Totalizator
Now, I usually do more of the photography side of the Urbex than doing a write-up, but maybe it's time to tell a little story about what is actually going on in these pictures.
One day in December 2012 I had some things to do in a near by city, and as usual I brought my camera with me because you never know whats going to happen or where you are going to end up! After I was done with my errands, it was time to explore! I contacted fellow explorer Hostge, he was still at work for another hour but afterwards he would be interested in showing me some places in said city. In the meantime he suggested a few places I could visit. The other locations that I explored are for another post...
So after bit of confusion with my GPS we met up, left one car behind and went to visit what appeared to be a bland old building on a racecourse.
One day in December 2012 I had some things to do in a near by city, and as usual I brought my camera with me because you never know whats going to happen or where you are going to end up! After I was done with my errands, it was time to explore! I contacted fellow explorer Hostge, he was still at work for another hour but afterwards he would be interested in showing me some places in said city. In the meantime he suggested a few places I could visit. The other locations that I explored are for another post...
So after bit of confusion with my GPS we met up, left one car behind and went to visit what appeared to be a bland old building on a racecourse.
It turned out the be the former main racecourse betting building, which had been out of operation for quite some time.
We went through pretty quickly as it was getting dark and Bradd had some other commitments. I returned another day while I still had a good amount of daylight. The place is amazing and full of history, this is the kind of place that really should have become a little museum or something. It is an absolute shame it's just rotting away and getting vandalized more and more as time goes. (Unfortunately, as of 2013, either the owners or the unscrupulous have stripped it of all value - I guess the temptation of selling off the brass,copper and iron was too great for some)
The building is 2 storeys with the ground floor being admin/bet placing and the top floor being the Totalisator mechanism and an ancient display system on the outside of the building for betting odds or perhaps even the position of each horse.
We went through pretty quickly as it was getting dark and Bradd had some other commitments. I returned another day while I still had a good amount of daylight. The place is amazing and full of history, this is the kind of place that really should have become a little museum or something. It is an absolute shame it's just rotting away and getting vandalized more and more as time goes. (Unfortunately, as of 2013, either the owners or the unscrupulous have stripped it of all value - I guess the temptation of selling off the brass,copper and iron was too great for some)
The building is 2 storeys with the ground floor being admin/bet placing and the top floor being the Totalisator mechanism and an ancient display system on the outside of the building for betting odds or perhaps even the position of each horse.
In the middle of the building is the old vault, which has already had all the handles and badges removed. So far we dont know of anyone managing to get in there...Up the staircase, on the second floor, everything becomes very technical after going through the "NO ADMITTANCE" door. This area is what took my breath away the most. A HUGE old totalisator machine. Today all this would fit into one laptop and one LED information board outside for people to see the odds and results. There is a 6 or 7 meter long structure containing all kinds of electrical and mechanical gadgets and chains and wheels. An old generator, some power boards, and all sorts of other stuff I cant begin to explain kept me entertained for over an hour in this amazing room. In another part of the building there was a room FULL of every spare part for this awesome old machine. In yet another room, the previous caretakers have left THOUSANDS of documents, including copies of all the cheques used to pay out the bets, all of the racebooks throughout the years, and any piece of correspondence about race meetings, how the club was run, and all sorts.
So after few hours in this place, and using a conveniently located toilet, I had to leave. I took one last look back, thinking about all the life and atmosphere this place once had and how awesome it was that you can still sense it strong from every part of what is left there.
Happy explores, be sure to enjoy the gallery at the bottom of the page.
- Robot
So after few hours in this place, and using a conveniently located toilet, I had to leave. I took one last look back, thinking about all the life and atmosphere this place once had and how awesome it was that you can still sense it strong from every part of what is left there.
Happy explores, be sure to enjoy the gallery at the bottom of the page.
- Robot
Below is a video from one of Bradd and Nathans explores! Be sure to subscribe to the youtube channel as well!
