Tales of the Urban Explorer: Return to St Thomas Church

It had been over a year since @dizzydiscovery and I had partially infiltrated ‘St Thomas’ Church’, got covered in spider webs, unearthed documents from the 1950s and narrowly escaped losing my balls climbing through the narrowest of gaps.

I looked at the brick-red church and noticed little had changed, besides fewer leaves on the surrounding trees and the weather was better. It was December after all.

...'St Thomas Church, (December 2021 cover shot), and October 2020 (here). Can you see any difference?...'

Like last time, the grounds were simple to access and I noted the back entrance had been sealed. Someone was looking after it.

“It’s down there”. My comrade was pointing in a severe downward direction over some very spiky blue railings.

Getting down there might be fine, but getting back up? There appeared to be no steps or gently inclining ramp, it was a case of a jump or abort.

Church gutters I call them. Full of leaves, shit, and junk and somewhere I would rather not be.

@anidiotexplores was through the gap quickly with me as usual struggling with the nailed board that kept banging on my back and making a few holes at the same time.

You don’t remove boards that would be vandalism. If they drop off well that’s a different story though I would prefer otherwise.

Sweating but otherwise unscathed I was initially grateful for the receptacle placed on the other side which was a very wobbly chair.

"Woah... Woah… wooooaaahhh.....", the chair went over and crashed to the floor with me barely keeping my balance.

You would think the Urbex community could place some decent things for us to stand on?

I found myself in the same dingy dungeon as last time. The door to the main church on that occasion was sealed tight and I remembered the way.

Not so much now, and current intelligence had informed us beforehand that this once solid door was now swinging open and welcoming visitors.

As churches go it was in remarkably good condition, vast and gloomy.

…had we managed to get in before the arseholes?…

Dead pigeons don’t turn bright green once deceased. Someone had sprayed this unfortunate flying rat with what looked like spray paint.

Nevertheless, the painters had not marked 'St Thomas’ Church’ as yet, and it was looking decent but quite bare.

Those nice glass windows had not completely remained unscathed. If you can't get in, smash the windows won't you?

That is not the remains of someone’s piss, but water damage. You can’t expect it to remain dry within for long.

A souvenir from the outside world, it's generally the other way around, but there was little of value inside 'St Thomas’ Church’.

Miraculously the windows have not been put through. The local dickheads must have morals?

I would like to think it was the original church organ but my mind kept telling me ‘cheap Casio’.

Ransacked but nothing to take; not even a rubber wrapper to be seen.

Burning the evidence? Some electrical gear has gone forever.

Lovely as they are in most churches that have not been desecrated.

I can’t say the same for everything, through the door was yet another hole.

Owww.., my balls don’t half get some stick.

Beyond the medieval solid studded white door, which used to be green and before that… brown, lay a tight staircase.

It went up quite a way and afforded us some views of the surrounding area. I am not one for heights so did not step onto the roof tiles.

The stairway was not as infested by spiders as the other staircase that takes you to the bell tower. Someone else had been here before us.

At least some of the pews had been left behind. I have done several churches and this one has survived better than any of the others.

Many keys used to be hung here.

Let's take a closer look. The crypt key is missing as are the rest of them. We could not find the crypt unless it was that boring dungeon where we entered.

I would expect to find the living dead down there, zombies, skeletons, and ghouls. It was most disappointing.

We exited the church area, down the stairs, and back to I guess what was the very unexciting crypt.

One room had escaped my attention; it looked like some kind of office. Those rusty filing cabinets held nothing of interest but beyond, an office lay… a very soaked office.

A meeting of the church council from 1986; it was just as well it was in this position and I could snap it, the rest of the documents in there were so wet I could do little.

If only the damn water had stayed out of this room, this was likely full of scandal.

I tried to uncover more paperwork but they were falling apart in my hands. Yuck…, shitty and horrible to touch as well.

…’there is little you can do with this besides walk away and say… fuck it’…

We exited, me hoping that stupid chair would not collapse under my feet. Getting out was proving just as cumbersome.

Climbing the wall… even worse. I did need a slight hand from @anidiotexplores to haul me up.

Pulling yourself up a wall that is at the level of your head is not easy anymore. Another one fully explored. I am not fond of re-visits.

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