Where homes go to die: Eerie pictures show abandoned estate frozen in time when residents were forced out to make way for redevelopment that never happened
An urban explorer has discovered an abandoned residential area in London, with more than 170 flats filled with personal belongings.
The explorer, who goes by the name Ashley Urbex, 26, discovered the south London estate, made up of 16 four-storey blocks.
Residents of the Maryon Grove Estate in Woolwich, which contained 172 homes, were evicted more than a decade ago when the site was earmarked for redevelopment.
By sharing her find on TikTok (ashleyurbex) with her 31,500 followers, she quickly received more than 475,000 views.
“It was a very eerie atmosphere walking around this residential area,” the explorer from Milton Keynes, England, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
An urban explorer has discovered an abandoned residential area with 170 homes
The explorer, whose name is Ashley Urbex, found apartments full of abandoned belongings, including this basketball and trophies
The video, which has been viewed more than 475,000 times, showed a staircase covered in rubble and broken concrete
The residential area has 172 homes spread over 16 apartment blocks. In the photo: an abandoned corridor on the estate
The site was intended for the development of 160 affordable homes, but remained untouched for more than a decade after the residents moved out.
Maryon Grove Estate has since been demolished due to safety concerns for local people
Two flats on the site caught fire in March this year. Pictured: A door covered in graffiti in a front yard full of trash
'It was a complete ghost town, some flats suffered serious fire damage and were unfortunately destroyed as they were easily accessible and open to everyone.
'Most of the flats still contained the belongings of the previous owner. I found rooms filled with furniture, DVDs, books, personal items including photos, drawings, diaries.'
While walking through the flats, Ashley found belongings left behind, including videos, houseplants and family photos.
Known as Maryon Grove in Woolwich, she believes plans were approved in 2015 to build 165 affordable new homes but no progress has been made.
Residents were moved from the complex, as well as the neighboring Morris Walk Estate, before it was taken over by the PA Housing Association and used as short-term emergency accommodation.
The vacant buildings were subsequently brought under municipal management in 2021 Greenwich Wire reported.
The abandoned 1970s estate has raised safety concerns among locals, which were exacerbated when two flats caught fire in March this year, with Greenwich Council vowing to demolish the blocks 'as quickly as possible'.
The TikTok video showed the gardens littered with children's toys and damaged mattresses.
The clip received more than 18,200 likes and 600 comments from shocked viewers, including many people who used to live in the flats.
“Omg this is my old estate, I used to live at 75, this is heartbreaking,” Malisa said.”
Pictured: an abandoned TV and armchair gathering dust
In the photo: a staircase littered with paper peeling from the walls
Viewers commented that it was a shame that the houses were empty due to a housing shortage. Pictured: The urban explorer points through an abandoned passageway
Diane commented: 'They say there is a housing shortage and yet they leave all those houses there!'
Another person wrote: 'The number of families who can be resettled there instead of being on a waiting list is ridiculous.'
“My old estate where I lived at 51, I'm actually sad ngl*,” someone else added.
Faye wrote: 'Sad they left pictures behind.'
Another explorer, Sean Kent, who had previously found the complex and posted it on TikTok, had described it as being like “the end of the world.”
Ashley claims the estate has since been demolished.