The estate at the end of the world: Urban explorer finds abandoned housing development where children’s toys and family possessions sit rotting and untouched

• Sean Piper, from Kent, England, stunned TikTok users after he discovered the estate in Woolwich, London 
• He posted a video showing the housing estate which has 172 dwellings spread across 16 blocks of flats

Childrens toys and family possessions have been found untouched and rotting on an abandoned housing estate by an urban explorer, video shows.

Sean Piper, from Kent, England, stunned TikTok users after he discovered the estate in Woolwich, London, and posted footage to the social media site saying it looked like ‘the end of the world’.

The video, which has over 20,000 views, shows the exploration of the housing estate which has 172 dwellings spread across 16 blocks of flats.

On the estate, old children’s toys like stuffed rabbits, play cars and rocking horses can be seen rotting and gathering dust.

He told NeedToKnow.co.uk: ‘Walking around the estate was a very eerie experience. It reminded me of scary films like 28 days later or even video games like the Last of Us or Resident Evil.

Sean Piper, from Kent, England, stunned TikTok users after he discovered the estate in Woolwich, London (pictured), and posted footage to the social media site saying it looked like ‘the end of the world’

The video, which has over 20,000 views, shows the exploration of the housing estate which has 172 dwellings spread across 16 blocks of flats. Pictured: an abandoned kitchen on the estate

On the estate, old children’s toys like stuffed rabbits (pictured), play cars and rocking horses can be seen gathering dust

Pictured: An abandoned children’s toy sits among rubbish on the abandonded housing estate in Woolwich, London

Pictured: Two rocking horses sit eerily on a dirty carpet 

Pictured: Three football trophies sit among other sports equipment belonging to the former resident

Pictured: A vintage record player was one the relics left behind in the apartment block 

‘The estate has been abandoned since 2010, it took Greenwich council a year to move everyone out. They gradually started offering one off payments to residents, as well as reduced rent rated in new build apartments.

‘The plan was to demolish the buildings and build new luxury apartments, 165 in total to be built. To be a mix of private and council flats.

However, plans hit a standstill and, following a fire in one of the flats in March 2023, the buildings have since been fenced off and set for demolition.

Mr Piper added: ‘The flats have been sat empty and open to the elements and for people to explore. Many residents took the moving opportunity to have a clear out of possessions, many things were left inside, kids toys, televisions and shoes and clothes and even a couple that were fully furnished still.’

Upon visiting the area, Sean felt as though he had gone back in time, and got a creepy feeling from the beginning.

He said: ‘It wasn’t fenced off when I went and even the car parks were very derelict looking, the lamp posts had smashed lights, it was a ghost town.

‘The properties were almost all open, either by a door or window. They were metal sheeted so very dark inside, walking around inside with a torch provided a creepy atmosphere.

‘Some of the flats were fire damaged and had signs of squatters inside, dirty mattresses on the floor, bags full of old beer bottles and cigarette butts, needles on the floor.

‘Some of them were relatively clean and I just was surprised by how much belongings people decided to leave.’

Sean said that there were plans to demolish the buildings and build 165 new luxury apartments 

However, plans hit a standstill and, following a fire in one of the flats in March 2023, the buildings have since been fenced off and set for demolition 

Pictured: A vintage Polaroid camera is left gathering dust 

Pictured: Graffitti is sprayed on the walls of one of the rooms filled rubbish and an old armchair

Pictured: A plant is seen still growing on the windowsill of an abandoned bedroom

Pictured: Rubbish fills the floor of one of the rooms in the apartment block

Pictured: The view from a kitchen where even the sink has been removed

Pictured: What appears to be a destroyed cot sits among one room as it falls apart

Pictured: One room where the wallpaper has managed to stay in tact since 2010

Pictured: An assortment of carboard boxes, wooden drawers and bags are strewn across the floor

Pictured: A leather recliner chair sits among some CDs, pillows and a pot of paint

Pictured: An old laptop recovered from one of the apartment buildings

Pictured: An image of Elvis Presley perched on a green armchair

Pictured: Tinned food, herbs, spices and an asortment of cookware ere left behind in this kitchen

Pictured: Clothes and other rubbish fill the floor of what appears to be a former resident’s living room

Pictured: An old bedroom filled with rubbish as well as some in tact furniture

Pictured: Light creeps in to a bedroom with a purple sheet covering the window 

Pictured: A wooden bed frame sat among by an out of place wooden fence and garden hose

Pictured: Two empty wooden chairs sit ironically beside a painting of two young lovers 

For the five hours he was there, Sean even found a fully furnished bedroom, a completed living room in another, and a stocked kitchen.

He added: ‘The blocks were parallel to each other with walkways connecting them, so at one point I was in a courtyard surrounded by four derelict blocks, nothing active was in site.

‘It was like the end of the world.

‘While exploring I also come across antisocial behaviour, needles, homeless squatters and other urban explorers.’

Posting a video on his exploration on TikTok, he gathered over 11,600 likes and hundreds of comments.

The clip was captioned: ‘The best things I’ve found in the abandoned housing estate,’ and showed a panoramic view of the estate, revealing the old, rotting, buildings.

He firstly shows an untouched bedroom, with a mattress, bedding, clothing, and furniture, before revealing an old record player, hidden in a broken cabinet.

One user, Karen, replied to the video saying: ‘With so much homelessness, why are these properties empty.’

Abi commented: ‘Such a waste, it’s going to be knocked down turned in to more expensive houses that not built to last.’

Brenden wrote: ‘Untouched bedrooms but plants still alive and intact,’ while Claire added: ‘Think of all the people that are desperate for housing and this is left.’

Stan said: ‘Strange to think of the life that whole place held.’ ANother commentor, Ben, said he loved the old record player in the video. 

‘This breaks my heart! We are about to be homeless, such a waste,’ wrote Claire. ‘So sad… peoples memories left behind,’ added another user.

Source: Read Full Article