Via Text Message:
Priority 7: “So What are you and you’re wife up to this weekend?”
UrbanX: “Not much, she’s away on a hen do all weekend”
10 mins later…
Priority 7: “Ferry’s booked”
WTF, this is becoming an addiction! Thanks to the last minuteness of this trip two of our usual four strong contingent were unable to make it. Priority 1 (Mrs Priority 7 to you and me) stepped in to fill one of the places.
The plan was audacious and daring. I can’t get any time off work, so we’d need to cover 1,000 miles in 24 hours…so the plan went like this:
Friday: After a 10 hour day, leave work at 6 ,
home by 7,
Eat and shower by 8.
Get around one and a half hours sleep,
Leave house by 10pm.
Dover by 1am
On ferry at 2am,
France by 5am (It’s plus an hour)
Hit Chateau des Singes by 8-9am.
I leave work at 6, all is going to plan, then I get a text from Priority 7 “Not sure if I can do it, I’ve got a stomach bug”
I sympathetically texted back a link to some adult nappies.
“That’s no good it’s coming out of both ends” came the reply.
Bugger.
I told him to get some toast and get his head down.
By 10pm the last of the bug had been heaved from his system, and he was right as rain.
It was all go.
Any doubt as to whether Chateau des Singes was abandoned or not we soon quashed as we made our way through the garden. It took us nearly an hour to clamber through the brambles. Then we emerged covered in cuts to face this:
This site says it all about European explores, it’s just mint, not a scrap of graffiti. We had seen a photo of the stairs, and knew it’d be the money shot so we made our way straight there.
Stair detailing:
Main Drawing Room:
Fireplace detail:
In drawing room 2, the panels had been carefully stacked (awaiting renovation?)
Drawing Room 3 – Check out the panelling!
Same room other side, check out the hand paintings:
Upstairs a lot of the flooring had been stripped, giving me the chance to dance across the joists
I wandered up further into the roof space:
I couldn’t help but think “I bet this would look better from the centre of one of those crossbeams” So up I went….
I picked up a feint human scent from the other part of the roofspace. I cant really describe it, but it seemed different to the normal smell of a dry dusty derelict building. I knew the others were in the house, but I knew they weren’t up here. I slowly ventured in, alone, expecting to see someone at any moment.
Piles and piles of sporting newspapers were piled up. One per day every day of the year. There’s about 3 years worth here.
A mattress was laid out, with a blanket, a book still open on a page…
Personal effects
Another 3 years worth of newspapers
I found a filing cabinet filled with library style record cards. I don’t know what they are referencing, they are all neumerical based. I’m guessing something to do with horseracing?
Programmes from old horse races dating back to 1964:
Princess Di on the cover
Keys
Group Shot:
We finished up at Chateau des Singes by lunchtime, and started heading back. We nipped into Sanatorium F on the way back, but it was still 10 hours until we reached our comfy West London hotel. The last bits of the drive were crazy, with us all dropping off from the exhaustion of covering 1,000 miles in 24 hours on next to no sleep.
Massive thanks to Priority 7 for finding the site, and doing all of the driving on the wrong side.
Cheers for looking.
Dereliction Addiction 29: Chateau des Singes:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSFXmEILksQ
Priority 7: “So What are you and you’re wife up to this weekend?”
UrbanX: “Not much, she’s away on a hen do all weekend”
10 mins later…
Priority 7: “Ferry’s booked”
WTF, this is becoming an addiction! Thanks to the last minuteness of this trip two of our usual four strong contingent were unable to make it. Priority 1 (Mrs Priority 7 to you and me) stepped in to fill one of the places.
The plan was audacious and daring. I can’t get any time off work, so we’d need to cover 1,000 miles in 24 hours…so the plan went like this:
Friday: After a 10 hour day, leave work at 6 ,
home by 7,
Eat and shower by 8.
Get around one and a half hours sleep,
Leave house by 10pm.
Dover by 1am
On ferry at 2am,
France by 5am (It’s plus an hour)
Hit Chateau des Singes by 8-9am.
I leave work at 6, all is going to plan, then I get a text from Priority 7 “Not sure if I can do it, I’ve got a stomach bug”
I sympathetically texted back a link to some adult nappies.
“That’s no good it’s coming out of both ends” came the reply.
Bugger.
I told him to get some toast and get his head down.
By 10pm the last of the bug had been heaved from his system, and he was right as rain.
It was all go.
Any doubt as to whether Chateau des Singes was abandoned or not we soon quashed as we made our way through the garden. It took us nearly an hour to clamber through the brambles. Then we emerged covered in cuts to face this:
![pano.jpg pano.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134345-pano.jpg)
This site says it all about European explores, it’s just mint, not a scrap of graffiti. We had seen a photo of the stairs, and knew it’d be the money shot so we made our way straight there.
![IMG_0425.jpg IMG_0425.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134346-IMG-0425.jpg)
![IMG_0427-Copy-Sm.jpg IMG_0427-Copy-Sm.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134347-IMG-0427-Copy-Sm.jpg)
![IMG_0330BW-sym-Web-Copy.jpg IMG_0330BW-sym-Web-Copy.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134348-IMG-0330BW-sym-Web-Copy.jpg)
![IMG_0342.jpg IMG_0342.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134349-IMG-0342.jpg)
![IMG_0362BW.jpg IMG_0362BW.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134350-IMG-0362BW.jpg)
Stair detailing:
![IMG_0357.jpg IMG_0357.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134351-IMG-0357.jpg)
![IMG_0366.jpg IMG_0366.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134352-IMG-0366.jpg)
![IMG_0401.jpg IMG_0401.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134353-IMG-0401.jpg)
Main Drawing Room:
![IMG_0321.jpg IMG_0321.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134354-IMG-0321.jpg)
![IMG_0340.jpg IMG_0340.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134355-IMG-0340.jpg)
Fireplace detail:
![IMG_0347.jpg IMG_0347.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134356-IMG-0347.jpg)
In drawing room 2, the panels had been carefully stacked (awaiting renovation?)
![IMG_0336.jpg IMG_0336.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134357-IMG-0336.jpg)
Drawing Room 3 – Check out the panelling!
![IMG_0331.jpg IMG_0331.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134358-IMG-0331.jpg)
Same room other side, check out the hand paintings:
![IMG_0335.jpg IMG_0335.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134359-IMG-0335.jpg)
Upstairs a lot of the flooring had been stripped, giving me the chance to dance across the joists
![IMG_0369.jpg IMG_0369.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134360-IMG-0369.jpg)
![IMG_0404.jpg IMG_0404.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134361-IMG-0404.jpg)
I wandered up further into the roof space:
![IMG_0402.jpg IMG_0402.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134362-IMG-0402.jpg)
I couldn’t help but think “I bet this would look better from the centre of one of those crossbeams” So up I went….
![IMG_0409.jpg IMG_0409.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134363-IMG-0409.jpg)
![IMG_0406.jpg IMG_0406.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134364-IMG-0406.jpg)
I picked up a feint human scent from the other part of the roofspace. I cant really describe it, but it seemed different to the normal smell of a dry dusty derelict building. I knew the others were in the house, but I knew they weren’t up here. I slowly ventured in, alone, expecting to see someone at any moment.
![IMG_0371.jpg IMG_0371.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134365-IMG-0371.jpg)
Piles and piles of sporting newspapers were piled up. One per day every day of the year. There’s about 3 years worth here.
![IMG_0372.jpg IMG_0372.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134366-IMG-0372.jpg)
![IMG_0391.jpg IMG_0391.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134367-IMG-0391.jpg)
![IMG_0373.jpg IMG_0373.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134368-IMG-0373.jpg)
A mattress was laid out, with a blanket, a book still open on a page…
![IMG_0374.jpg IMG_0374.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134369-IMG-0374.jpg)
![IMG_0392.jpg IMG_0392.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134370-IMG-0392.jpg)
Personal effects
![IMG_0375.jpg IMG_0375.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134371-IMG-0375.jpg)
![IMG_0398.jpg IMG_0398.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134372-IMG-0398.jpg)
![IMG_0400.jpg IMG_0400.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134373-IMG-0400.jpg)
Another 3 years worth of newspapers
![IMG_0378.jpg IMG_0378.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134374-IMG-0378.jpg)
I found a filing cabinet filled with library style record cards. I don’t know what they are referencing, they are all neumerical based. I’m guessing something to do with horseracing?
![IMG_0381.jpg IMG_0381.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134375-IMG-0381.jpg)
![IMG_0385.jpg IMG_0385.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134376-IMG-0385.jpg)
Programmes from old horse races dating back to 1964:
![IMG_0438.jpg IMG_0438.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134377-IMG-0438.jpg)
Princess Di on the cover
![IMG_0448.jpg IMG_0448.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134378-IMG-0448.jpg)
Keys
![IMG_0455.jpg IMG_0455.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134379-IMG-0455.jpg)
Group Shot:
![IMG_0462.jpg IMG_0462.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/derelictplaces/data/attach/134/134380-IMG-0462.jpg)
We finished up at Chateau des Singes by lunchtime, and started heading back. We nipped into Sanatorium F on the way back, but it was still 10 hours until we reached our comfy West London hotel. The last bits of the drive were crazy, with us all dropping off from the exhaustion of covering 1,000 miles in 24 hours on next to no sleep.
Massive thanks to Priority 7 for finding the site, and doing all of the driving on the wrong side.
Cheers for looking.
Dereliction Addiction 29: Chateau des Singes:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSFXmEILksQ