Crewe Rooftops (Crewftopping)

(Disclaimer: Joking aside, I fully understand the risks/dangers involved in these adventures and do so in the full knowledge of what could happen. I don't encourage or condone and I accept no responsibility for anyone else following in my footsteps. I never break into a place, I never take any items and I never cause any damage, as such no criminal offences have been committed in the making of this blog. I will not disclose a location, or means of entry. I leave the building as I find it and only enter to take photographs for my own pleasure and to document the building.)

I decided to throw out a rooftop blog, even though there's absolutely nothing particularly impressive about the location or the shots. Rooftopping tends to be a hobby that people rarely share my enthusiasm for, which is fine by me because part of the appeal is people-watching from a position of solitude. I've made absolutely no secret of the fact that the sport came about as a coping mechanism for mental health issues, but somehow this led to the creation of the original blog "Shrewsbury from where you are not," where the views are quite frankly gorgeous, and I've now expanded into the realm of rooftop photoshoots with stunning models. However, being an addict, and also to not disappoint the viewers at home since no canned-laughter was ever uttered at the sight of me sat naked in my house casually eating crumpets, I look for rooftop access in pretty much every town I end up visitin, and Crewe was no exception.

I was here, as some of you know, to check out the Limelight, but I didn't want to move on just yet.
I'm not really a fan of Crewe's architecture though. Compared to the likes of  Shrewsbury it's a teeeeeny bit on the bland side. What I am a fan of is the multi-cultural aspect of Crewe. Some shops felt like whole other countries. I'm ridiculously open minded and accepting. I don't care who you are, where you're from, what you look like or who you sleep with, as long as you're not a cunt.

Now in regards to rooftopping, my favourite sport, I can honestly say that with the expansion of my blogs radar, rooftopping in other towns is going to be a regular occurance, and in many ways that's not a bad thing. In Shrewsbury I wasn't ever the only one doing it, but this new generation of Shrewftoppers is about as subtle as the holocaust, so it's probably best that I take a backseat for now. This would have annoyed me at one point, given that, as I said, this was my coping mechanism, and having the human race invade my sandbox after I wasn't welcome in theirs is a bit of an irritant. But doing something controversial in a small town has taught me something special- Own your eccentricities and the world will conform to you.
Rooftopping is fun. It really is. There's nothing I enjoy more than getting up somewhere high and pretending to be a pigeon. I have yet to find someone who will make love to me while I'm dressed as a pigeon, but in the internet age, it's a matter of time.

Usually I go rooftopping after nightfall, for the stealth element, and also because towns look prettier under a long exposure. However the sun was very much still up and in no rush to vanish when I had the impulsive urge to scale buildings in Crewe, so there's not an awful lot that I can do to make this blog interesting.

But I had fun, and that's what matters!

Down below, Crewe seems to be sparsely populated. I'm sure at the weekend it's a little more crowded, but I wouldn't know. I've never been here before.

I'm liking this view though. I might have to come back here at night to get some long exposures.

There's a random chair up here.

Old shop signs too. I think the shop I'm on top of is actually vacant, but a means of entry didn't exist.

Aaaaall the way over there is a shopping centre, and as you can see this vantage point is where the flat roof comes to an end. Beyond this point it's all sloped tiled rooftops. This might put off inexperienced rooftoppers, but I wanted to see just how close to the shopping centre I could get via rooftop.

Down below, the general public are doing their thing. None of them saw me. That's the amazing thing about rooftopping in unsuspecting towns. Humans don't naturally look up.
However, this doesn't mean one has 100% guaranteed stealth. Humans are also herd animals. It just takes one to spot me, and the other humans will notice them looking, and instinctively turn to see what they're looking at. Children are the worst, because they do look up naturally, given that all the other humans are taller than them, and given that they are naturally more inquisitive and adventurous.

Adult humans also fall victim to the Someone-Elses-Problem effect. This occurs when a human encounters something that they cannot, or don't want to rationally explain, causing the occurance to vanish in a puff of subconscious dismissal. As long as the folks on ground level only get a glancing look and one doesn't stick around, the Someone-Elses-Problem effect is a rooftoppers best friend. The observers thought process goes something like "I thought I saw someone on that roof... ah well, I fancy a Greggs."

Speak of the devil!

The view from that scaffolding is probably good. But alas, there were workers on it.

There's a sign for some business. What is it with businesses in Crewe and leaving their stuff on the rooftops? Do they not have cellars?

Aaaand here we are right across the street from the entrance to a really small Shopping Centre.
It seems a little mean to call it small. I'm sure it serves the people of Crewe well. I went in there to find a toilet afterwards, and somehow failed miserably.

Anyway, thats all I have from the awesome world of Crewftopping, for now. I'm sure I'll find an excuse to come back here at some point.
As far as blogs go, this is a snack. The main course is coming up next, in a bloody mysterious, historic and frankly bizarre location, which should hopefully include a video by my new accomplice, Jess. We're finally breaking onto Youtube, and we're doing it better than last time because unlike me, Jess knows her shit.
After that is another snack blog, as I head to the coast for some military stuff.

In the meantime, Subscribe to Jess's youtube, subscribe to mine if you also want, follow me on Twitter and Instagram, and like my Facebook!

Thanks for reading!

The Nursing Home

(Disclaimer: Joking aside, I fully understand the risks/dangers involved in these adventures and do so in the full knowledge of what could happen. I don't encourage or condone and I accept no responsibility for anyone else following in my footsteps. I never break into a place, I never take any items and I never cause any damage, as such no criminal offences have been committed in the making of this blog. I will not disclose a location, or means of entry. I leave the building as I find it and only enter to take photographs for my own pleasure and to document the building.)

It's been a fun month. The good news is I'll officially have international locations to blog about by the end of the year. I booked the flights and everything, having renewed my passport in December.

Todays location was actually given to me by a couple of explorers, Matt and Kelsey, who in turn got it from Desolate Decay. However, the chap who writes Desolate Decay got there at a later date and found that the window of opportunity was closed, and it was now inpentrable, so I apologise, because this is understandably a sore subject. this is a blog about a location he provided us with but was unable to access himself.

However, the nursing home was gorgeous, and I'm glad to have gotten in when I did.

The nursing home appears on maps from the 1800s but was probably a private residence. As a care home, it had thirty-three bedrooms, with two dining halls. Its occupants were all elderly, with some there to stay and others simply there for respite or emergency placements.

It closed very suddenly in 2013, which given my knowledge of the care industry, indicates that there was some kind of inspection that went pretty badly.

Further research brought me to an incident in 2012 when a 74-year-old man passed away. The man had had a messy history up to that point, living in the nursing home since 2009 and requiring a nasogastric tube to be inserted into his stomach via his nose and throat, after multiple strokes had given him difficulties in swallowing his food. The tube, it seems, went down the wrong hole and put the food into his respiratory system by accident. Quite frankly, that sounds like an awful way to die.
Now, apparently the tubes acidity reading seemed to indicate that it was in the stomach, and the nurse who inserted it was none the wiser, therefore the death seems more to do with dodgy equipment than dodgy staff. Even so, to be accidentally responsible for someones death must be horrific.

I don't know if this incident had anything to do with the care homes closure, but the timing seems a little convenient.
 But then I don't want to point the finger- there could be an innocent story behind this care homes closure. It's just the first thing that springs to mind when one mentions sudden closures. A healthcare company did purchase the place in 2013, but decided to do nothing with it, which also makes me wonder if the place has a bad local reputation.

Plans have often been drawn up for this place, but none seem to ever continue. It remains in a state of limbo.

 As we approached the nursing home, I spotted this sign warning visitors to stick to the driveway, and not venture into the woods surrounding the home.

Surrounding the home was numerous clutter, indicative of a hurried clear out. Someone had attempted to empty the place, but for whatever reason, none of this stuff made it past the garden.

Also in the garden was a curious grave stone, where the words "Here lies" can just about be made out. I'm going to assume this is for a cat or something.

 Structurally the building seems fine. It's hardly on the brink of collapse, and could be put back to good use.

In the main hall, things got eerie. Sat before us were loads of chairs, all in rows. Each one had a Union Jack flag, and a photo of an elderly person, presumably all former occupants.

Now, the issue here is client confidentiality. These photos should not still be here. When the place closed down, all of the patients personal information should have been disposed of, or taken with them to their new place of residence.

At the front of the rows of chairs was this wheelchair, facing them. The wheelchair also has a photo of a person, propped up in a vase. It looks like some kind of bizarre presentation, where a wheelchair bound individual is addressing an audience. Except the individuals are all replaced with photographic effigies.

 Nearby was a circular table, with seats around it. Roughly in the middle of the table was a pentagram, and also present was a wooden cross.

Now I don't know much about seances, or whatnot, but this entire set up is pretty bizarre.
But then, as we saw in Denbigh, some people just do this to try and be edgy.

 Now here's a treasure- The nursing homes complaint book! I'm not going to show every report in here, but a few did stand out.

 Here we have a complaint from a man about his wife not having bedrails, in spite of her fragility and tendency to fall from bed.

And here we have one from a lady who stayed for respite, but had no working television and was denied doctor visits regarding her concerns. This one appears to have kicked up a bit of a storm.

Dominoes and playing cards. These nursing home lounges do their best to offer activities for the residents, but given the care needs it can be a struggle finding things that don't get repetitive.

 The number of photos scattered around is shocking.

 And here we have quite an angry letter from a family member to a client at the care home, expressing frustration that her mother couldn't hear her on the phone due to her hearing issues, while also being, in my opinion, quite harsh over certain personal matters that shouldn't still be available to read in a care home.

 The bedroom has one of those chair lifts so that those with mobility issues can be supported to have a bath.

 The toilets are pretty grim.

 Most of the bedrooms have been stripped, and as such are pretty samey. There are no beds or furniture here, and every room had a small sink in the corner being often the only noticable feature remaining.

 Here's a walking aid in the hallway.

 See? I told you all the rooms were pretty samey. Am I going to show you all 33 of them? Probably not.

Oh yikes! Still in better condition than the toilets in some pubs and clubs.

 Presumably thats the meds cabinet, in a small room. Also here was a resuscitator package!

However, the resuscitator is gone. No doubt the expensive stuff that belonged to the nursing home was removed when it closed down, prioritized more than the photos of the residents and their personal letters. The care industry is sadly a lot more money-orientated than it is person-centered, and this shows here.

 This was the reception office, and as predicted nothing is left behind here. The office was probably cleared out first.

 Here's an elevator up to the top floor.

 The clutter left behind, and the curtains and architecture all reveal that this place would have looked quite homely back in the day.

 There are loads of photos here too, mostly taken in the nursing home.

Some of these photos are pretty old. These weren't taken in the nursing home, but are the personal belongings of the former occupants, showing them and their families when they were younger.
This is pretty shocking. It shouldn't still be here.

 Here we have the kitchen, and it's pretty grim.

There's still laundry in the laundry room.

 It was time to move on upstairs.

 This is a rather cool bathroom.

 There's an old hymn book here.

 As before, the bedrooms up here are pretty samey, but the ones over the downstairs dining halls were a lot larger, as if being reserved for clients with higher funding.

 Some of the fireplaces here, while pretty much ornamental at this point, were quite pretty.

This room has a cool little wheelchair lift to help the former occupant up the steps.

 In contrast to the larger rooms, this one is pretty much a spacious cupboard. How did anyone live here?

 This place still has toilet paper.

Onto the attic!

 There's not much to see up here, but one wonders why some of the stuff up here is here and not downstairs. Whats so bad about this lamp?

Anyway, that's all I've got. To conclude, this nursing home is incredibly dodgy, and the people who cleared it out after it closed down should definitely be held accountable for leaving confidential information lying around, in particular the photographs of the former clients who may not even know that these are just lying around for people to see.
However, since the building has been sealed up, we can assume that someone cares about it, and that work has began. Maybe this building will one day be reopened with a new purpose.

Next blog is a rooftopping one so I'll probably blast it out pretty quick. And then I'm doing my first ever blog in sync with my youtube buddy, Jess, who has been filming our adventures recently. It's something quite spectacular and weird.
She might do a video before then though, so make sure you subscribe to her channel.
Also subscribe to my channel, and follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Like my Facebook since I'm no longer banned. It's the day before Valentines Day, so I hope ya'll have a good one. I'm looking forward to seeing what my stalker gets me.

Thanks for reading!