“Ernie’s is open, someone’s just been in”
@anidiotexplores was jumping up and down on his seat, next to me and typing away furiously on this phone while I was driving north from a hard day exploring in Wales. It was past 7 pm and the light would be fading soon. We would need to be quick.
"Ernie's Place", a relatively newly discovered Time Capsule, was now on the TourBus, there was little doubt. It was open one day and closed the next. We had failed once already a couple of weeks beforehand.
There had to be an owner and likely he was getting very pissed off with the unwanted intruders invading the property. It was now or never or was it?
I find myself at odds with morals when a Time Capsule is repeatedly being sealed. Someone is looking after it, but then again we are not the de-sealers and technically not lawbreakers if a window is open.
Dusk was setting in as we approached the overgrown mansion. Hoping no Karens were pruning their bushes, we brazenly walked up the driveway looking for this new 'way in'.
It was a window, but where? The details provided were sketchy and the front of "Ernie's Place" was exactly like last time; heavily cobwebbed, and undisturbed for decades.
Scouting around the sides, checking doors and windows was proving fruitless. Was this another wild-goose chase? The supplier of information was a friend of @anidiotexplores and not a bullshit friend who deliberately fed information of the foulest kind.
Eventually, we found it, but it was so exposed.
"If those Karens over there see us man, we are fucked", I mentioned in passing to @anidiotexplores who had disappeared through the window already.
I should know better. Don’t arse about and get on with it.
Closing the window slightly after struggling through, as usual, I looked around the dimly lit room behind me.
"Ernie's Place" was looking promising, though somewhat well-trodden. The more TourBus trips arrive, the more disheveled the sights you witness.
There are Time Capsules that are NOT in Wales, contrary to popular belief, though looking at this table you would swear not. I made a point to look at the magazine that cost 2/- before leaving.
A 'Toe Rag' is slang for 'a contemptible or worthless person'. I was more interested in the author. It looks old and directed at who? It looks suspiciously like Ernie's handwriting (see below).
A sign that many have visited before us; while it's handy that one's family photographs are strewn about, it's also impersonal. The old photograph of the house did look uncannily like the one we were inside.
Ernie was an old bloke and had lots of relatives it seems. One of them needs to claim this house and move in. There was little wrong with it.
...'same writing as the toe-rag accusation? Was he jesting or serious'
Ernie needs to work on his signature a little. Block capitals are hardly individual.
Coal fires and chimneys; I remember them from when I was a boy and this one looks like some kind of deluxe model with little chambers and plenty of ash.
Just scatter the stuff everywhere, won't you? It wasn't me.
A birth certificate from 1925 containing a different surname to Ernie? Was this Ernie's mother? It's all very personal.
It was good to see at least one gas fire, they became fashionable in the 70s. I can't say the same for the TV.
Someone had prepared the tea, but it was never served. What happened next?
The trinkets in the cabinet, now getting a little moldy.
Only four channels were allowed on this ancient TV. ITA and not ITV? Some digging may provide a meaning of ITA.
Ernie had other more modern TVs and he liked a drink as well as feasting on chocolates.
The bottle of Guinness looked intact and was probably quite drinkable. I gave it a miss.
Chloroform and Morphine? 'The Mixture' looks like serious stuff. Sniffing it could render one unconscious.
That Babycham looks old. Did Ernie change his mind and switch to Guinness? One bad hangover can put you off for a lifetime.
The kitchen looked quite usable, just a little rust here and there.
It was gratifying to see nobody had stolen the coins.
I tend to look behind the front door as it’s generally full of junk mail and other more important material. We were rushing "Ernie's Place" a little as the night was closing in and externals were needed.
David Caddock and Andrew Carruthers? Not the names I was expecting to see?
I found the stairs very roomy. You could make use of that space on the left for something or other?
Long corridors with vacuum cleaners from another time. Many of Ernie’s treasures were downstairs.
Was it a bed? If so, someone has taken the time to tip it up and destroy it. Fucking idiots.
Lighting candles a little too close to the wallpaper can lead to dire consequences.
A nice antique dresser if you like that kind of thing.
Ernie’s clothes appeared to be strewn about and in black bags. What’s wrong with the wardrobe I say?
It's a meaty safe but contained no meat whatsoever.
This room is maybe awaiting decoration. Rooms must be patent and wait in line like anyone else.
In 1976, there could have been a Mrs. Ernie. Did he outlive her?
1969 says the yellow pages. Let’s just say that’s been hanging around for a few years.
They all look old, probably older than me.
One is dated 1994 and addressed to just Ernie. I suspect he may have been a long-time widower.
Perfect for me, in good condition but unfortunately the wrong size.
I do love seeing books, and magazines priced up in ‘old money’. Pre-decimalisation marks these as being before 1970.
Is that Ernie’s wife? We will never know. I think he might have had perfect eyesight in one eye looking at those glasses. Mastitis, was she suffering from it?
I'm not entirely sure about the date, but the receipts look positively ancient.
When you get old, your friends start dying. My mother tells me this all the time.
£2000 for his wife in 1967. That was a fortune in 1967. Elizabeth could be someone else but with the same name?
We left, with me struggling to get out of that bloody window if only to get some external snaps before leaving.
FOOTNOTE: A popular Facebook explorer who tends to sell out the newspapers attempted to infiltrate "Ernie's Place" shortly after our visit.
He gained access via the same window as us with another explorer in tow. The owner happened to be inside and it went something like this:
AngryOwner - “You FUCKING BASTARDS, breaking in…, just you stay there you cunts I’m going to teach you a lesson you will never forget..”
AngryOwner advanced menacingly armed with a large crowbar scowling at the intruders with a sincere intent to injure.
Alarmed at the sight, both explorers dashed to the window determined on escaping. One cut his arm quite badly from glass shards embedded within the frame while scrambling through.
The escape was successful at a cost. Word got around the community and "Ernie's Place" is now off the radar. It is for the best.
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Ooft that must have been quite scary for the others to be menaced by the owner!
Where the heck would you get Chloroform and Morpine anywhere out of the 18th century or earlier. It sounds nuts!
Would get your adrenalin going, for sure!
I never noticed it at the time. I was busy clicking away hoping darkness would not set in. Looks something from another time.. literally!
It's a shame that properties like this are vacant when there are many families who could make this a home.
It also looks like lady luck was with you when you went early.
Mr Angry is probably planning to live there, or sell it. Getting early is key, we missed one yesterday due to farting around too long.
Wow, this was quite the time capsule. That carpet and wall paper is dead sexy. I have to admit. I think I am going to try to talk @mrsbozz into adding some of that stuff into our house. I'm glad you were able to get into this one. It looks like it had a lot of treasures for you!
Local junk shop should set you straight. Do you have junk shops, I cant remember?
We have flea markets which are pretty much the same thing!
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Best explore in a long time, an abundance of extremely old, old, not so old items. Many recognizable with an Oxo tin for a piggy bank.
Actually you quite right where are the family to come clean and brighten the place up, bit O' spit and polish could make a great home.
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The house was in good condition, a course of damp-proofing.. and it's liveable again.
With housing shortage it is amazing people have not moved in, who knows in this crazy world what the hell is going on....
Was slowly scrolling down to not get frightened with the photos hahaha
Love your exploration as usual..
🥲 bet its haunted (me and my imagination)
No... not haunted, didn't feel a thing.
One of these days, i also want to explore an abandoned building here in Hong Kong.. I just need some company 😂
Especially in Hong Kong, you will probably end up dead.
😂.. Not really. There are abandoned buildings in secluded places..no police patrolling around 😂
I was thrilled reading, and the details ignited my curiosity and a lot of questions like where is Ernest and what happened to him and the people possibly living with him in this building? Nice work..
Ernest I am quite sure is dead, and has been for some time. The documents suggest he was alive during the war years and an adult. This would make him 100+ years old.
Ah, for sure...but everything is mysterious.
That note is hilarious 😂
There are some really cool pieces of furniture in there. The safe, old TV and antique dresser are pretty cool. I wouldn't put them in my house but neat from a time capsule perspective.
Do you think it was a lovers tiff? Makes me think.. 😀
That's a good guess. Definitely has that vibe about it lol
The doll on the TV gave me the willys. Imagine looking at her all night. She would come alive like Chucky. He must have been Australian to use the word Toerag or a big fan of Home & Away 😂
I never noticed the doll, it was content overload.., some places are like that. I notice more when I come to write these up!
Is it possible to get a book that defines the UK pre-1960 more than 'ferrets and ferreting' - I think not. Great place. I love art-deco design and the fire place surround around the gas fire in the living room is like the most awesome ever.
And the old TV with the 4 buttons reminds me of what we had in the 70s. In the 70s our family had a remote control - me, I was the youngest, so when a channel needed changed, that was my job ! I can remember when remote controls became a thing in around the early 1980s, and it was a very special thing to have a TV with a remote control. I remember one of my mates telling me he had one, and I went round to his house to see it, and it was the best thing ever. He had bought an 8 foot bamboo cane, and could press the buttons on the TV with that while lying on his bed - LOL ! Great memories !
Nice find !!!
Same, 4 channels and the 4th didn't have a channel. Channel 4 came later!
Lol - and TV didnt actually start until about 9am ! I remember waking up on saturday morning and watching the test card for an hour or more before it came on !
You timed it right! I think I would have had the same reaction if I was in the Angry Owner's shoes!
You know, you find a lot of interesting places, but this one really still has a personal feel to it. It looks like it really may have just been in need of a deep clean. Damn.
This place looked like it was once pretty decent even though the wallpaper and carpet up the stairs reminded me of Fear and Loathing. I like this guy's surname Phythian.
The coal fireplace was nice with the wooden finishings, but obviously hadn't been cleaned for a few decades. That's a lot of fucking soot.
I'm glad that you didn't encounter the angry landlord vibe, that sounds like it could have got out of hand quite quickly. I do feel bad when seeing all those family photos strewn about.
As for the ITA and ITV, it's in Wiki if you want to know how that all worked.
LOL, its been a while since I saw that.
Yes, likely is.., I spend enough time on these.., they take an age to write up.
Love this! I wish I could do this in my country. Its just way too dangerous. We managed to go into an abandoned hospital and had the security take us on a tour but that's as far as we could go with that. Other places just are too dangerous.
Thank you for another great post friend!
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what a lovely post! fab place
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