Tales of the Urban Explorer: The Burnt Time Capsule

Exploring yields a lot of disappointments. Before entering anywhere I get that feeling of tense apprehension, some places more than others.

I recall in 2020 when visiting Mossley Manor in Liverpool I was literally shaking at the front gate.

Perhaps it was the possibility of dogshit getting on my shoes that made it this way?

Since my visit, there have been other reports of the famous dogshit attacking explorers. Some property owners have a sick sense of humour.

I had no idea what this Time Capsule was to be named. As far as I was aware it was nameless and quite off the radar.

The front gate looked challenging. Even with gloves that barbed wire would sink into my flesh leaving fingers dripping with blood.

Grabbing the tree weed hovering about the fence and acrobatically flinging my body over was being considered.

We decided both options were folly and found a better way around the side which involved a little scraping of the limbs to get past the bushes that were reluctant to let us pass.

This house was suitably far away enough from ‘next door’ for us to be comfortable. I noticed the inscription on the wall, built-in 1812. Not so new then.

Then it all started to go to shit…

"Some mother-fucker has burnt it down and all its contents"

Well, this was a first. Time Capsules are just that, sacred gems of places left intact (besides the rummaging about of hundreds of other explorers).

Nobody burns down a Time Capsule; that is sacrilege. Yet some little prick had done it here, and not too recently.

With a sigh of great discontent, I entered the now shell-like building that used to contain grandma's old knickers, a sizable stack of '70s porn magazines, and a few worn-out dildos.

…’very recently I spotted a dildo in another Time Capsule, it does happen and what's more, the deceased ex-inhabitant was male’…

These old ovens are made out of tungsten or something. Even the raging inferno that had been witnessed at "The Burnt Time Capsule" could not destroy it.

It was becoming apparent that little had survived the blaze. The fireplace had a unique look but was blackened like everything else.

Charred wood doors if they existed at all were stuck in open positions and disintegrated at a touch.

I don’t know what it was like before, but this sickens me. The UK does have a serious arson problem.

This is what is left of the stairs. The ceiling appeared undamaged but how to get up? I have been known to walk up burnt stairs but this is a little more testing.

Could it be this corner escaped the blaze?

As I noted earlier, the cobwebs told me this was not a recent event.

Disappointed we left the house and cast our eyes over the grounds which appeared to be teeming with junk.

A car could once be driven into this jungle? It’s a sight I see often and wonder often how they got here.

The car appeared to be guarding the rest of the mess. We had to climb over the front to gain access.

The previous owners had a least one kid.

The large shed was quite secure. We did try a few tricks to get inside, but short of breaking in it wasn’t going to happen.

Did they have a boy?

Plenty of old bicycles; maybe the whole family liked cycling.

The brand intrigued me. I have never heard of 'Petworth' as crafters of fine bikes. Neither has the internet.

The kids had a lot of outdoor toys, more than I ever had.

A few large and white goods were starting to appear. Had the ex-tenants been kicked out?

This shed was on the edge of a cliff. I thought coastal erosion only happened next to crashing waves. A big push would have sent it careering down a sizable hill.

We thought of getting inside but this meant dealing with a 50-foot drop on the far side. It was hardly a bright idea.

Rest in Peace Mr. Daniels. I loved the fact this magician owned an Atari 800 in 1985 just like me.

One of the last generation expensive Sony TVs; in ten years from now, I am going to see 40' Plasma's scattered everywhere.

They even threw their cutlery outside, along with a mish-mash of other crap.

How many bikes do you need? The house was small so they couldn’t have had six kids.

That's another Time Capsule that will never be seen in its glory. I hope I never come across this fateful scene again.

You don't burn down Time Capsules.. EVER!

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