Urban Ghosts Media

In Pictures: Abandoned Mansions, Farms and Ghost Towns

They say that pictures speak a thousand words, and these amazing images prove the old saying beyond a shadow of a doubt.  In this series of pictures, the viewer is transported on a journey of the imagination through the history of these old houses and the memories drifting within their walls – some of them physical, others left to the individual.  Come in and take a look…

Beirut, Lebanon

There is no doubt this upscale property was once the home of an important person – or at least someone with a sizable wallet.  But chances are the photographer had no idea just who that person would turn out to be before he snapped these evocative photos:

Whoever lives in this house appears to have left in a hurry.  An ethereal glow brought about by semi-transparent net curtains accents the side of a lone chair, while dusty books still line dishevelled shelves.  A forlorn looking child’s tricycle can be found in one of the rooms and the pleasant garden looks like the land time forgot.

The owner’s identity was finally betrayed by a multitude of black and white photos – all showing one man at various political events.  Incredibly, the photographer, Craig Finlay, was able to discern that this was the home of Takieddin el-Solh (born 1908 in Sidon, Lebanon; died November 27, 1988, Paris), who served as Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1973-74, and again briefly in 1980.  The binders were full of voter lists and various political documents, and it can be assumed that Prime Minister Takieddin abandoned his home swiftly after the Syrians had demanded that he live out his days in Paris.

Abandoned Houses in Ontario, Canada

Abandoned houses are certainly not a rare phenomenon, but they can be found in abundance across the rural plains and wilds of North America.  The continent is so vast that once natural resources are exhausted or family farms abandoned, communities and buildings are often left derelict for years to come.  The lonely house on the hill above is a typical example.

The house above may be dilapidated house above may be long abandoned but astonishingly the Christmas lights on the porch have remained intact.  Can we assume that the vandals who have ransacked the house are either not particularly festive?  Or alternatively, they’re showing some respect for the Yuletide season by sparing the lights from their destructive enjoyment?

Abandoned on the Luderitz Peninsula, Namibia

The town of Luderitz was founded in 1883 as a trading post on land purchased on behalf of Adolf Luderitz, of Bremen in Germany.  In 1909 diamonds were discovered in Luderitz which led to a surge of prosperity for the town, but this didn’t last and today many of the buildings lie abandoned and forgotten.  The remains of a Norwegian whaling station – dating back to 1914 – also stands on the peninsula, a rusty ruin today.

The cross above stands on Dias Point, 22km south of Luderitz.  It takes its name from the Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias, and is a replica of a cross Dias erected on the same spot on 12th March, 1488 after rounding the Cape of Good Hope.

Kolmanskop Ghost Town, Namibia

Just outside Luderitz can be found the ghost town of Kolmanskop – another hangover from the diamond rush that once consumed the area.  Today the abandoned buildings are plagued by the unforgiving desert winds and shifting sands, which have now consumed the interior of the buildings (below).

While the town was occupied, metal screens were cleverly utilised to protect houses from the sand, and pretty gardens flourished as a result.  But in the 1950s the residents moved out and today it’s hard to imagine that the houses once stood along neat roads flanked by foliage.

Remarkably, the old bowling club remains intact, with skittles still standing at the end of the alleys and the old plack continuing to hang on the wall (below).  As in Prime Minister Takieddin’s house (above), it’s incredible how dusty old possessions left behind in long abandoned buildings can tell us all we need to know about the people that once roamed within their walls.

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