These two school sites - Elvian and Ryeish Green - had been on the radar for me and TBM since they closed earlier this year and we decided that today would be the day to check them out, roping in Treadstone at the last minute for a school trip to Reading. I wasn't sure whether to bother with a report as they weren't the most fruitful trips but these serve as a good marker for site updates at least, and I've got enough pics of both to make it worthwhile.
First up was The Elvian School. Composed of a few much older, seperate school buildings (which had the most interest to me) and a more modern larger school block this was a weird site, as the older buildings have been closed a lot longer than the rest, and the floors and windows have been removed from them. The main, newer block is being used currently in a 'security in occupation' scheme so is busy with people, and I got a grand total of zero pics of it. It was very surreal though being in a deserted school but having the sounds of children enjoying their lunch break from the live school next door.
Next we moved onto Ryeish Green school. We'd heard the place was busy with people stripping it bare, and we got there to find cars parked in the car park so pulled up outside and talked to a guy opening the gate to get out who said the car park had been leased to a club down the road, so we blagged our way in and had a mooch. While there are a number of obvious entry points a quick check revealed the alarm systems are still very much turned on and there are PIRs in pretty much every room and CCTV cameras on site. So this is one for the future...
After seeing the lovely old buildings at Elvian this was a MASSIVE disappointment, the only thing of any architectural note being the small original Victorian school building.
So there we have it, not the greatest of reports or days ever but these are two sites to keep an eye on. And like the old saying goes, if you don't go you don't find out.
A few more pics from both are on my Flickr:
The Elvian
Ryeish Green
First up was The Elvian School. Composed of a few much older, seperate school buildings (which had the most interest to me) and a more modern larger school block this was a weird site, as the older buildings have been closed a lot longer than the rest, and the floors and windows have been removed from them. The main, newer block is being used currently in a 'security in occupation' scheme so is busy with people, and I got a grand total of zero pics of it. It was very surreal though being in a deserted school but having the sounds of children enjoying their lunch break from the live school next door.
Next we moved onto Ryeish Green school. We'd heard the place was busy with people stripping it bare, and we got there to find cars parked in the car park so pulled up outside and talked to a guy opening the gate to get out who said the car park had been leased to a club down the road, so we blagged our way in and had a mooch. While there are a number of obvious entry points a quick check revealed the alarm systems are still very much turned on and there are PIRs in pretty much every room and CCTV cameras on site. So this is one for the future...
After seeing the lovely old buildings at Elvian this was a MASSIVE disappointment, the only thing of any architectural note being the small original Victorian school building.
So there we have it, not the greatest of reports or days ever but these are two sites to keep an eye on. And like the old saying goes, if you don't go you don't find out.
A few more pics from both are on my Flickr:
The Elvian
Ryeish Green