Giralang Shops - The Sequel!

[dalekboy]

Okay, so the other day I paid a return visit to my local shops, which have been mostly deserted for a few years now. Short version, company bought up the shops, wanted to tear them down to build units, wasn't allowed to. Fought it for ages before giving up. Had been meaning to check them out for ages, had a quick look the other night, then popped back during the day for a proper look.

There were a few stores, I went through them all, so there's a lot of pictures.



So here are the shops from the outside. Further over to the left and set back a way is the pub.


So here's the bar in the pub. Of course over all this time, the vandals have been through here and the rest of the shops.


Looks like it used to have a fireplace of some description.


So let's go have a look behind the bar.


I like the old wallpaper they used to have.






Someone left their shoes behind, bet they feel silly.


Route from the back of the pub.


Under the pub.






Next up is the newsagency.


If you can spot the dead birdie, you can have it!


Self portrait in the bakery.


A left over oven.


And here is the view the bread had.




Here's the loading dock of the old IGA supermarket, and the back of the fridge section.


It was starting to get late, and the main area inside the supermarket is pretty dark anyway, so had to use the flash.






Here is the inside of the Vietnamese restaurant. They held out well beyond all they other shops, and hung around for a couple of years.










But I'm more of a pizza man, so off I went to Peppi's!


I even have a favourite table! I call it Reginald.








Back outside and all the way to the other end I go...


...to the security office! At least that's what I assumed it was, given it didn't have a shop front, and was full of old TVs and recorders.


Hope that copy of Prisoner of War wasn't a rental.


They even had a couch.




All that clambering around had mussed my hair some, so I paid a trip to the hairdresser. That was the only shop where I'd be fully exposed to the main street, hence leaving it until last. You can see it in the first picture, it's the shop on the corner nearest the camera. It's also tiny, since most of the area at the back is taken up with the security office.



And that was my visit!

Comments

[nevryn.livejournal.com]

Mmm. Urban decay...

Looks like someone has been sleeping under the pub there, with the mattress and blanket.


Love the shot of the rotary dishwasher.

[dalekboy.livejournal.com]

It's really funny, when I hear the term urban decay I tend to only think of exteriors.

[cupidsbow.livejournal.com]

The textures are gorgeous, but the subject fills me with melancholy. Every abandoned human place I've ever seen has that same feeling to it.

[dalekboy.livejournal.com]

I find them fascinating. To think of the stories that have happened there... Only thing that gets me is people tagging and breaking stuff, always find that a shame.

Great pictures

[ozdragonlady.livejournal.com]

But how strange that there is so much stuff left - most shop owners would sell their fittings when they left. Shelves and such are worth enough for the trouble of dealing with them. (Even those IGA fridges would have been worth something.) And equipment like dishwashers and bread ovens are usually leased so get returned.

Generally commercial leases require you to leave the space as you found it, so when you leave you take what you can. Big fittings I can understand leaving, but theres so much other stuff there. And how sad that they didnt secure it well enough to prevent the damage. I would have expected the council to have had something to say about it.

Re: Great pictures

[dalekboy.livejournal.com]

It lasted a fair while before people started breaking into it. But it was just empty for so long. I think part of it was also, given how shonky the owners were, that they wanted they place ruined so they had more excuses to pull it down.

[magnapops.livejournal.com]

I am amazed at the amount of stuff left. Even after the vandals had paid visit there looked like stuff there, that would of been of some value. very odd.

[dalekboy.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that part of me wants to pinch the green barrel from under the pub, but then, Sharon would kill me.

[nevryn.livejournal.com]

But imagine the fun you can have writing down all the things you could do in a day, and then putting them in the barrel for a random draw!

Stop helping, Simon!

[shazgirl.livejournal.com]

You! Don't encourage him! He doesn't need any encouragement. I saw the barrel in the photo and though "He'd love to bring that home."

Danny just heard me say "Bad Simon" and chuckled as he knew what post I had just read. :)

[duntov-475hp.livejournal.com]

Photos like these make me think you should post them in a Deviantart gallery.
I'm surprised it wasn't looted more.

[lilysea.livejournal.com]

I like the old wallpaper they used to have.

Me too! ^_^

I have that image up on my kitchen wall.

It is a painting by the art noveau artist Alphonse Mucha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfons_Mucha).