Tales of the Urban Explorer: St Joseph's Church

in Urban Exploration2 years ago (edited)

"St Joseph's is open..."

@anidiotexplores stated the fact in a none too excited voice which was a little puzzling.

Was is St Josephs Seminary, a fully A-Class massive historic old school of sorts, complete with armed guard sentries who could not be bribed with even thousands.. or..

St Josephs Orphanage, another stunning place and one which @dizzydiscovery and myself got busted at last year while contemplating lathering ourselves with grease paint before the deadliest of climbs.

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You could show some excitement man..., I was thinking aloud...

"It's St Josephs Church, and the inside is kind of fucked by all reports", he said reading my mind.

My willy instantly started shrinking, ending up in some kind of walnut state in a similar fashion to that while taking amphetamines.

Sigh..

"OK, dude, let's go then". A derelict church surely had at least some Satan signs within, I mean it goes without saying.

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It looked quite gothic and imposing from the outside. We parked up, not so close, and spotted a dingy alley threading down the side which would take us out of eyeshot.

We quickly got inside, but not by the means explained to me by @anidiotexplores which was some kind of Giant Rathole.

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The thought of being molested by an oversized rat was not a good one, and so I was quite relieved to be inside without any more worries of this 'hole'.

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Inside was quite bare, though surprisingly photogenic. These old walls give off a great sheen when thrown through my mass image enhancer.

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The mandatory Satan words are always in these places, this time ‘Satanic Cunt 666'. The last one pays homage to the Bibles' Revelations or a classic Iron Maiden track, depending on your thought pattern.

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The upstairs section was sparse, the top containing a nice empty floor devoid of anything besides dust and cobwebs.

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There was always the view and a large drop if you were not careful. @anidiotexplores in the distance takes shots of where the Alter used to be, which now houses Satan.

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I descended intent on reaching this pinnacle my comrade had climbed up earlier.

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Getting there required some improvisation as the lower steps had vanished, only to be replaced by what looked like a very wonky table.

Would that collapse the minute I put my weight on it?

Balancing myself and hoping those legs would not break I gingerly climbed up the decaying spiral staircase noticing the top part also missing.

... and so a little climbing and balancing was in order.

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This is the view from the top looking down. To escape, one slides down that board and hopes for the best. Only the middle part of the steps remain.

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The floor was a little more holey up here, I am guessing where the Organ player used to sit.

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The pews must have been taken away long ago; this classic obligatory panoramic shot must be taken.

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The local wildlife must find it hard in here. I mean.. what do you eat?

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Honesty, the shit that I do to get these photographs AND escape alive sometimes amazes me. Getting down was tougher than getting up.

Having descended without injury, I sought to find some forms of life in this quite dead church.

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There were a few things left, and they came out quite well on camera.

Add a few skulls to these creepers and this could fit in very well to a Dark Souls game.

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At this point, I noticed a bloke sitting in a far corner of this church and ushered @anidiotexplorers over.

He looked quite harmless but you never know... he could also have Rabies and feverishly attack us.

"Alright mate", said the ever-friendly @anidiotexplorers.

"Got any smokes man?", said smoker as though he was well used to visitors in his personal hash hideout.

@anidiotexplorers fed him a smoke which seemed to satisfy smoker who went into some kind of dream state babbling on about, "Just want my smokes, they won't leave me alone, want to smoke, I like to smoke…"

The thought of leaving this obsessed lunatic in his smoking paradise was a good one but then he offered us some information.

You can get out over there man”, he motioned to an area which we had not yet trodden on, wiping his nose on a filthy sleeve and then following up with a loud coughing fit.

"Thanks, man", I said not really wanting to continue this conversation lest I catch some contagious smoking disease that might make me a smoker just like him.

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We approached a very run-down part of the church and then noticed ‘the hole' which looked quite man-made and possibly by use of a sledgehammer.

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"Oh.. let's do it then", I motioned to my comrade. It was marginally easier than the other route and why not mix things up a little?

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We crawled through the Giant Rathole and made our way out.

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Great shots of dereliction. I'm thinking you should post one of these sets with text in the style of an estate agent.....

It may make for a tough sell. I mean inside is pretty, well kind of.

nicely gothic, lucky ya buddy smokes!! otherwise i think you would get bummed

Lol, yes.., this dude was quite harmless. One other in Manchester was not so and chased @anidiotexplores down the road. On smack I think. We had to bail out from that derp, though I had done it before.

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This one was quite good fun, we don't meet people often inside. It made it a little different.

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You do have a way with words. It was very bare in there apart from the birdshit. As usual I worry for you with that holey/holy floor. Seems the church came with a hermit this time. It does look like it has potential for development if someone has the money.

You do have a way with words.

Ah... thankee so much kind sir. I will take that as a compliment. smoker was some local bum who wanted his drugs and to be left alone. Quite harmless.

This one is a bit different than the usual spots you explore. Pretty cool.
You're smoker friend reminded me of a magical mythical gate-keeper creature from a fairytale story. The dark, elvish pixy-nymph asks for help finding its lost item and you and your party have to decide if you're going to help it or not. Help and be rewarded - a secret door is revealed. don't help and you get trapped in there forever.

It was definitely a test and you passed. Who knows what he would have done had you not given him that smoke or if you ever would have found your way out of there.

I'm not sure if anything I just wrote made any sense lol

Not a bad analogy.. yes it made sense. He was pissed off with the world and used the church as an escapism area to smoke. Quite harmless.

A magnificent old church despite the decay. The wood is obviously shot, but did the masonry still look sound?

Yes, it was quite solid. They built things to last over 100 years ago. I would guess it's from the Victorian era.

The outside of it is amazing looking and deserves to have a proper place of residence. I really dislike when they take such a piece of architectural beauty and display it on a building lot. I realize it had different surroundings when it was built...

Is that really a garage in the first shot? I have never seen a church with one. I have no idea what you used for editing, but, the bricks have such an interesting-looking texture.Rathole LOL The inside of that is a dream. Why did nobody take over this and renovate it? They just don't make places like this anymore!

As you noted, the walls are very photogenic, and isn't that what we all look for? Something that photographs better than the real thing? The opposite is the nor. The floor looks like it once had tiles in some places. Hard to tell if it was carpeted and some tile or the tiles were ripped up. It looks like it was stripped down nicely when it closed, probably by the Church itself.

To escape, one slides down that board and hopes for the best.

Sweet Jesus! Literally. The panorama is stunning. Really. I can imagine how it looked. I can see even the stained glass is gone. When a church back home close, they auctioned off the stained glass to other churches that were interested. At least they kept it in the family. I admit that I am aghast at what you have to do to get these shots... although I would be the very last to complain, you get some pretty amazing pictures, made even more jaw-dropping when I see the places you scale, crawl over and shimmy up. Hello? For a big guy, you put most people to shame.

The parish debt bin came out really nice! Oh, thank God for creepy smoker dude and showing off the rat hole to crawl through! Hey, I really liked this one. It isn't often I get to see the inside of a place like that, in pretty great shape, if you ask me.

Thanks for the tour!

Is that really a garage in the first shot?

Someone's garage or it could have been a business. We had to be quiet lest the owner heard us.

The glass was all gone, and if not.. so high up we couldn't see it.

Getting out the original route wasn't so tough, just slightly more awkward. Anything for an easier life!

For a big guy, you put most people to shame.

I'm not that big! At 22 the other workers would take the piss out of my skinny arms and wrists. Only recently has that dreaded 'spread' happened. Most people my age are quite a bit fatter. Being big is a massive disadvantage doing this. You can't fit through things etc..

"Big" as in height. I would never call you big in any other way as you have the little woman that you need to keep up with, and her runs are legendary. :)

Still, neither one of us is a twenty-year-old, and your physical abilities as you wander the urbex landscape is pretty darned impressive.

"Big" as in height. I would never call you big in any other way

I'm not actually that tall either, about 5'9'.. but you were not to know that. If you think I look like my avatar... well think again!

Haha@ Nobody looks that crazy... right?

Real gothic. Columns, windows, spiers ... In the cinema, ghosts and vampires are filmed in such scenery. Have you seen werewolves there?

Yes, I guess it could be used as a film set. Vampire's would fit well so long as the holy ground doesn't burn them up.

Oh man that was amazing! I can only imagine that place at night.

Oh no, none of that night time shit. I wouldn't be able to see for one.

Plus it looks like the floor would give in if you don't watch your step!

Host a rave in there, with a SATAN'S PUSSY theme!

If only it was the nineties again!

It can be.. just takes the correct mix of drugs and booze and music!

I actually think this would look pretty if somebody would invest the time and money to repair it. Too bad it is just sitting like this

They might try and sell it as a residence, it has happened with other churches. There are not many takers.

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Good shots first of all
and very appreciated

I love to be in such places. it's a little scary. But very interesting!🔥

Excellent photos, you can feel that gothic, spooky feeling when you see them, I imagine that entering the place you feel much more! I can see all the years of history the structure has, it's hard to even be able to walk without the fear of falling, because of the wear and tear!

You get used to these places, and getting injured is part of it and quite frequent. Gotta watch where you are walking.

Beautiful. Although not new, but makes a visitor feel respect.

The abandoned church of St. Joseph looks pretty darn attractive. The church was an atmospheric place when it was still functioning. The pictures are great. As if I had been there myself.

I did enjoy this one. Most of them give you a kick, that's as well as the photography you can get.

Fricking BREATHTAKING.

I just like your posts. Where do you find all those houses?

I'm part of an underground movement that shares these kinds of places. It's all quite secretive and is not normally broadcasted publicly.

Thats really cool. Have to search myself here in Germany.😁

This place is mesmerizing! Excellent pictures)

You are such a talented photographer, and we were thrilled with the results of your work.

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Real gothic. Columns, windows, spiers ... In the cinema, ghosts and vampires are filmed in such scenery. Have you seen werewolves there?

Nice post.

wow nice pictures!!, it reminds me of a horror movie haha

Places like this scare me a lot, especially to go in alone and paint. Congratulations to you on these beautiful pictures from inside the building. 😱

Nice photography you got there!! 👌👌

This has to be your best exploration yet. the state of St Joseph in my opinion is pristine and your coverage of it is professional.

Yes, yes. I can smell that place from here, and hear the footsteps on that old wooden floor.

I thought the people who you found in such places liked to do fair imitations of mutant villains??? This guy sounds downright helpful!

really impressive pictures. this former "holy" place seems quite unholy even without the 666. i would be really scared in this place during the night but i think it´s also at the day spuky enough.

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