Tales of the Urban Explorer: Wurzel-Land!

"Wurzel's place is on the tour bus, we need to go fast"

This one looked strange, weird, and unique. I agreed with @anidiotexplores.., we needed to be there before the shutters were placed and Wurzel-Land was off-limits.

A week before, a couple of explorers were screamed at by an Asian neighbour. "Fuck off, and don't come back" he raged wielding a short bent tree stick, dressed in only oversized white Y-fronts while jumping up and down in a frenzy.

A terrible sight and mind-shattering especially as these particular explorers happened to be females. This is what happens when brazenly approaching from the front and trying the front door.

…'always go by the rear entrance, and leave by the front if you want to make a statement'…

The latest press article tells us that Wurzel-Land is up for sale at £75,000 with Jake buried in his own garden.

Jake, 83, who died a year ago yesterday, christened himself the 'King of the Eccentrics' – with quirky inventions, headless mannequins, and even a torture device among the treasures he left behind.

Jake rose to fame in the 1980s appearing on various television shows and was featured in a 2014 documentary about his life.

Jake was the local eccentric changing his name to Jake Mangle-Wurzel sometime in the 1970s, after the death of his wife.

Source

He was quite loved in the local area, but maybe not by his immediate neighbours, especially Mr. Angry White Y-Fronts, next door.

We approached from the rear across some old playing fields which were a little squelchy but accessible.

Wurzel-Land didn’t exactly compete with Disney-Land but there were soaring towers of sorts.

Vaulting the fence and ignoring the statutory ‘keep out’ signs, we entered a world of madness and eccentricity.

There were several sections to Wurzel-Land, some having suffered fire damage. This one was akin to a caravan but actually wasn't.

I guessed this was Jake's sleeping quarters. We didn't know where to look, so much junk hanging from every ledge, shelf, and cupboard.

He looked kind of untidy but maybe he didn’t stink of BO like some of these weirdoes.

The legend himself, printed out?

He was a fan of art, mannequins, and 'dummy' security cameras. I had not noticed the 'dummy' until this write-up.

Even crazies need some form of entertainment, we can hardly criticise?

A letter unsent, not everyone is going to like the local eccentric. Zoom in a little and you will find this is quite legible.

Jake had been dead for around 6 months when we visited. The fridge looks like it could have been rusty for far longer.

Jake’s notes are great; he turned ‘Pip’ away because she stinks. Hilarious!

I dared not open this book; it could have crumbled beneath my fingers.

Jake loved the local press and was friendly with the media and one councilor.

It would make for a lousy night's sleep now. Do hoarders sleep on all their crap as well as collect it?

Odd windows but double-glazed. Jake must have felt the cold.

We moved out of the ‘caravan’ section looking for whatever else might enter our vision.

This section was more run-down and had plenty of signs. He did like them, and there was no end to his statements.

A beer cask being held up with rope?

Next was a more burned section, with the roof missing.

Some documents had survived the fire, some quite old and dating back decades.

Jake loved press material about himself. I noticed a lot of it floating around.

Someone had tried to burn down his 'inventions' A series of cogs and pulleys that appear to do nothing. Now all rusted and useless.

While I did think of jumping down there, I decided there was plenty of other shit to see without breaking my ankles.

Did Jake do charity work for good causes?

I wasn’t going to climb over all this crap to see what was beyond.

It’s a shame some twat has burnt this part of the house. It was very ‘outdoors’.

This is one way of protesting about a ‘miscarriage of justice’ and being fined £100.

Sometimes I wish there was some in-between area. There was too much to take in unless you want to spend several hours rummaging.

With all those mistakes, I would be tempted to start writing again.

Any idea what this is?

The children's laptop is about as close to technology as Jake managed.

I am sure many things have been stolen from his legacy, both before and after our visit.

The view from the roof, complete with the open-air toilet in a conspicuous colour to attract attention. I wonder if he ever did have a public shit up here?

Children’s toys and photographs; he could have had relatives visiting. It would have been a great place for kids, so different.

This section was definitely caravan-style with yet more sleeping quarters.

The demise of a councillor, possibly a friend to Jake?

The Office what?

Notice the cables tied to this, I wonder what it used to do?

I am sure there’s an example of it all in his TV series, though watching this it looks like a shit-hole when he was alive and lived there.

This is one of many videos that can be found on YouTube about Jake. Some are age restricted. I linked one here that is not.

Don’t forget to throw your shit in the bin before you leave.

Mirror-Mirror what?

Within the trapdoor, there's a lot of gunk.

No doubt a relative as this deceased teenager boasted the same surname as Jake before his ‘rebirth’.

Is this relative to Jake’s own funeral?

I had to check out the receipt, only the find out what Jake used to eat. Pilchards, Gravy and Chocolate Eclairs. Not at the same time I hope.

If you want to remember things, then why not write them on your walls in pen?

He might have been eccentric but appeared to look after his teeth.

Mindless scribbles or an agenda?

I love his address, 'Palace of Poles Apart'? Jake was no intellectual dummy and appeared to take offence to others criticising his lifestyle.

@anidiotexplores noticed this 'device' before our departure. Did Jake like a little self-anal?

This is where Jake is now buried. The headstone is of someone else that he bought decades previously. There are even concrete bags next to it.

I noted the new houses overlooking Jake’s place. Nobody seemed to care even if they spotted us.

I wish there were many more Jake Mangel-Wurzels. What an explore. We left while failing to take a snap of the front door.

That image and description of the Y-Fronts man was a little much. I could be mentally scarred for life.

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