It was well over a year ago. We had snuck up to ‘The Hippy House’, and climbed over a big gate only to be met with an angry ageing hippy who could not believe we had scaled his impenetrable barrier.
...'We do happen to have legs… that work'...
The Hippy House was built in 15th century and has it's own Wikipedia page. I am loathe to name it, although it probably off the radar by now. It doesn't strike me as a 15th century property, from the days when Knights were bold and (honour meant much more to a man than life - Genesis.)
A few explorers had visited his property and after a chat, assuring him we were not here to burn his scaffolded house down, he had visibly calmed and worse still, was ready to join us exploring for the rest of the day.
‘Why do we have to meet such weird people, we just want to take some bloody photographs?’
Returning to ‘The Lair of the Giant Spiders' did not feel comfortable with me. Word on the street was that Hippy had passed away, his wife had moved out leaving the house empty and it was now on heavy 'TourBus' rotation.
Furthermore, Hippy's son had boarded the place up, which was proving to be a futile exercise as once the bus disembarked there always seemed to be one 'explorer' with a handy sledgehammer to remove the back door again forcibly.
I am getting increasingly disturbed by this behaviour. While technically we can enter if there is an access point, the thought of entering someone’s house who has recently deceased makes me morally uneasy, especially if I knew them, and this was kind of true.
How would I feel if it was my parent, and their house (and my legacy) was constantly being opened up and wrecked?
@anidiotexplores was insisting we return, and that it was ‘probably’ open if visited imminently.
It was just as well, as the day would have been a complete turd session if we had vetoed the re-visit.
Was anyone about, it was deathly quiet…, but it always is.
If this ‘son’ was not a 30-stone lard arse with a beer flap down to his knees and who could only waddle…, ‘son’ could feasibly give chase and probably could not be reasoned with.
There would be little or no time to explain his late father was a ‘budding explorer’, while pinned to the floor and we would be receiving a severe dose of ‘chinning’ at the very least.
...'the impossible to climb gate was actually extremely climbable, even for me'...
Noting the scaffolding had been removed, we once again climbed the ‘impossible to climb gate’, and crept to the house, ignoring the stash of derelict cars which were rather more derelict than the last time we saw them.
The back door was open, forcibly removed by the incredible Hulk once again. Lamenting my chance to meet an angry green muscle-bound monster with yellow eyes, I stepped inside.
We didn't have to go very far to decide that the late Hippy was a hoarder. Stuff was strewn everywhere on the ground floor, and I didn't know where to look.
Lots of certificates, and issued by 'Senior Service Ltd', which appears to now be a dissolved company and unrelated to the extra strong butt-free cigarettes that my late grandfather used to chain-smoke.
1933 and that's George V if I am not mistaken. My misguided youth nerdy hobby of philately does come in handy occasionally.
Cow registration documents, the cow was born in 1982. I was more interested in the names of the owners, a certain 'B.Steele' is probably Hippy.
'The Dandy' - not my favourite growing-up comic, but it was tolerable.
‘The Hippy House’ was relatively sturdy with a few caveats such as this big hole close to one of the sets of stairs.
@anidiotexplores had ascended, so I figured downstairs would be the first course, and what a course it would be.
Nice organ, and it probably still works though I prefer regular keyboards. They always remind me of 'Microsoft Natural Keyboards', and what an abortion those turned out to be.
There were a few car books which would explain the mass of vehicles on the grounds of 'The Hippy House', otherwise this is a varied selection of mostly non-fiction.
With ‘Dancing to the Gramophone’ and ‘The Black and White Minstrel Show’, I figured there would be a distinct lack of Black Sabbath poking around in the record collection.
Ladies Roller Blades, could a bloke wear those and get away with it?
You can't deny Hippy was no technophobe. Only geeks had collections of 5.25-inch floppies which hark back to the early-mid-eighties. There could even be 'warez' on these.
Oh yes, very geeky behaviour.
Despite looking thoroughly ransacked, there seemed to be plenty of value items left. I guess ghetto blasters are not in much demand anymore.
‘Miss Barbara Lane', passed her test in 1973, and should be 85 years old as I write this. You can figure it out from the details on the license. She's not without money either, good old income bonds.
More vinyl and once again, not to my tastes, as extensive as they are.
A nice Mahogany cabinet, no doubt bustling with even more clutter, as though there wasn't enough to look at already.
Hippy did like his gadgets; old technology was coming out of the woodwork.
Music was part of his life, as well as dowdy grey trousers.
Why be content with one amplifier when you can have several?
He was no dummy, all these contemporary literature books as well as ‘Pig Farming’ manuals.
A wine drinker, and an artist, he had a crack at everything. It's little wonder he wanted to come with us exploring derelict buildings.
It was time to have a look around upstairs, and what a grand set of them they were.
The higher echelons of ‘The Hippy House’, consisted of one enormous, long room, just as cluttered as everywhere else.
Miss Lane, though she didn’t look anything like this emerging from the house screaming at us during the previous visit.
The bloke in the top right photograph is Hippy' I do recognise him, rest in peace dude. You were alright, just eccentric.
Please feel free to have a read, if you find the text legible.
I have no doubt this type of equipment has value but was surprised to see it still there. The visiting thieves were obviously not on form.
Mahogany panels everywhere, 'The Hippy House’, can be saved and unlike most other places I visit was not unduly damp and sodden. A coat of arms etched into the panelling, just lovely.
Now, who was that? That's a lot of microphones in front of you… old lady. Was she important?
An August 1963 edition of the TV Times. TV did exist but was only for the rich, not that I can remember.
Even better was this copy of the 'Daily Mail' from May 1926 boasting the christening of Princess Elizabeth, the future queen. Wow.., these kinds of finds DO get my attention. If you don't already know our ex-monarch died in 2022, aged 96.
As always I love the advertisements from these times, though sadly there are no cigarette ones claiming that smoke and nicotine are good for your health.
I wouldn't have minded lounging around here on that mini sofa, life must have been good.
Relatively speaking, it’s a recent calendar, at only 64 years old.
We already know one of them was interested in art, it's a lot better than I could do but that's not saying much.
'Bernard Shaw', it's all very political, and I admit had to google this dude to figure out what he was about. Did they read these, or simply collect them?
One of them was a great reader, as I was once upon a time.
Buy a dozen pairs, all the same, and there will always be shoes within arm's reach.
Old lady underwear... you know what…, I don’t really want to know.
An amazing amount of ‘stuff’ people leave when they pop their clogs.
'Firm of Film Enterprises' - how intriguing. What was Hippy up to during the '80s, and why was he handing out cheques like no tomorrow, that never left him? Brian Steele, that was him.
A proper audit of ‘The Hippy House' could have taken all day, enough time for 'son' to appear and decapitate us. It's something worth considering when fucking around too long in Time Capsules.
We spent maybe 30 minutes inside and that's a long time for us.
Today, ‘The Hippy House’ is monitored by a mobile police unit. ‘Son’ must have a shit load of money. Good luck to him sieving through this lot.
Do you like posting your Urbex content and photography for FREE on Facebook and YouTube? I like to get some form of reward for my work and every time I create I do just that. Take a look at The Urbex Community on HIVE.
If you want to keep creating for FREE then ignore what you are reading. If you want to be like me and gain something other than BUGGER ALL for your work then click here and learn about posting on the HIVE blockchain.
My Urban Exploration Tales can be found directly on the internet via my
Website: 'Tales of the Urban Explorer'.
If you found this article so invigorating that you are now a positively googly-eyed, drooling lunatic with dripping saliva or even if you liked it just a bit, then please upvote, comment, rehive, engage me or all of these things.
Wow, I am ecstatic looking at the amount of things in very good condition that you have found in that fabulous place... It is a really big place as I see... This article of yours today is one of the ones I have enjoyed the most because of things like those 5.25" diskettes (I started studying computer science in 1986, those were my first storage media... Damn, I feel old hehe!)... And that old lady in front of the microphones!... It's Golda Meir!... I guess you knew that and you're joking hehehe :)!... Also in the top left photo she is seen with Moshé Dayán gosh!... Are those real photos?... Impressive!... The vinyl records, the old sewing machine, the books... Holy heavens!... So many wonderful things!... Thank you very much for sharing this work @slobberchops friend, it really was something wonderful to see!...
!discovery 42
!PIZZA
I really didn't know, I guess Hippy got around a little and explored the world. He did seem educated when we talked, I feel kind of sorry about what's happened to his house.
There was so much to look at, I tend to pick up a few things, snap them and analyse them a year later when I come to these write-ups. Real.., I think so.
Was a great explore, but I dare not stay in these places too long. Someone else may turn up, and if it's anyone but more explorers you are in deep shit.
Hoarding stresses me out just thinking about it. I can't imagine being surrounded by all that stuff constantly. I'm already overwhelmed with the toys and little bit of clutter in my house from my kids.
I'm honestly surprised more of that stuff hasn't been picked over already; some of it probably has some value.
I have seen worse than this, rooms that you can't enter due to the sheer amount of material content inside. It always looks like this as they have almost always been ransacked. There was probably even better stuff than what you see, and that will already have been taken.
It's so wild to me that vast amounts of "stuff" like this can just sit there for so many years. That hole on the bottom of the stairs looks wild looks like piping maybe leaking but goes to show ya that water damage is what really seems to disintegrate structures the fastest.
Water is a killer when it comes to destroying places. I see time again. Shitloads of stuff, but how much was stolen and put on eBay. This is why I question these types of explores. Derps are much safer, nothing to steal.
The hippy house is a real treasure trove! Awful that so many collectables are simply wasting away there, but that's typical of some 'moneyed' people.
The 'hippy' must have been quite a character. If walls could speak!
I had a good chuckle at this:
That collection of identical shoes gets me; 2 pairs would be normal if buying for comfort, but so many; definitely OCD, that's what a hoarder is, right?
The contents in this house is overwhelming. Quite a find @slobberchops!
Yes it was the highlight of the day, but to be honest I prefer places that are really abandoned and not so for less than a year. It makes me uncomfortable.., because everyone does it does not make it right.
I fully understand, there's a difference, even though the family seem to have no interest!
Not everybody has a model of Boaty McBoatface on their shelves. Must have been a great name (or an awful name) to have in 1969.
I googled that and found a submarine from 2017, am I missing something?
Just a known case of dont ask the internet. The proud wessel RRS Sir David Attenborough was named in a way that did not reflect the poll that some clever brains had thought up. News even reached the Yankees.
Wow, that was an awesome explore. There were a lot of cool things to see. I didn't expect there to be so much books and vinyls, but it was the ship display that I was not expecting. A lot of things were in disarray, but it was still impressive to see a lot of things in relatively good condition.
One of them put together those models. I did one when I was young and it didn't grip me at all. Very nerdy practice.
I never did one that big. I had a few Gundams, but it wasn't really my thing, it didn't help that I don't have space to display them.
Excellent telling of the story, actually an eventful place to scrummage through with interesting pieces of history tied up in one house.
A phrase long forgotten I think, heck this was most enjoyable having a peek into lifestyle the mansions hid behind.
!BEER
Thanks Joan, @gindle did a more detailed write-up than me, he's been here too and spent a longer time rummaging. Will be his downfall when Mr Angry turns up!
Going over same ground never a problem, we all see life at different angles. Certain items like stairwell banister being older solid design most probably one of the few things everyone would notice.
So many places to hide sure Mr Angry isn't able to cover distance at speed.
I would be terrified..., 'we know you are there, we will find you'.., make me think about entering these places.
Looking at the old photos pretty haunting if one of those stepped out....
It is quite the explore that one. So much stuff! I always respected someone that had a pre amp for their music consumption. What a difference they made.
You are right, let's not go there with the granny pants 🤣🤣
Overwhelming is the word, Hippy was quite the character and it always feels strange to me wen someone dies that you have met and conversed with. He never did get to explore, we wouldn't let him come.
Yeah, it's almost surreal revisiting in those circumstances
You could start a library with all the books in that place. The hole at the bottom of the one staircase was a little scary.What an explore, I really enjoyed this one.
Yes, many books and few to my tastes. I do have lot of books as you can't give them away now. Does anyone still read? I listen to Audiobooks, double productivity, listening and driving.
I still like the feel of a good book. Although audiobooks are a real convenience at times.
In this building many items can be used. It's strange that people leave all these stuffs and move. Just curious to know if this building is near your place and no one is there.. right?
It's around 40 miles away, not so close. We have to travel these days as the close ones have all be done. This is why I am doing less these days. Diminishing returns.
Indeed its not so close and I can understand howmuch effort you put into capturing photos and share with us. Kudos to you man for your efforts. Cheers!!
I have often wondered if you ever run into people while exploring. This was an interesting place, I can not believe there is so much stuff left behind that has value. I love the little sewing machine and ships. I wonder what is with all of the rocks on the desk. The old lady had some lacy panties not like old lady granny panties. So many art and family pictures left, that is a shame.
Infrequently, we bump into other explorers and then there's usually a chat which involves mostly @anidiotexplores. I generally want to bail and move to the next one, as they are always Facebook and YouTube peeps, something that does not interest me much.
Wow that a lot of stuff. I am trying to sort and chuck out lots things I have hung onto over the years right now, it is taking way longer and harder than I thought but I don't want my place ending up looking anything like Hippy's.
It can get out of control, I know and you need to let get of all the crap taking up space. If not for you, but your kids who have to deal with all this shit we we die.
Don't call Roederer "wine" !LOL
I really thought I had you in my automated voting list?... Well, now you're in hahaha
lolztoken.com
count as resistance training?
Credit: marshmellowman
@slobberchops, I sent you an $LOLZ on behalf of svanbo
(4/10)
If I had to guess, that old lady looks like Golda Meier, the first female prime minister of Israel during the 6-day war in the 1970s.
She is, it's been confirmed.
...'the impossible to climb gate was actually extremely climbable, even for me'... AHHAHAHAHAAH this made me laugh 🤣
Pretty crazy to see still so much left. Did you find any valuables.
I mean you can clearly see that people have already raided the house or mansion lmao
Surprised me that you only spent half an hour there, i mean you could easily spend a whole day in there, with the amount of shit there is.
Your experience was truly amazing as you explored the place. I was impressed by the vast collection of books. However, I couldn't help but wonder how much more amazing the place would be if it were cleaned and organized.
They are always messy, thieves always take places apart.
Congratulations, your post has been added to WorldMapPin! 🎉
Did you know you have your own profile map?
And every post has their own map too!
Want to have your post on the map too?
This post was shared and voted inside the discord by the curators team of discovery-it
Join our Community and follow our Curation Trail
Discovery-it is also a Witness, vote for us here
Delegate to us for passive income. Check our 80% fee-back Program
$PIZZA slices delivered:
@jlinaresp(9/15) tipped @slobberchops
There are so many things in the building that are beyond counting, many of which are usable. It was a great entry.
This place is too beautiful to be abandoned and I love how it has a piano. It looks like something that will work if being played
This is a nice adventure
Everything is in detail including the cow document and all
Nice one!
Even without you making so much explanations, the details is clear
The place is not really disorganized
It is well arranged and I love the piano
Not that I want anything, but I might be tempted by a book or a CD... 🤓
View or trade
BEER.Hey @slobberchops, here is a little bit of
BEERfrom @joanstewart for you. Enjoy it!Learn how to earn FREE BEER each day by staking your
BEER.