dead cats and the chedworth ripper
DESCRIPTION
A photographic book based on curiosity. All photographs are taken in and arroud the abandones airfield in Chedworth, Gloucestershire.TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
![Page 2: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
![Page 3: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
They say that curiosity killed the cat but what many people don’t know is that there is a second part to this proverb: satisfaction brought it back. I have always had an inquisitive mind however, quite oddly, I am selectively inquisitive. I consciously choose to remain ignorant to politics and the news whilst my thirst to explore behind closed doors and beyond boundaries is never quite quenched. This desire to explore was challenged last year when whilst living at regency I was passing the old cinema on a daily basis without knowing what lay behind the tired cream walls and the battered blue barricade. Finally the time has come to enter the abandoned cinema and find out. I have heard of an air vent at the back of the cinema that allows access and along with a few friends I plan to go exploring and find out what secrets lie hidden within the walls of this devastatingly beautiful building in the heart of Cheltenham.
![Page 4: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
![Page 5: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
![Page 6: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
As I approach the spot where the open air vent should be, this is what I am faced with: an impenetrable layer of solid cement. There is no way I am going to be able to get in this way.
![Page 7: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
After a quick look around it becomes apparent that I am not the only one that has had reason to want to enter the building. The scattered collec-tion of mattresses suggests that the building may of been home to more than a few local vagrants.
![Page 8: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
![Page 9: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
![Page 10: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Plan B
![Page 11: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
After the excitement of planning my expedition into the depths of Cheltenham’s derelict Odeon and the disappointment of having my plans flawed, I cannot rest. I have become fixated on finding abandoned places to explore within the local area. After a spontaneous team talk and a quick goggle search I find myself stood in the middle of a forest facing, what I can only describe as, a rather enticing underground bunker.
![Page 12: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
I am in the perfectly quaint village of Chedworth on the outskir ts of Cheltenham. Once home to the long abandoned Chedworth Airfield the woodlands surrounding the village are simply crawling with underground nooks and bunkers all just waiting to be explored. It is the joy of stumbling across theses treasures that fuels my interest and curiosity. Although a picture supposedly says a thousand words you cannot fathom the beauty of these places until you have discovered them for yourself.
![Page 13: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
![Page 14: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
![Page 15: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
![Page 16: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
![Page 17: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
As I approach the door I am filled with angst. You never know what you are going to find in places like this and my mind runs riot fabricating tales of axe murderers and the ghosts of lost children who still roam the woods of Chedworth.
![Page 18: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
![Page 19: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
![Page 20: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
The relief of not finding anything too disturbing is always surpassed by the sheer unstructured beauty of decay.
![Page 21: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
This once regimented design has become awash with the stains and weather ing of time.
![Page 22: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
...of the concrete and the vibrancy of...
![Page 23: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
The contrast between the dull grey...
...the early autumn foliage is simply striking.
![Page 24: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
![Page 25: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
The lighting in this bunker is stun
ning. It turns the harsh blocks
and lines of the practical
design into a thing of grace
and elegance. My interest
in these places does not
necessarily lie within what
I find, but rather what I
can make of my findings.
What details can I pick
out? How can I look at
these artefacts in a way
that they have never
been viewed before?
It is another case of
my ignorance colliding
with my curiosity. I
am ignorant to the
historical content and
significance of these
buildings but could still
contently spend hours
conquering them and
studying their every inch.
![Page 26: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
![Page 27: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
Onwards And Upwards
![Page 28: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
![Page 29: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
![Page 30: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
Although it is quite clearly not connected with the airfield this building caught my eye as we drove past and as I like to leave no stone unturned I am soon amidst the rubble searching for new delights.
![Page 31: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
It is the simple things in life that I find most beautiful. There is something about isolating an object that makes it somehow seem more profound. Many people would walk past these things unknow-ingly but once they are captured in a certain way they become a thing of undeniable beauty.
![Page 32: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
![Page 33: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/33.jpg)
![Page 34: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/34.jpg)
Remember that un-nerving feeling I had as I approached the entrance to the last bunker? Well that has tripled itself as I prepare myself to enter this bunker. It is not the darkness inside that is bothering me, it’s the descent. There is something about descending into strange places, or any places for that matter, that doesn’t quite sit right with me. I think it is the vulnerability of presenting your lower body to the unknown and the lack of a quick escape if the Chedworth ripper does actually decide to go for you.
Entering The Abyss
![Page 35: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/35.jpg)
![Page 36: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/36.jpg)
Once I am in the bunker my worries are temporarily eased. I say temporarily as there are access
issues due to flooding and at some point I am going to have to make another go of this with
better equipment. For now, however, I am safe. The gentle light that beams through the gaps
softens the darkness and I suddenly find myself in an altogether less daunting environment.
![Page 37: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/37.jpg)
![Page 38: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/38.jpg)
![Page 39: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/39.jpg)
The Night Shift
![Page 40: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/40.jpg)
![Page 41: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/41.jpg)
For some unknown reason a decision has been
made to revisit this bunker at night. I don’t
know if the full moon is a consolation with its
light or an extra omen. Am I going to be greeted
with a shimmering light reflecting off the dew
kissed woodlands or by my favourite axeman
and his werewolf friend? None the less, I am
armed with my wellies and I am ready for action.
My fear has quadrupled again but I am deter-
mined to explore this underground network.
![Page 42: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/42.jpg)
![Page 43: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/43.jpg)
![Page 44: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/44.jpg)
![Page 45: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/45.jpg)
![Page 46: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/46.jpg)
![Page 47: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/47.jpg)
After successfully embarking on my conquest of exploration and coming back with an unbeatable sense of satisfaction I have found myself back at the first bunker I visited. As I stand in another abandoned building just meters away from the bunker I question myself as to why I am here again. Aside from the fact that everything looks different in the darkness and things take on a totally different feeling, I am here for the most basic of reasons: I am just not ready to go home. I want this adventure to continue.
![Page 48: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/48.jpg)
![Page 49: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/49.jpg)
![Page 50: Dead Cats and The Chedworth Ripper](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062502/568c51ad1a28ab4916b3a200/html5/thumbnails/50.jpg)
Adam Cale