Billy Banks Estate RIP (The Final Goodbye)

Billy Banks Estate RIP (The Final Goodbye)​

I consider The Billy Banks Estate to be my first real “Urban Exploration”. Sure I had visited a couple of places before this but they were nothing in my eyes compared to this colossal derelict council housing estate.

I am not going to bore you with the history of the estate all over again, I think I have covered this in my previous reports which can be found by clicking the links at the bottom of this post. What I have written here is just a few paragraphs about my time here, about my feelings and thoughts. It may not make sense but I hope you enjoy this final report anyway.

When I signed up to this forum, I started searching for local places to explore, I became addicted very quickly to exploring and needed somewhere to “get my fix”. At around 11pm, I discovered a report covering the first phase of the estate, I had no idea if there was more but I had to find out!
As I pulled up at Royal Close, Penarth, South Wales, it soon became clear that the estate had been demolished and the new houses were being built. My heart sank a little as I was so excited about visiting such a large derelict location.
It was around 12:30am and was pitch black due to a local power cut and for some reason, despite living in South Wales all my life, I have never been to this side of Penarth. I had no idea where I was so just started driving around the streets. Within a few moments, I found myself on High View Street staring at caravans (The New Age Travellers) and just one lone resident playing his guitar. My heart was now going at 100mph, I was so excited and couldn’t wait to get my camera out…one problem though…it’s the middle of the bloody night!

The next day, I set of to explore “The Billy Banks Estate” and the addiction began…

For almost 12 months, this derelict estate became my second home. Most local residents knew who I was and what I was doing and even helped me out by providing information about when it was a buzzing and happy housing estate.

Many have asked why I spent so much time at the estate and the simple answer is, Addiction. I was addicted to finding something different buried within the crumbling buildings and no matter how many times I had stood inside each property, It’s something that I always knew would happen. I don’t know what made this estate different to any of the other locations that I have visited over the past 12 months but something there grabbed my heart and wouldn’t let go.

Throughout my time at the estate, I have managed to meet some great people, most of which were past residents at the estate and I have stood inside and photographed every single property (that had some sort of a floor at least).
I have seen things that have brought a tear to my eye such as family photographs and personal letters as well as those that have made me smile such as birthday cards, children’s toys and school certificates.

Several fires broke out during February 2012 after the New Age Travellers and last remaining resident had moved out. It was at this time I knew the estate’s days were numbered and I was right! It wasn’t long until I found myself being kicked out of the site by the new security team. I was so annoyed with this, I ended up filming “Billy Banks After Hours”. A short video (not the best that I have done) showing me breaching their so called security after dark. After all, I knew the estate better than them and I wish I was joking.

From this moment on my relationship with the security team was not the best. I had my life threatened after I took a photograph and released a video showing the security team making threats, sleeping on the job and talking about using air guns on site. I was then told by an insider that if I was caught on the site, they were not going to let me leave. To this day I don’t know if this is would have happened but all it done was make it more exciting for me. Odd, I know!

Despite everything, I continued to enter the site daily. I would stand on site for most of the demolition work to try and take exclusive shots, shots that no other would try and get. I watched each block come down, some in less than 4 hours.

There was just one block that I could never do, I don’t like climbing palisade fencing as I have seen some nasty injures so this wasn’t an option for me. However, a few days before the block was due to come down, a small gap was made in the fence by the contractors – After jumping up to the first floor balcony, I was in. This was latter called “The Final Block” and I released a short video here on the forum. (Link at the bottom).

Just a few days after this visit, it was pulled down in less than 2 hours. That was it, The Billy Banks Estate was no more.

I could have spent days writing up everything that I have learned from my time here but I think you have all probably had enough now anyway! Although if you would like more information, please send me a PM as I will soon be launching my website and this will have a lot of information that I have gathered about the estate. When it’s launched, I will send you a quick email with the link

Over 10,000 images were taken over 10 months and over 48 hours worth of video footage was captured. Here is a very small selection of photographs to say a final goodbye to what was “The Billy Banks Estate, Penarth, South Wales”. Most are repeat images but these are the ones that I feel best represent this now demolished housing estate.

I would like to say thank you to everybody that has taken the time to read my reports on the estate and if you didn’t like them, ah well I can’t please everybody! I would also like to say thank you to everybody that took the time to explain to me what life was like on the estate prior to the evictions, without your information, I would never have known what a great place this estate really was.

Good Bye Billy Banks…

Videos​

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oFKCeb8TWo&hd=1[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3lhFvrxtF0&hd=1[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_f5pBubzd0&hd=1[/ame]

The "Final Block Demolition" video should be here later tonight / tomorrow ​

Thanks for reading!​

Excellent work mate all round.

Why, O why are we addicted to such things? My wife just dont get it......

Just brilliant!
liking the videos especially!

I have to say, this report has made my day, no matter how sad it is.

Clearly the work of someone who has a love and a most serious passion for a place. Not for it's look, or perhaps even for it's past, but for the "feel" and the atmos, and the people.

Good work and a fitting epitaph.

nice

great pictures with a good history in some ways its a shame to see it gone.

shame to see it has finally bit the dust....

Urbex-SW said:

Thanks for reading!

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It's us that should be thanking you for spending the time there, and then to share it with us.

Thanks mate

Still very sad though, what are you going to do now?

Great final thoughts and pictures of a place obviously dear to your heart, strange how some places just have a certain draw on the individiual that most people wouldn't understand, Great stuff

I've followed your previous reports/visits/photos of this place.

You've done well with them, they've been interesting

Cheers

Excellent work, looks like a great place to spend time, glad you got the months to do it and being there at the end was quite poignant

What a shame! But thankfully you have managed to capture this place fantastically well, some really great pics. Thanks for the share!

You were obviously greatly touched by this place and your words brought a tear to my eye, thankyou for sharing your passion and love for this once bustling estate Great pics

Thank you everybody for your kind words, it really does mean alot and I am glad you have enjoyed this and my other threads on the estate

Alot of bad things has been said about the estate in the press and if you read the information held on file by the South Wales Police, it does make it sound like a hell hole (Soon to be released to my website). Spend just a few moments with somebody who lived there though, speak to them in person and you will realise of what a great place it once was.

UE-OMJ said:

It's us that should be thanking you for spending the time there, and then to share it with us.

Thanks mate

Still very sad though, what are you going to do now?

Click to expand...

Cheers dude, this has brightened up my day!

What am I going to do now? I've got a couple of things up my sleeve and god help UrbanX if I get over to Chernobyl, I will give him a run for his money

Now that's passion & dedication ! Thanks for sharing

Amazing write up mate, the whole legacy that Urbex leaves behind is the documentation of buildings after people have left: I don't think anywhere has been documented in so much depth by one person before. The people of the future will truly be thankful.

UrbanX said:

Amazing write up mate, the whole legacy that Urbex leaves behind is the documentation of buildings after people have left: I don't think anywhere has been documented in so much depth by one person before. The people of the future will truly be thankful.

Click to expand...

Cheers dude! It sure has been a long and eventful journey. As you say, for me this is what Urbex is all about, documenting our surroundings in this ever quickly changing day and age. Although the size of the estate was the thing that first attracted me, it soon turned into the history and the stories trapped within it's walls and if something has a story to it, it's worth documenting I think

r.i.p billy .

great shots docuementing its final days....love the sofa pic, toys left behind....and the shot about 6th from the end the ball of demo debris really looks like a human head...

Thanks for the reports. I have been past the estate numerous times over the years and it has been fascinating to read your reports and see the pictures. Haven't been there for a while and was wondering what the current situation was and if demo has been finished. Thanks again

I'm so glad you got pics of the final block coming down - I missed it and it would have been a shame if it was not recorded - It's paritcualrly apt that it was you that got the shots . Thanks for sharing - a fellow Billybanks obsessive ..