Abandoned Village, South Wales

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cogito

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This is Boys Village near St. Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan. I don't know much about, but I know it's been abandoned for a few years now. The Wiki entry on the place is less than useful.

Having recently returned to the area I thought I'd best pay it a visit with my long time pal and fellow explorer duckandcover.

Sign on the roadside:
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Village Green, church in the background:
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Buildings:
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Large dining hall:
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Again:
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The cover from a Bible:
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Toilets in some kind of accomodation block:
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Out the back of the diner's kitchen. Possibly chefs residence?
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Again:
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An old vacuum cleaner:
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The village church:
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Inside:
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On the steps to the alter:
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On the floor in the church:
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Also on the floor in the church, bit creepy:
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Peeling paint:
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Swimming Pool, this used to have a roof over it:
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Pool filtration equipment:
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A workshop:
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Gymnasium / Basketball court:
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Equipment:
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Debris:
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In the changing rooms:
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Residential living room:
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This place...
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...overlooks this place:
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Youth games room. There was all sorts in here including arcade games and pool tables:
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Thats really trashed compaired to my first visit at the begining of last year, absolutely gutting to to see the dedication plaque has been smashed.

Boys Village was a holliday camp opened by the social commitee of the Ocean Coal Company to provide a seaside holiday for the sons of their miners financed through donations from the miners pay packets. IT was later taken on by the Boys Clubs organisation which operated youth clubs and sports teams throught the industrialised south wales valleys, The original buildings were opened in the 1930's and there are two later buildings added in the 70's and 80's it finnaly closed in in the early 90's and was used breifly by a church organisation and then an airsoft group but has been abandoned for the past 4 years. Planning permission has been granted on the land for housing developments. but id not be happy living that close to aberthaw powerstation.
 
Sinnerman, I've seen fairly regular reports of the place on other websites. Spaced out over the last few years, you can really see it just get worse and worse over time.

I too doubt anyone would live there if they got round to flattening it and building houses, like you say there is a crapload of 250KV pylons coming out of Aberthaw powerstation straight past the place, not great.

Also I forgot to post any pics of the million and one BBs that litter the site. I assumed that local airsoft enthusiasts had just used it for a while for games, didn't realise it was anything legit though?
 
Nice pics dude :)

Could you possibly pm me the location please, id love to have a look. And wierdly I have just driven home from Southerndown past St Athen and Aberthaw power station, looking from the road i thought some places would make great pics but never even thought of there being a place like this.
 
This place was aazing there was so much to explore and so many things, it was like stepping back in time. The noises of the trains passing on there way to the powerstation added an atmosphere to the whole place, i did want to get up into the church tower but the ladders were missing all the way up so decided against that one
 
Thats a fantastic find, really amazing.

I wonder if they used to have a kite flying club on the old playing field?:mrgreen:
 
Hi,
I can remember vividly staying at this village. It must have been about 1978 and was used as an activity centre among other things.

I stayed there for a week with my local boy scout group (pontypridd) when I was maybe 11 or 12 years old.
The picture of the pool brought back a lot of memories. Mainly of throwing our scout leader in on his birthday.

Had no idea it was still there. Thought it had been bulldozed.

Great pics by the way.
 
Been a fair few comments on the quality of photos, so thanks guys and gals! :)

Unfortunately I didn't have my tripod on this outing as I didn't fancy carrying it while riding there on bike. Flash has helped keep a lot sharp though, I use a lot of off-camera flash.

Speaking of said bike, I recently finished building it after over a year of get parts and faffing around... And I'm taking every oppourtunity to show the damn thing off so here we are. :mrgreen:

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Excellent pics mate. Love that church, both inside and out.

Spoke to my dad about it a few days ago, and he said he'd stayed there when he was a child. (They went down there for holidays from Ebbw Vale as my Grandad used to work in the collieries down there). Dad said they used to go to the beach, then have to bring rocks back and take them up to the airfield. Don't know what they wanted them for, was around the 1936/1937 years, as the airfield opened in 1938. (he's 83 now, and showed him the pics, brought back some memories for him lol).

Cheers,

:) Sal
 
Interesting place. A shame it's so trashed and the plaque smashed like that. Echo the comments about the pics...excellent! Like the bike too! :mrgreen:
...and showed him the pics, brought back some memories for him lol).
I bet that must have been a bit sad for him to see it in the state it's in now, Sal. :(
 
That's so surreal, some really great pics you've got there of it.
Theres something a bit Wicker Man about the little wrecked church.
 
in the church shot it shows the stone floor well we did a vist last nite and where very very close to the scum who are pulling up the floor 2 cars parked up up by the village sign and about 3 of then and one in the car so if you go down be carefull of them also the gym hall had a still lit fire in it so go very carefull there
 

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