Destroying your SDV1B DV Camcorder - Sept 2013

Previously we picked up one of these bad boys, the SDV1B DV Camcorder from a Ebay seller and did a few bits, not much of a review but we had been waiting to get the thing in the plane - we didn't get round to that so we threw it onto a mini drone - the DJI Phantom.
 


Well we found a bit of a fault on the SDV1B DV, bottom line any impact to the base of the waterproof housing results in damage -  in our case time for the trash damage.

BEFORE



Firstly damage is to the housing itself, pushing the metal fixings into the housing which then results in the damage to camera, from the battery door, to the battery and in our case the camera will switch on but nothing more - its ready for the bin.

AFTER

 



We would have posted video footage but we lost this as well as the video file in progress saved with an Error 2048 on the Mov file. (I have tried - but I'm not paying $40. for the privilege of rubbing the salt in the wound).

So join us next week, when we throw the newly reduced in price, £44.99 Chilli Action Cam 3 HD onto a DJI Phantom drone.

PS - we don't know what we a doing with this beast of  flying thing - so it could end in tears, again !

Huncoat Powerstation - Wire Wool - Sept 2013

Previously we have done a bit of wire wool spinning underground, previously we have photographed the classic derp pit that is Huncoat Powerstation, time to mix it up a bit with an evening meet in the wilds of Lancashire.



The Autumn rolling in with the dark nights to become a plenty my fellow fire starters gathered, ZerO81, Jdub, Cloakedup and Nickynackynoo.

It had been a long time since previous wool spinning endeavours and with practice makes perfect it was a the ideal place with nothing left to burn down.



Sparks a plenty.





Somethings worked, some failed. all trial and error, but with a team effort it came together with some shots better than others.



 

 


Special thanks to Nickynackynoo for pushing the idea, I'd been wanting to do this for years at Huncoat and although it took a few weeks to pull together we got there in the end.

PS, I still stand by wire wool spinning being the best fun you can have with a camera.



 

 
 

Eastmoor Boys Reformatory, Leeds - Sept 2013

The sun was up, on the official last day of summer, so my goodself and the Urban Spaceman jumped in the car for a spin over to Leeds.

Traffic jams and static traffic battled thru and we finally got to Eastmoor to find the place sealed, a construction site and well full of peeps in hi-viz jackets. So sadly mooching days are over it would seem for this place.

 



 





Looks like Brian is about to be sandblasted from history and Eastmoor is one to miss.

Bad Weather - Urbex Boredom Relief

Well the weather is going to be terrible over the next few days so here is some time killing links to keep your urban exploring peckers up.

Sat here watching I Am Legend with Mrs Fraggle Hunter, a little pissed off the Autumn weather is going to be shocking over the next few days.

First off Anthony Bourdain, I've become rather a fan of this guy after watching this initial episode I stumbled across. Mr Bourdain travels to the Ukraine and visits Chernobyl and Pripyat. I watched this after my visit, but to be honest I picked up a few little snippets I didn't know.



Well worth a watch, as are many of Anthony |Bourdain's travel videos.

I've posted to this next link before, the link is still live, Urban Explorers: Into the Darkness, a feature length film well worth a watch.

Anyone who follows my news updates of urban exploring may want to have a gander at these - the stories are flowing this month.

First one from the Daily Mail with an explore round a Cambridge military hospital, sorry its the Daily Fail but they are currently obsessed with urban exploring.

Crazy Russian dudes hang off high buildings on Yahoo News - not my cup of tea despite my flying and jumping out of planes to be very honest.

Sadly the Daily Mail again, please newspapers post some exploring storys, we hate the fail, but over to Washington USA with a Mail fetish ghost town.

Over and out - more soon darlings.


 

September Urbex News part 2 - errrm again Sept 2013

Busy busy this month with lots of interesting nuggets so here we have a further news installment for September 2013.

First off not so much urbex related but a bit of street art with the Manchester Evening News featuring my mooching ground of Stevenson Square, Manchester.

Next up the derelict housing estate used in the television series Shameless gets torched by the local scroates and we head back again to the Manchester Evening News for details and photos - I should add the MEN have either got a new camera or a new photographer.

An old favourite on the "permission visit" circuit is Hulme Hippodrome which is featured in the Daily Mail, you might want to skip back in time to December 2011 with a similar article from the Manchester Evening News.

- readers wishing to avoid visiting the Daily Mail website can hop to Canada's Star Pheonix.

Speaking of the Daily Fail, this article on the closed Camelot theme park was featured 2nd September and is more of a historical item, when we popped by in back in June this year a lot of the park had been dismantled and shipped of to other parks around the country - the water slides went to Gulliver's World at least a week before we visited.

Must say it looks like a good gig flogging pics to the Mail, but I've seen better shots of the fallen Camelot, a lot better.

Time to get all covered in shit down in the sewers of London, an interesting article from the London Evening Standard, sewers always interest me but the fear of me constantly throwing up and gagging on the fumes as the festering turds sail on past really does put me off such strange pastimes.

- definition of pastime - An activity that occupies one's spare time pleasantly.

Speaking of pastimes, the cinema going public may have an exploration film to look forward to, according to The Hollywood Reporter the exploits of Bradley L. Garrett are to be made into an action thriller, the film will be adapted from the GQ article of March of this year Excuse Us Whilst We Kiss The Sky.

Finally we get to look thru the keyhole of Albion House, Liverpool - ex home of the White Star Line, soon to be a Titanic themed hotel, articles from Liverpool Echo and the Liverpool Confidential

Good evening and goodnight.

 

Magpie Mine, Sheldon - September 2013

Magpie Mine, Sheldon, Derbyshire - worth a mooch both Tin Dog and I thought, an 18th century lead mine in some of England's finest countryside and only an hours drive from Manchester.

A favorite mooch of many an urban explorer who is fed up of grime and slime, industrial heritage with fresh air and cow poo.

So what we have here is a cursed industrial site, a scene of murders it says in this here guide book - made a nice change to buy a guide book (and only one shiny English Pound).

 

An enchanting place, they have a website and I'm not going into the history of this place, get in the car and buy a guide book to the place when you get there. DE45 1QU is the postcode for your satnav, pop into Sheldon village on your wayback for a beer or to the tea shop, Sheldon is a beautiful village - now get off your arse.







Still here ??? One last pic, off you trot go and get some Derbyshire air in your lungs.

 



Magpie Mines

September Urbex News - errrr September 2013

First off some underground news, off to The Guardian with Roman tunnels being mapped under Rome.

Canadian ghost towns anyone ? The Toronto Star has an interesting article on ghost towns around Ontario, the article does go on to say that "urban explorers break into abandoned buildings" - No one I know breaks into buildings - but I'm sure it does go on, but it might just be a Canadian thing ??

Blimey you see some news on a ghost town and another one turns up, this time the French town of Goussainville-Vieux features in an article in the Independent

Whilst trying to avoid the Daily Mail, up comes photos of a German abandoned mansion on Fearnet, you may have seen this place before, but all rather good.

Most urban explorers I know are simply nosey photographers - we don't have get a bad press at times, mostly by the local rags these days. The large majority of  us are history and heritage buffs and a good many being dark tourists - where this story falls is open to debate, but history should not allow us to forget the brutality of war - particularly with the brave participants of World War 2 numbering less day by day. The French village of Oradour-sur-Glane features in this Guardian article.The scene of a wartime atrocity with the slaying of 642, places like this need to be preserved - but in these times of austerity will they be saved ?

Finally on to the Daily Mail, with Toxeth Reservoir, a must read, in fact read this one instead in the Times of Mumbai.

Sadly we do have to return to the Daily Mail again for this story of a Chinese ghost town that arose from flood waters after 5 years.

- I'm trying to avoid the Daily Mail if possible as I find it a vile and nasty paper in many of its other articles.

Finally some news on my crew, Urban Spaceman has today issued the following shocking statement "we need some better gigs. We have been doing shit holes recently"

- No shit Sherlock, piss poor preparation on all fronts (including me).

 

In Search of Phlegm - Sheffield - September 2013

After picking up that Phlegm book, time to go and find some, so it was off to Phlegm's home ground of Sheffield, my first trip to Sheffield and my,my its has plenty of derp and graff.

Big shouts to Judderman and ZerO81 for a couple of pointers.

My first port of call on the outskirts of the city, Judderman now tells me this one was a larger and has been part demolished.

 

This next one, is the first artwork of Phlegm's I ever saw on the t'internet and I was so glad to snap it before it disappears.



with another just inside

 

 

Two minutes walk from this one (or three minutes in the car) and outside a pub of Brown Street and we have this beauty.







To the next spot, by the river, Satnav screaming  "at the roundabout take the 5th turning" - what roundabout ????

Crossing the river I spotted this one on the side of the River bank, at the aptly named Riverside Pub, titled "The Harnessing of the Giant Squid"









More stuff on my Flickr

So yes, a return to Sheffield is on the cards, very soon - despite your traffic wardens.

More Phlegm ? Hop to the artists website


 

Sheffield General Cemetery - September 2013

Kind of stumbled across this place whilst mooching for Phlegm artwork on t'internet.

I'd never been to Sheffield so off I shot over to Yorkshire, pleasant drive over the Woodhead Pass stuck behind a horsebox with the view of a horse's arse for 30 minutes of the journey.

The description I had of this place was the forgotten graveyard of Sheffield, closed since 1978, 87,000 burials - the forgotten bit was a bit oversold to be honest, lets just say under the radar.

 



 







The graveyard is looked after by a volunteer workforce, the also do 2pm guided tours on Sundays it would seem - maybe I should have done the tour as I've missed loads out, also they have a website

 

The Nonconformist Chapel is rather impressive and the whole site is a pleasant wander, but I can imagine this whole place is bloody spooky at night.





Then you come to the Anglican Chapel, a shell of building with a massive spire for a chapel of its size, this place is sadly in a very poor state of repair with tarpaulin trying to hold the roof together.

 






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