5. Arlington, Natchez, Mississippi

Arlington, built in 1816, is a Federal style mansion in Natchez, Mississippi.  The property was declared a national historic landmark in 1974 but is nevertheless sinking into total decay.  Recently, the longterm survival of Arlington had become an issue of grave concern, with the building’s future hanging in the balance.  With part of the house destroyed by fire, a missing roof and liberal amounts of spray paint covering the walls inside and out, it seems the chances of rescuing this historically important abandoned mansion are becoming increasingly slim.

6. Nam Koo Terrace, Hong Kong

Nam Koo Terrace is a classical Chinese mansion built 90 years ago, then later abandoned.  According to rumour, the house has a dark side to its history, which continues to rear its ghoulish head in modern times.  Reportedly, Nam Koo was once used by the Japanese army to house “comfort women”, for the soldiers’ pleasure.  Local legend has it that several years ago a young girl walked out the house, apparently possessed, and attacked police officers walking by.  Could this be why Nam Koo Terrace remains abandoned to this day?

7. Other Abandoned Mansions

The most famous fairytale castles

The most famous fairytale castles are probably the ones that originate from legends and myths. Well known examples are King Arthur’s Camelot and the Cinderella and Sleeping Beaty castles that can be found in several theme parks around the world. This list contains their real world counterparts and source of inspiration. These real fairytale castles are just as magical and most are associated with stories and fairy tales of their own.

1. Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg

The château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg is nestled at a strategic location on a high hill overlooking the Alsatian plain in the Vosges mountains, France. It was used by successive powers from the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years’ War when the castle was burned and pillaged by Swedish troops after a 52-day siege. After this the Château was left unused for a few hundred years and became overgrown by forest. In 1899 it was given to the German emperor Wilhelm II and rebuilt as it was on the eve of the Thirty Years’ War. When the French confiscated the castle after WWI it was considered fashionable to sneer at the castle because of its links to the emperor. Many considered it to be nothing more than a fairytale castle.

2. Matsumoto Castle

Built in the 16th century, Matsumoto Castle is considered one of Japan’s most famous castles. It is a flatland castle because it is not built on a hilltop or amid rivers, but on a plain. The castle’s complete defences included an extensive system of inter-connecting walls, moats and gatehouses. During the Edo period, the castle was ruled by the 23 lords of Matsumoto representing 6 different daimyo families. In this period the stronghold was also known as Crow Castle because its black walls and roofs looked like spreading wings.

3. Neuschwanstein

The ultimate fairytale castle, Neuschwanstein is situated on a rugged hill near Füssen in southwest Bavaria. It was the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty castles in the Disneyland parks. The castle was commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner. The castle was near completion in 1886 when, in 1886, the King was declared insane by a state commission and found dead a few days later. Since then over 50 million people have visited Neuschwanstein. It is the most photographed building in Germany and is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations.

4. Krak des Chevaliers

Krak des Chevaliers is widely recognised as the archetypal Crusader castle. The word Krak coming from the Syriac karak, meaning fortress. Described by Lawrence of Arabia as “perhaps the best preserved and most wholly admirable castle in the world”, this somewhat isolated site is located magnificently atop a 650 meter (2130 ft) high hill and is, indeed, extremely well-preserved. The original fortress at the location had been built in 1031 for the emir of Aleppo and captured during the First Crusade. It was by the Knights Hospitaller as their headquarters. The castle was expanded between 1150 and 1250 and eventually housed a garrison of 2,000. Today it represents one of the premier tourist attractions in Syria.

5. Alcázar of Segovia

Rising out on a rocky crag above the confluence of the rivers Eresma and Clamores in Segovia, the Alcázar is one of Spain’s most famous castles. The Alcázar was originally built as an Arab fort but has served as a royal palace, a state prison, a Royal Artillery College and a military academy since then. During the Middle Ages it was one of the favorite residences of the monarchs of the Kingdom of Castile and a key fortress in the defense of the kingdom. It was during this period a majority of the current building was constructed.

7 Creepiest Landscapes On Earth

1. Geological Rhino

 

 

 Another Icelandic landscape, this one showing Hvítserkur, an old volcanic injection of magma whose surrounding rock the ocean wore away. Looks like some monstrous, literally stone age rhino to us.

 

2. Cliff Skull

 

 

 Taken at Lake Cumberland in Kentucky, this skull-like face is apparently one of many in the cliff face caused by naturally occurring decay and erosion. One's enough, thank you very much.

 

3. Looking Out to Sea

 

 

Looking like an old man watching the sea, perhaps for signs of impending doom, this photo was taken in Kilve Beach in Somerset, England, famous for its fossils – of giants?

 

4. Face in Profile

 

This next profile of a rock face in a rock face is in Yosemite's famous Taft Point. A stone giant grimly surveying his kingdom from 3500 feet up while facing off with the big nose of El Capitan, opposite.

 

5. Gateway to Hell

 

The jets of hot steam and sulphurous gases known as fumaroles plus its sterile, acidic ground give Iceland's Námaskarð pass the look of an opening into the devil's own domain. 

 

6. Straight out of Hell

 

What is it about Iceland that makes its landscape so creepy? Well those solfatares emitting hot steam – in this photo near Myvatn – definitely have something to answer for.

7. Icelandic Stone Trollsc

This snap is riddled with trolls, which according to Icelandic legend turn to stone in daylight. There's an obvious one, bottom right, but look closely and you'll see others. The ridge itself is like a sleeping giant.
 

Legendary Lost City of Atlantis Found in Southern Spain, Archeologists Claim

In the mysterious world of urbex and abandoned cities, none are more iconic – or debated – than the lost city of Atlantis. Described by Plato in 360BC as an island lying in front of the Pillars of Hercules, thousands of years of searching historically found nothing despite promising archeological discoveries. But now, researchers claim to have located Atlantis in the wetlands of southern Spain, despite the feeling among many scholars that the city was nothing more than a Greek myth or fantastical urban legend.

Using Plato’s writings as his starting point, Professor Richard Freund, from Hartford University in Connecticut, used deep-ground radar, digital mapping and satellite imagery to locate what he called “one of the largest and most ancient cities at the bottom of a huge marsh”, north of Cadiz in Spain’s Donaña National Park. The resulting documentary, Finding Atlantis, was screened by National Geographic in the U.S. on Sunday.

Freund’s theory hinges on Plato’s assertion that Atlantis was destroyed by a “natural disaster”, believed to be a tsunami, in 9,000BC: “This is the power of tsunamis,” Freund told the Daily Telegraph. “It is so hard to understand that it can wipe out 60 miles inland, and that’s pretty much what we’re talking about.” Freund also claimed that refugees fleeing the tsunami established “memorial cities” in central Spain.

The find – the latest among a surge of discoveries fueled by Atlantis-mania over the years – could be the most compelling evidence yet that the lost city really existed. But like many ground breaking archeological finds, controversy is never far away. The film’s claims were dismissed Monday as scientifically unreliable while Professor Freund was accused of sensationalising the work of a team of Spanish scientists led by anthropologist Juan Villarías-Robles. The Spanish team did, however, confirm what appeared to be a sunken city, with conclusions expected later this year.

7 AMAZING PLACES THAT YOU MUST TO SEE

Not all of places that you see are amazing. But, there are some places below that you will be amazed when you see them. Before you see the place below, I want to say thanks because you have visited my blog.

1. Victoria Waterfalls, Southern Africa

The largest sheet of falling water in the world, the Victoria Waterfalls has a width of 1.7 km and height of 108 meters. An incredible view and sound, these spectacular waterfalls are breathtaking.

2. French Alps, France

With one of the most beautiful sceneries in the world, the French Alps offer views of the alpine mountains, lakes and river valleys. Take a view off one of the scariest bridges ever from Europe’s highest mountain, Mont Blanc.

3. Amazon Rainforest, South America

The Amazon rainforest spans over a billion acres and makes itself home to huge number of planets and animals, many of which are endangered and even undiscovered. One of the most majestic places on the planet, this paradise is awe-inspiring and magnificent.

4. Mamanuca Islands, Fiji

A true paradise of white sandy beaches and beautiful clear blue water, the Mamanuca Islands are picturesque.

5. Sahara Desert

Perhaps not favorable in mid-day heat, the Sahara Desert offers a simple pleasure of amazing night sky views that are incomparable to anywhere in the world.

6. Blue Grotto Cave, Italy

The Blue Grotto sea cave off the coast of the Island of Capri is a natural cave structure with crystal clear blue water that is so amazing you will feel as though you are actually in paradise. The blue reflection is caused by sunlight that passes through a cavity underwater and accentuates the waters color.

7. Santorini Island, Greece

A small volcanic island off the southeast coast of Greece’s main island, Santorini (Thira) offers the most amazing views in the world. The island overlooks the deep blue sparkling sea, and delivers breathtaking views and sunsets you have to see to believe.