Question - Will UE as a hobby simply become extinct if there are no old/abandoned buildings left and security becomes tighter?

[FrostysParadise]

I ponder this all the time. Short answer no, but the soul of it will decline (already has). The more salient of the points you raise is that, as Speed says, 'interesting' derelict places in a classical sense dry up, but RE a question of will future generations find structures built in 90s, 2000s, onwards etc exotic in the same way that we find structures of 50s and 60s vintage exotic - I think it's probably short sighted to say so. A post-industrial state will continue to churn over itself structurally, so there will always be something yes, just of applicable intrigue to those who have lived through a markedly different era. For now, especially those involved in the hobby in 2000s as well if not the 2010s, it's certainly famine rather than feast yeah.
Then RE the question increasingly secure premises, I don't think that will play as much of a part. If everywhere of interest to the wide umbrella of urban exploring is surrounded by three layers of electric fence and a hundred IR trip sensors, for example, I mean sure, the practice would wither, but there is no future economic scenario where anything close to this becomes a reality, so it's not really a question worth pondering. A landowner/landowning entity secures somewhere with his/its own capital based on how much he/it cares, and there just isn't enough money spread out around Britain to actually stop future generations (for whom disobedience is becoming far more normalised than it was for generations that preceded us) from poking about a steady supply of old warehouses or hospitals etc which will continue to find themselves in ruin for decades to come - K9 unit and rolls of razor wire or not.

The friend I mentioned in my original post made a similar comment re: property owners. It's like you said, it becomes a question of whether the person or persons who own a building choose to invest their own time and money into securing it, and whether or not they even care enough about the building to do so in the first place. I understand it's also cheaper for someone to keep a building standing than it is to demolish it, so this plays a part too. There were a few mansion houses near where I live but they have recently been purchased and are in the middle of restoration. I've crossed them off my list because I don't particularly fancy snooping around what is essentially a building site. Maybe it's just a string of bad luck, but I'm finding more security conscious locations than ever before. The locations I mentioned in my original post have since had security measures implemented or signs of "official" interference of some kind. This is either incredible coincidence or somebody somewhere has seen me.

 

[FrostysParadise]

Interesting point here Oli, I have wondered if the structures of the 90s/2000s will ever be viewed in the same way. I'm honestly tempted to say that apart from notably interesting exceptions, probably not. There is very little to really appreciate architecturally with most of today's utilitarian structures, so maybe the appeal will come from more just the sense of seeing 'behind the scenes'. Even the Brutalist buildings of the 60s/70s have a markedly more interesting vision behind their design than what we often get today.

Perhaps the lure isn't exclusively in the architecture of a building, but it's merely an added charm/bonus when a building is "old". The lure lies in getting where we shouldn't be, exploring beyond the beaten path and capturing beauty in decay, regardless of whether that building was built 100 years ago or 10 years ago. It's all relative I suppose, but I can't help but feel that there are less interesting buildings spawning around us as more and more housing etc becomes generic and repetitive. My pal recently bought a lovely house but its surrounded by 100 others that look the exact same.

 

[Olkka]

Perhaps the lure isn't exclusively in the architecture of a building, but it's merely an added charm/bonus when a building is "old". The lure lies in getting where we shouldn't be, exploring beyond the beaten path and capturing beauty in decay, regardless of whether that building was built 100 years ago or 10 years ago. It's all relative I suppose, but I can't help but feel that there are less interesting buildings spawning around us as more and more housing etc becomes generic and repetitive. My pal recently bought a lovely house but its surrounded by 100 others that look the exact same.

Yeah on this, there's already been a notable shift in modern social media-driven 'urbex' from an archeology angle toward a thrill-seeking/hardposting angle, e.g. gen Z subway surfing or doing stunts on NYC rooftops etc. The amount of interesting derelict place chrologuing (as was like every weekend standard operating environment in late 2000s for example) you see coming out of the UK today is totally minimal yes, but on a global scale, it's much more alive. Probably heaps more traditionally 'good' urban exploring in Japan to surface for example

 

[mookster]

This is an interesting thread and I've read a great deal of the thoughts but apologies if I retread old points.

Exploring as a whole has evolved to be nearly unrecognisable compared to what it was like when I and the other old crusties on here got into it. No longer, or very rarely nowadays, are there any relatively untouched derelict places that have been empty for 10+ years quietly decaying with only the locals or those more clued up aware of their existence (think Fletchers, Tone Mills or the early asylums etc when they were first 'discovered'). Things nowadays have no chance of 'maturing' in that way because the pace of either complete destruction at the hands of the cretinous, or a speedy demolition due to rapid redevelopment, has increased so much.

There will always be things to explore in one form or another, but as times change the kinds of things change. I was lamenting the fact the other weekend that the days of there being multiple beautiful old saw tooth roofed factories dotting large towns and cities are gone, and instead in the near future all the larger scale industrial sites are likely to be big featureless boxes. But on the flipside, there is some very interesting comparatively modern architecture around nowadays which could bring new opportunities for seeing some cool stuff, if you can get to it before the morons do. I've been very disheartened with exploring in the UK for the last couple of years now and I think the fast changing environment is one of the factors that has made me feel that way.

Just enjoy it for what it is nowadays, or look further afield for new opportunities to see different stuff.

 

[FrostysParadise]

I like to think UE will always exist in some form or another.

Going off on a slight tangent. I admit I'm one of those youtube nobbers. When I started my channel, one of the main reasons I did UE was 'for the content'. As times gone by, I've been exploring abandobed buildings more for the simple pleasure; nowadays I rarely record my explores. (Can't resist recording the underground stuff though lol.)

A thought that has gone through my mind is, if there was a drastic decrease in UE youtube vids would there be a correlating decrease in security at abandoned properties? I could be barking up completely the wrong tree here but I do sometimes think the whole youtube thing is part of the reason there's more security etc nowadays.

(I'll be the 1st to admit that if youtubers are partly to blame I've got to point that particular finger at myself.)

Yeah you're probably right. Perhaps this hobby and this idea of "going where you shouldn't necessarily go" will always be alive and well, but the aesthetic or the "face" of it will change, if you will, as old buildings disappear and architecture changes and it becomes more about chasing the most exciting or mindblowing locations in order to get the best content, as opposed to doing it for one's soul satisfaction or for sharing with a secret community. I just don't understand that modern mentality if I'm honest, where there's this seemingly compulsive need to capture absolutely everything on camera and share it for strangers to consume online. I'd never dream of recording a hobby like Urbex for the internet to see in that way. People are probably so miserable because they don't actually pursue real hobbies for themselves, they just enjoy them vicariously through YouTubers instead of getting out there and doing it.

These days it's like, "let's monetise absolutely everything and turn every possible hobby or thought into a YouTube channel"

This is bound to have consequences but perhaps we shouldn't get into them here lol.

Really appreciate the responses too from everyone, it's good getting insight into other perspectives and experiences.

 

[Wastelandr]

Yes, but folk in the 60s probably thought only Victorian/Regent/Georgian architecture was hot shit, and new Brutalist blocks were a disgrace, and now here we are fawning over coffee table books about Brutalist architecture as uber cool. So Occam's Razor, fast forward fifty years, some kind of similar cycle will probably have come around

To some degree I agree with that, but I do think there is a difference in the architecture itself and the kind of attention it commands. If anything, Brutalism was probably very modern and pleasant when it was built, it's only since it's declined. Victorian architecture like terraced streets etc were often associated with slums and austerity as much as the elegance of an older time. So I do think there's a difference there, people might talk about today's architecture looking back, but I just don't think they'll have as much to say about it. The way buildings are designed seems to be a lot more corporate now days and I wonder if that'll mean the buildings won't have very exciting stories to tell. I also don't think as many of them will last long enough to become a window into a former time.

 

[FrostysParadise]

This is an interesting thread and I've read a great deal of the thoughts but apologies if I retread old points.

Exploring as a whole has evolved to be nearly unrecognisable compared to what it was like when I and the other old crusties on here got into it. No longer, or very rarely nowadays, are there any relatively untouched derelict places that have been empty for 10+ years quietly decaying with only the locals or those more clued up aware of their existence (think Fletchers, Tone Mills or the early asylums etc when they were first 'discovered'). Things nowadays have no chance of 'maturing' in that way because the pace of either complete destruction at the hands of the cretinous, or a speedy demolition due to rapid redevelopment, has increased so much.

There will always be things to explore in one form or another, but as times change the kinds of things change. I was lamenting the fact the other weekend that the days of there being multiple beautiful old saw tooth roofed factories dotting large towns and cities are gone, and instead in the near future all the larger scale industrial sites are likely to be big featureless boxes. But on the flipside, there is some very interesting comparatively modern architecture around nowadays which could bring new opportunities for seeing some cool stuff, if you can get to it before the morons do. I've been very disheartened with exploring in the UK for the last couple of years now and I think the fast changing environment is one of the factors that has made me feel that way.

Just enjoy it for what it is nowadays, or look further afield for new opportunities to see different stuff.

This is a great response and I too lament the change in the climate. I completely agree with you re: things not having the chance to "mature" these days. Locations used to be reserved for the purists but now everybody wants to go there to get content. I believe a part of the reason for this inability to mature is the ways in which social media and smartphones facilitate the rapid spreading of information and knowledge, far quicker than the days before smartphones etc, so clout chasers and the "shocked" thumbnail-types with their "OMG WE FOUND A HAUNTED HOUSE" video titles are just cheapening the hobby. For example, I heard about an abandoned housing estate in Scotland and I searched for it on YouTube, only to find tons of videos of people doing the exact same thing.

 

[tumbles]

I ponder this all the time. Short answer no, but the soul of it will decline (already has). The more salient of the points you raise is that, as Speed says, 'interesting' derelict places in a classical sense dry up, but RE a question of will future generations find structures built in 90s, 2000s, onwards etc exotic in the same way that we find structures of 50s and 60s vintage exotic - I think it's probably short sighted to say so. A post-industrial state will continue to churn over itself structurally, so there will always be something yes, just of applicable intrigue to those who have lived through a markedly different era. For now, especially those involved in the hobby in 2000s as well if not the 2010s, it's certainly famine rather than feast yeah.
Then RE the question increasingly secure premises, I don't think that will play as much of a part. If everywhere of interest to the wide umbrella of urban exploring is surrounded by three layers of electric fence and a hundred IR trip sensors, for example, I mean sure, the practice would wither, but there is no future economic scenario where anything close to this becomes a reality, so it's not really a question worth pondering. A landowner/landowning entity secures somewhere with his/its own capital based on how much he/it cares, and there just isn't enough money spread out around Britain to actually stop future generations (for whom disobedience is becoming far more normalised than it was for generations that preceded us) from poking about a steady supply of old warehouses or hospitals etc which will continue to find themselves in ruin for decades to come - K9 unit and rolls of razor wire or not.

Think this is a good point about future generations - we're already looking at structures that opened in the 90's here with anticipation of them closing. Sure they're not going to give you the old/decay feel of something from the 60's but it will still fuel the fire.

I think in some ways re security the more modern technology has made things lazy - daleks rather than physical security guards seems to be the new norm everywhere. They're certainly not fallible and easier to get around than laser grids of 15-20 years ago!

 

[mookster]

Yeah on this, there's already been a notable shift in modern social media-driven 'urbex' from an archeology angle toward a thrill-seeking/hardposting angle, e.g. gen Z subway surfing or doing stunts on NYC rooftops etc. The amount of interesting derelict place chrologuing (as was like every weekend standard operating environment in late 2000s for example) you see coming out of the UK today is totally minimal yes, but on a global scale, it's much more alive. Probably heaps more traditionally 'good' urban exploring in Japan to surface for example

We have an issue of scale in this country. We are only a small country and there is probably proportionally the highest percentage of explorers here for the population size and landmass size. So what now happens is as soon as something even mildly interesting comes along everyone beelines straight to it, and in double quick time the same people are then wondering how and why it was destroyed so fast. The hobby within our small country simply can't sustain such a large number of people all chasing their fifteen minutes of short form fame on YouTube or TikTok or Instagram or whatever as is the style nowadays. Couple this with a general lack of anything really interesting having become available for exploring in the recent past - with a couple of exceptions - we're then left in a situation where a large part of the community nowadays is simply fighting over the scraps of what's left to explore here, retreading the same old ground.

There is a vast world of exploring out there for the people willing to go quite literally out of their comfort zones.

 

[FrostysParadise]

We have an issue of scale in this country. We are only a small country and there is probably proportionally the highest percentage of explorers here for the population size and landmass size. So what now happens is as soon as something even mildly interesting comes along everyone beelines straight to it, and in double quick time the same people are then wondering how and why it was destroyed so fast. The hobby within our small country simply can't sustain such a large number of people all chasing their fifteen minutes of short form fame on YouTube or TikTok or Instagram or whatever as is the style nowadays. Couple this with a general lack of anything really interesting having become available for exploring in the recent past - with a couple of exceptions - we're then left in a situation where a large part of the community nowadays is simply fighting over the scraps of what's left to explore here, retreading the same old ground.

There is a vast world of exploring out there for the people willing to go quite literally out of their comfort zones.

"The hobby within our small country simply can't sustain such a large number of people all chasing their fifteen minutes of short form fame on YouTube or TikTok or Instagram or whatever as is the style nowadays"

Nailed it. What was once a community of enthusiasts is now being invaded by clout chasers and the hobby is now fully exposed and visible for all to see. Not every hobby or community needs to be turned into a YouTube channel but unfortunately the majority of folk never got that memo and are all tripping over one another trying to make their content more visible to audiences who would rather "experience" a hobby via a screen, rather than go out and do it for themselves.

 

[stranton]

subterranean exploring will never die

 

[Speed]

subterranean exploring will never die

It will. They aren't digging new mines and tunnels quick enough! People might continue to poke about underground but its not really exploring in our sense of the word unless its fresh ground.

Obviously tastes will mature, mine already have! I wouldn't have looked twice at an IBM PC in a derp 20 years ago but now Id get excited by the retro computer.. The problem is exploring happens far faster than peoples minds change.. I think UE actually already has a bit of a 'boom and bust' oscillating feedback loop going on. We all get excited over something, the next big thing, the forum booms, it brings new people into the hobby. Then the 'thing' runs out and people loose interest, the forum dies off a bit, people go their separate ways.. few more years and the next big thing is here again.. I've seen the asylum cycle, the tube station cycle, the power station cycle. Next one might be steel works but equally might not materialise.. prisons never did really.

 

[stranton]

was thinking tunnels & draining but once you've explored them, theres nothing new.

 

[dctraining]

Interesting to hear security has gotten more intense in recent years. I have to say I'm shocked at the amount of security everywhere I go - remote locations down dirt tracks, dumpy houses without much interest in the middle of the woods, doesn't matter, there's CCTV. Usually with motion sensors as well. Who knows if they're even working, but It all seems very intense compared to what I was used to in the states.

 

[FrostysParadise]

Interesting to hear security has gotten more intense in recent years. I have to say I'm shocked at the amount of security everywhere I go - remote locations down dirt tracks, dumpy houses without much interest in the middle of the woods, doesn't matter, there's CCTV. Usually with motion sensors as well. Who knows if they're even working, but It all seems very intense compared to what I was used to in the states.

Absolutely spot on. It's complete overkill. I'm in two minds about returning to some of my recent finds for this very reason. Threatening signage and sometimes up to three CCTV cameras, although I've no idea if they are even hooked-up to any sort of power source, or if they are PoE cameras or just dummies. I live in a relatively small place too, so Police are bored and would relish the opportunity to "catch" me in the act. I recently stumbled upon a dirt driveway that was severely overgrown and I took a walk down to see what lurked beyond. I could see debris and random doors, pieces of metal etc strewn along the path so all the signs were positive. Eventually I spotted a house that looked rough from the outside, with some boarded-up windows etc. There was a camera right on the side facing the driveway, and a lamp was on downstairs. Who is living in these places?? It totally extinguishes the flame and I am not about to get caught climbing into somebody's house.