Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Abandonment Issues: Rice Lake Roseneath House & Cottages

Looking down on it

The shredded blue tarp atop the roof of the Rice Lake Roseneath House silently screamed at me through the bare branches of the trees in the dead of winter, as my family and I were out for a casual walk together. My mom waited out front with my younger niece, while my brothers and I, along with my 17 year old niece, made a quick dash up to the house. The fallen TV antenna rested in a tree overhead as we approached, and at that moment I cursed myself for not bringing my camera on this day. The four of us passed by the red barrel and bathtub full of frozen rain water, and entered in single file, with me taking lead of course. Inside, the decay was instantaneously overwhelming. The vast amount of black mould was not only shockingly visible, but you could feel it in the air, thick with each and every breath, even in the dead of winter. The floor was covered in a layer of ice, which made for some fun slip and slide adventures, to the soundtrack of our laughter. The golden upholstered chairs scattered throughout the living room in front of the fireplace were absolutely beautiful, we all concurred.

Upstairs, the black mould was much more extreme. The blue tarp could only offer so much protection. The elements are winning this war by a landslide. Massive holes in the roof in several locations allow aerial attacks to bombard this house in the form of rain water. A war torn ceiling fan was clinging on for dear life high above the posse of golden chairs. In the upstairs washroom, a mirror reflected the war zone that was once a shower. Wooden boards protruding from a gaping hole in the roof have attacked the shower rod and in due time will smother the badelynge of ducks on the opaque plastic curtain.

It was a great experience to share this exploration with my brothers and my niece. I was pleasantly surprised by her willingness to explore such a nasty place, she wasn't phased in the slightest.

In mid February, Ninja and I returned to Roseneath to pick up my nieces for another visit, but before doing so, we returned with a camera to document the house and explore the property further. Ninja was both grossed out and enthralled by this house, as we had been a few months before. Deep in the forest at the rear of the property, on the shores of Rice Lake, we came across a few old cars and a handful of other buildings, including storage sheds, cottages, and remnants of an old barn. The cottages were split into 5 or 6 small units, which were also succumbing to Mother Nature's wrath. Much of the furniture was still present in the cottages, as well as personal items, kitchen supplies, artwork and so on.

Now that the entire family has visited, it is your turn. Come on in.

Rice Lake Roseneath House
Rice Lake Roseneath House

Stoned
Stoned

Enter at your own wish
IMG_9579

Barrel of monkies
Barrel of monkies

The rule of threes
The rule of threes

Dinner is served
Dinner is served

She watch channel zero
She watch channel zero

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him think
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him think

Break the ice
Break the ice

A posse of chairs
A posse of chairs

Please be seated
Please be seated

All dressed up with nowhere to go
All dressed up with nowhere to go

Level up
Level up

Stairway to mould heaven
Stairway to mould heaven

In the black mould
In the black mould

Reflecting on decay
Relecting on decay

Duck off
Duck off

Angel wings
Angel wings

Fan of decay
Fan of decay

Mould it together
Mould it together

Lights out
Lights out

Light it up
Light it up

Barn ruins
Barn ruins

Rice Lake Roseneath Cottages
Rice Lake Roseneath Cottages

4
4

A splash of colour
A splash of colour

Through a hole in the wall
Through a hole in the wall

All dressed
All dressed

Portrait of a madman
Portrait of madman

Art attack
Art attack

Untitled. Not untitled but titled Untitled.
Untitled. Not untitled but titled 
Untitled.

Fork off
Fork off

Cooked
Cooked

420
420

Set the table
Set the table

Thanks for stopping by my friends. We have an adventure packed summer planned, so new posts will be sporadic over the next few months. But rest assured, there is so much more to come.

Please be sure to check out my brand spanking new website, where you can see all of my urban exploration and street art exploits, listen to my music, and buy my new album and tee shirts!

click here to check out all of jerm & ninja IX's ABANDONMENT ISSUES

1 comment:

Alicia said...

I can't believe all those paintings are still there! Awesome stuff, despite the super-grunge.