The Alienist has rec’d much inquiry re: the photo of the forsaken building that graces the header of both my Facebook page and my blog. I once thought that I was a bit odd because I’ve always been drawn to deserted and abandoned places. It seems, however, that there are others ‘out there’ like me.

As a sign that a level of respectability has been attained, in numbers if not actual pursuit, there’s a Wikipedia page explaining the hobby of Urban Exploration (UE):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_exploration

Apparently, empty asylums and sanatoriums are high on the target-list of those who engage in UE. Right up my alley.

The photographer who captured the haunting image of Severalls Asylum in Colchester which I use on both of my pages goes by the nom-de-guerre ‘Nelly Urbex.’ He has produced many fascinating images of other forlorn sites, plus additional shots taken at Severalls, including at least one of the morgue. His work is excellent and well worth a look, and can be found here, along with interesting related links:

http://nellyurbex.blogspot.co.uk/

And then, from my friend and colleague Caitlin Doughty, bloggist extraordinaire at the Order of the Good Death, came this link, just today; though no mental hospitals made the list (North Brother Island is the site of a former smallpox sanitarium), it illustrates what the author calls the thirty-three most amazing deserted places in the world:

http://seriouslyforreal.com/seriously-for-real/the-33-most-beautiful-abandoned-places-in-the-world/

Enjoy!

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