# The Crooked House - Hertfordshire - Feb 2012



## nelly

I have no history at all on this place, I can't even find a name for it. 

The splorer who found it gave it the name "Crooked House" and that fits it perfectly, cheers Trog 

Visited with Skeleton Key and Bobo Urbex
































































































































































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## skeleton key

Great stuff mate 
A great splore 

SK


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## UrbanX

That is absolutely breathtaking. 
So, so many relics left in there. It goes to show you could wander round a major asylum all day staring at the peely paint and never see as much as this. (Sorry I couldn;t make this one.)

I just hope it remains reletively underground for long enough for afew more get to see it in this state. Kudos for not mentioning location in the report. 

Beautifully documented as usual.


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## highcannons

Breathtaking! Thank you


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## Ninja Kitten

ahhh what a lovely little place, my favourite sort of splore, love looking around this type of place and seeing all the history from years gone by, and some brilliant photos to document it all..good one!


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## cuboard

great find and fair play to who ever dug this gem out! The shot with the bike is my favourite and that piano is awesome, nice one mate.


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## John_D

Superb, a real mix of relics left behind, right up to to about the 1970's, nothing obviously any later


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## night crawler

I love the advert for the "Gay life in Criplene" shows how much the world we live in has changed, It has a whole different meaning today.
This is one house that needs preserving as the walls are lath and plaster which is deteriorating by the day, the stuff inside need to go to a museum where it can be appreciated and not stolen to flog on ebay.


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## JEP27

Wow! What a wonderful place. Brilliant, thanks.


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## Priority 7

Nice work Nelly and Co....lovely shots and looks like a small yet interesting mooch too


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## Em_Ux

What a lovely house & so many interesting things left behind.

Brilliant...thanks!


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## tattooed

What a superb find! Excellent photos


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## trialsbiker42

Very impressive!


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## tank2020

That is amazing, so much stuff!


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## Munchh

Really good photography as usual nelly. Right little treasure trove and not what I was expecting from the external shots.

The Nov 7th 1919 newspaper (probably a keepsake for the owner given the date?)....I'd have read all of that for sure. 

The stop organ looks like it could play again with a bit of work. Even though a fairly standard piece for the era, the quality of workmanship is evident. 

Thanks for sharing.


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## glass

Fab, I am so jealous, all I ever come across is empty wrecks, PM your secret on how you find them


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## G.E.T.9000

Preserved rasberries and a 1956 calendar amongst many other wonderful things! First class find!


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## RichardH

This is one of those places that just makes you go "oooooooooo" and get a nice warm glow inside. Although the warm glow is slightly dampened by the fact that the place has been left to go derelict.

Bet those raspberries and olives are toxic by now.


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## nelly

Cheers guys, the fact that its in a tiny village in the arse end of nowhere has probably helped to keep the chavs away. There must be hundreds of little time capsules like this dotted around the country, this is the 3rd on that I've been in 



RichardH said:


> Bet those raspberries and olives are toxic by now.



I'll let you know how the jam turns out mate!!!



Munchh said:


> The Nov 7th 1919 newspaper (probably a keepsake for the owner given the date?)....I'd have read all of that for sure.



Cheers Munchhhhhh, The 1919 newspaper was a bit of a cheat as it was the lining on the back of one of the framed photos


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## Munchh

RichardH said:


> .......................Bet those raspberries and olives are toxic by now.



Ah, I thought those were goosberries? 



nelly said:


> ...............Cheers Munchhhhhh, The 1919 newspaper was a bit of a cheat as it was the lining on the back of one of the framed photos



Which, as it's nearly a century old, might explain why it hasn't rotted away. I did wonder if it was something like that to have survived. Sure, you can view copies in the archives but an actual printed copy even just the one page provides a tangible human link to a time when we believed we'd fought our only 'Great War'. For me, that trumps everything else you found here.


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## Pixie_Suicide

So beautiful! What a lucky find!


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## 0xygen

Nice! Love finding places like this - this surely has to have some kind of listing status?

Cracking pics - loving the bike shot

-0xy


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## TeeJF

Awesome place Nelly. Awesome!!!


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## RichardH

Munchh said:


> Ah, I thought those were goosberries?



Oh yes. Now I have polished my eyes I see you are right. (And it makes more sense in context.)

Of course, gooseberries are even more evil than olives.


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## klempner69

Even better than Potters..keep this one quiet fella,oh and the pics aint bad for you!!!!


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## nelly

klempner69 said:


> Even better than Potters..keep this one quiet fella,oh and the pics aint bad for you!!!!



Lol, thanks Stu x


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## rossd001

Really like these photos... Lots to capture at this site!!


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## nelly

Munchh said:


> Ah, I thought those were goosberries?



I can officially confirm that they are indeed...........

Gooseberries!!!


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## Pixie_Suicide

This is so lovely, nice one Nelly!


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## ccolumbus

Nice find! ! Really interesting exterior. It looks like the building has been bombed in some parts with some parts of the roofs and walls starting to collapse. But in saying that a lot of the gems inside look well preserved (not making a pun on the raspberries and olives now). It always makes me wonder what made the people up and leave so quickly because there looks to be so many random things in there (like the bike). I'm assuming it was abandoned around the 60's from looking at that image of the magazines.


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## Ratters

Stunning place


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## eggbox

Brilliant; I loved the unchanged and unchaved ones.


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## hfraser02026

Absolutely gorgeous photos. Looks like the occupants just left yesterday!


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## J_a_t_33

What a time capsule! Epic thread nice one!


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## gingrove

One day somebody is going to find a decomposing owner in one of these time capsules! but until then great work thanks for posting.


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## nelly

gingrove said:


> One day somebody is going to find a decomposing owner in one of these time capsules! but until then great work thanks for posting.



Well I must admit, Skeleton Key has been looking a bit peaky lately, walking into the room and seeing him sitting on that bed scared the S*** out of me!!!


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## Simon

Amazing. I park outside this house regularly when ferrying my little boy to-and-from playgroup.

I shall have a mooch around myself soon.

Incidentally there's a planning notice outside for the demolition of the old house.

All the best,
Simon


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## djrich

Absolutely awesome place and great pics, hate to think what it'll look like if any local chavs find it though.


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## Flexible

Simply amazing and superbly done. That harmonium is tantamount to porn for someone like me! What a place.

Nelly - please see my PM.


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## Urban Ghost

Truly amazing! Nice work.


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## a_little_feisty

Superb find and beautifully captured Nelly . . . love it!


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## UrbanX

Simon said:


> Incidentally there's a planning notice outside for the demolition of the old house.



Nooooo!!!!


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## nelly

djrich said:


> Absolutely awesome place and great pics, hate to think what it'll look like if any local chavs find it though.



This is why I've been asked to keep Ssssh on it fella, I have had many PM's asking, but I hope that you all understand my reply 



Flexible said:


> Simply amazing and superbly done. That harmonium is tantamount to porn for someone like me! What a place.
> 
> Nelly - please see my PM.



No probs fella, read your PM and answer "As Above", I couldn't reply yesterday as I was out and about, It would appear that there are no next of kin and that would explain why the house is left "As is"



Simon said:


> Amazing. I park outside this house regularly when ferrying my little boy to-and-from playgroup.
> 
> I shall have a mooch around myself soon.
> 
> Incidentally there's a planning notice outside for the demolition of the old house.
> 
> All the best,
> Simon



Simon, is there a phone number on the Planning permission that somebody could contact to try and get that Harmonium saved before some "no neck" in a JCB just flattens the place?


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## TimeIsTheEnemy

Brilliant pictures here and a great looking location - might have to try and find this one if i'm ever in the area.


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## UrbanX

nelly said:


> Simon, is there a phone number on the Planning permission that somebody could contact to try and get that Harmonium saved before some "no neck" in a JCB just flattens the place?



Guess who's holding the full planning application: Including all drawings, and contact details for the owner etc.... 

F**k Google - Ask UrbanX.


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## nelly

UrbanX said:


> Guess who's holding the full planning application: Including all drawings, and contact details for the owner etc....
> 
> F**k Google - Ask UrbanX.



Lol replied to your PM, O great god of the interweb!!!


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## mj1704

good work well done


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## phill.d

That's amazing, a real time warp!
Excellent post


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## flyboys90

I looked at this report in Feb and thought what an amazing find,in fact its better than that! its A1 +++,
Great photos.Is it still intact?


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## nelly

flyboys90 said:


> I looked at this report in Feb and thought what an amazing find,in fact its better than that! its A1 +++,
> Great photos.Is it still intact?



Cheers matey and yes indeed it is


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## bradleigh1977

The house in the foreground looks familiar, and i may have built it....if i said the word gaston, would i be wrong or right?


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## nelly

bradleigh1977 said:


> The house in the foreground looks familiar, and i may have built it....if i said the word gaston, would i be wrong or right?



Bradleigh, you can be disappointed by my Pm fella, soz


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## Potter

Fantastic. Love that organ.


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## X11_SFE

What an amazing find! Fantastic pics!


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