Features / Interviews
Exploring the urban jungle
Tom Ford is an urban explorer discovering abandoned buildings, underground tunnels and industrial ruins across Bristol and the UK.
“I’m an explorer – I don’t always take photos, sometimes I wander round the building out of curiosity,” he says.
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He discovered urban exploring, or ‘urbex’ for short, by accident as he wandered round the former Ham Green hospital as a teenager.
He then discovered there was an online community doing exactly what he was doing across the country.
“Urban exploring can cover a vast array of stuff not just abandoned buildings.
“We explore mines, drains and some people climb things like cranes and high rise building to get a perspective on something that you wouldn’t normally get.”
What started as curiosity has grown into a passion, especially the exploration of abandoned asylums.
“Over the past 10 years I’ve become deeply interested in them,” says Tom, “how people ended up in them, the history of them.”
As the developers move in though it’s becoming harder to find places to explore says Tom.
“Down here development moves rapidly and with places like the former Bristol General Hospital, the developers moved in within six months.”
Without getting into a gentrification debate, Tom is generally appreciative of sympathetic developers: “The General was a beautiful building and they are restoring it to how it was built which is quite nice. If they are going to save it and restore it back to how it was – that’s good.”
Staying on the right side of the law is a tricky business with urban exploring.
“Because of the internet construction companies are more aware of what we do. From a legal perspective it’s a civil matter.
“I don’t pretend that it’s right but some places you go there is just nobody looking after them. Some people will appreciate it, some people won’t appreciate what we do.”
One place that does appreciate his efforts is the British Library which archived his website for posterity. He also works with the Victorian Society and Save Britain’s Heritage.
”I’m documenting the past and I’m documenting what’s there. You get a good rapport with them and they appreciate what we do – we do highlight issues what they need to know about.”
Top Photo: Barrow Hospital, Barrow Gurney
Other photos: Bridge Valley Road shelter, Bristol Ice Rink and Elizabeth Shaw Chocolate factory