Latest news with #BeardedExplorer
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Mansion found abandoned with 'lights still running' after millionaire disappeared
A valuable property just a stone's throw from London has stood empty for at least a decade, with two luxury cars left abandoned alongside dozens of personal items An eerily-deserted mansion in the south-east of England is being slowly reclaimed by nature – even as lamps left by the former occupants are still alight inside. Colin Hodson, who filmed inside the property for his Bearded Explorer YouTube channel, has visited many abandoned buildings over the years but tells The Mirror 'it was a very strange one' indeed. The luxury home on the outskirts of London was once owned by a former RAF officer turned wealthy oil company executive. And it would still look as if the occupants had just stepped out of the room – were it not for the tendrils of ivy snaking through every window and door. Urban explorer Colin says he has 'heard a few stories' about why the property was suddenly abandoned, but the definitive answer is hard to determine. Certainly there must be a very strong reason why the house – which must be worth well over £1,000,000 – has stood empty for so many years. Not only are the lights, and burglar alarms, still powered but a classic BMW 3 Series stands in the house's driveway. 'That is a very desirable little car there,' commented Colin, who is known to be something of a petrolhead. 'Hopefully it can be saved one day.' Later on in his tour of the abandoned mansion, Colin comes across an even more astounding find: a pristine Jaguar XK8: 'I cannot believe this is in here, this is crazy,' he said. A little research revealed that the car was originally registered in 2001, and its MOT ran out in 2014. Colin added: 'It currently has 19,000 miles on it, so I don't think this car has been used a lot at all.' While it's probably not worth much more than £15,000, it adds to the overall mystery of the house that someone would leave this car untouched for so long. Food in the kitchen cupboard bears sell-by dates of around a decade ago, and the wealth of personal items and covetable furniture still in place suggests that while rats and mice may have scampered through the various rooms there is no sign of vandalism. One of the reasons that Colin takes care not to mention the specific locations of his various finds is that he does't want to encourage less responsible individuals to find and damage the properties. While Colin is careful to leave every site as he finds it, not all content creators are as respectful. Detective Sergeant Kelle Westwood, of North Worcestershire Proactive CID, points out: 'The rising trend of 'urban explorers' on social media brings with it the risk of prosecution to those caught entering private premises illegally and/or without permission.' DS Westwood reminds urban explorers to be mindful of the law, and to take sensible precautions regarding their own safety, as well as the safety of others. The walls of the mansion are decorated with framed prints suggesting that whoever lived in this beautiful home, they were exceptionally well-travelled. There is also a unique collection of souvenirs containing the first drop of oil from sites that the former homeowner had supervised around the world. There's also a framed $75,000,000 (£55m) oil contract that must have represented one of the most significant deals the executive made. While the former owners may well have been wealthy enough to own multiple properties, the sad state of this particularly valuable Home Counties mansion remains something of a mystery.
The Sun
05-07-2025
- The Sun
Inside abandoned British ghost town left at nature's mercy for a decade that looks just like a scene out of Walking Dead
A YOUTUBER has discovered an eerie abandoned town which looks like a scene out of Walking Dead. The creepy abandoned community was once home to thousands of British soldiers but now it is slowly decaying with buildings falling apart. 4 4 4 4 An entire village, with hundreds of enormous four-bedroom homes, a barrack-like apartment complex, sports facilities and even a gas station, has been frozen in time for more than ten years and is now being reclaimed by nature. The abandoned site looks like a typical British town, with many of the houses resembling English architecture and having their own garages, some of which are unlocked. But it is located in Germany and was built during the height of Cold War by the British government. JHQ Rheindahlen once housed up to 12,000 British personnel and their families between 1952 and 2013. Colin Hodson, known online as the Bearded Explorer, said on his channel: "This place is so big it is pretty much its own city. "I cannot believe this whole estate is completely abandoned.' Wandering through the former town, which is now solely inhabited by red squirrels and deer, he compared it to being in a post-apocalyptic world where all human life has disappeared. The 376-hectare haunting site is hidden by the dense forest, making it almost impossible to spot in summer. During Colin's visit, the trees were bare, giving the audience an idea of what the garrison town would have looked like when it was inhabited. The properties in the ghost town would fetch millions of pounds if they were sold today. Although there is occasional evidence of graffiti and vandalism, the houses are mostly undamaged. But Colin noted that despite the warm weather, the eerie buildings were oddly chilly inside. Colin continued: 'This is actually incredible. This is probably the closest I've ever felt to be like walking around in The Walking Dead. "This is exactly what it would look like if the world ended everyone disappeared nature would just literally take over everything.' At its peak, the town had five British primary schools, a clothes shop, two post offices, a BP gas station and a NAAFI bookshop. Plans were created to renovate the town to accommodate asylum seekers after the British Army formally returned it to the German government in December 2013. But over a decade on, there has been little improvement. In 2015, a group of Arab businessmen put forth plans to turn the property into a leisure park, but it seems that those plans have since been shelved. The followers lamented the town's downfall, with many flooding to the comments. One person wrote: "What a waste, this is criminal letting all these good houses go to rack & ruin." Another one said: "This is very high quality accommodation and still in reasonable condition. "It probably wouldn't take too much to refurbish and either use as social housing, or just sell off." A third person added: "I lived there for over 6 years as my father was military. It was an absolutely brilliant place back in the day. So so sad to see it like this now." Colin only scratched the surface of the enormous territory and plans to return to the site to explore it further.
Daily Mirror
05-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Entire British ghost town left abandoned for over a decade as nature takes over
The huge town was built by the British government at the height of the Cold War but has been left abandoned since 2013. An urban explorer has revealed a forgotten town, completely hidden for over a decade and fast becoming over-run by the wilderness. Stretching across acres with sizeable four-bedroom houses, sporting facilities, and even its own filling station, JHQ Rheindahlen once hosted up to 12,000 British servicemen and their families until its doors closed in 2013. It was built by the Brits during the tense times of the Cold War, not on UK soil, but in Germany. Colin Hodson, from the Bearded Explorer YouTube channel who explored and filmed the ghostly location, was taken aback: "This place is so big it is pretty much its own city," he expressed. 'I cannot believe this whole estate is completely abandoned.'. He detailed his surreal exploration through the deserted town, which felt like stepping into a post-apocalyptic landscape without humans, the only signs of life being wildlife like deer and red squirrels, reports the Express. The vast site sprawls over 376 hectares, so densely covered in foliage that in summertime, houses would vanish from sight behind a sea of green. Colin's visit fell in a less leafy season, offering a clearer view and stirring the imagination of how bustling life here once was. Today's property market could see the buildings fetching millions, though placing a price on an entire ghost town proves more challenging. Though signs of vandalism are present, the site stands remarkably preserved. Colin revealed that despite balmy weather outside, a chill ran the houses within. "This is actually incredible," Colin exclaimed. "This is probably the closest I've ever felt to be like walking around in The Walking Dead. This is exactly what it would look like if the world ended everyone disappeared nature would just literally take over everything." Since the British Army officially returned the town to German hands in December 2013, there have been plans to transform it into accommodation for asylum seekers, yet a decade later, nothing has materialised. A group of Arab investors once put forward a vision in 2015 to turn the area into a leisure park, but it seems those plans have now crumbled. Another section of the complex is set to become a training ground for the North Rhein Westfalia police, where they can simulate hostage rescues and other scenarios as realistically as possible. The town bears a striking resemblance to any modern British or German town, with many homes boasting their own garages, some still under lock and key. In certain spots, trees have sprouted right in front of garage doors: "Some of these haven't been opened in a very very long time," Colin observed. Back in its prime, the site, then called JHQ Rheindahlen, was home to a NAAFI superstore, a BP petrol station, two post offices, a dress shop, and five British primary schools. Colin's set to return soon for another exploration into the vast site, but as for the ghostly town's future? That remains shrouded in mystery.
