Not far from me, if you go up to where the witchfinders once roamed, where jackdaws chuckle from the treetops and devil's coach-horse beetles scuttle across your path, cursing you with their scorpionesque tails, this is where you'll find...
... the caravan park from hell!
Oh, what horrors lie in wait behind those mildewed panels?
A broken door, a broken window... there's something sinister about the way that curtain hangs half in, half out, as if trapped whilst trying to make its desperate escape...
...as barbed wire spikes and stinging nettles conspire outside
Wait - is that a shadow I see moving behind the grubby nets?
(But I do love the way the patterns in the mould seem to perfectly mimic the intricacy of the lace...)
I'm glad to say there really is an innocent explanation for these creepy caravans - but why spoil a dark flight of fancy?!
Excellent photos and a great piece of writing, C. (This reminds me of something I wrote on my old blog years ago about a spooky horse nearby. I might dig that out.)
ReplyDeleteThere are quite a lot of farms around here that Louise describes as "Texas Chainsaw Massacre farms", with scrapyards of rusting diggers, caravans, tractors and landrovers in their back fields. I always wonder why they don't trade them in for scrap money... but they look pretty sinister, so perhaps they do it to ward off intruders.
Thanks Rol and I'm sure I remember reading your excellent spooky post - must find it again too.
DeleteOh yes, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre farms", that's brilliant. I've seen them too - all those rusty pointy spiky metal bits strewn around like some kind of agricultural torture chamber!
Looks like a caravan graveyard, where the wheeled fibreglass holiday homes of years gone by go to die...
ReplyDeleteAh yes, their final resting place. They seem less sinister and more sad when I think of them like that. I will reveal what's actually going on with them in a separate comment!
DeleteMartin beat me to it - it really does resemble a caravan graveyard. How many caravans are there altogether at the location? I wouldn't like to stumble upon the scene on a dark evening that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteIt does - see my reply to Martin above. There are some slightly less knackered caravans nearby, but I love looking at these most dilapidated ones. At least, I do in daylight...
DeleteIs there anything more sad looking than a dirty old, broken down caravan and yet you have found something of beauty there in your pictures with the lace curtains. Well spotted.
ReplyDeleteAs Rol said above, a lovely piece of writing from you too, especially that first paragraph. Some great imagery.
Thanks Alyson. It's true about the devils coach-horse beetles too - I tried to take a photo of one (you know how I love my creepy crawlies) and it curled its tail up at me, so now I've been cursed by the Devil. The photo came out blurry though, so I deleted it - hoping that's lifted the hex!
DeleteI do find decay beautiful in its own way. The patterns in the lace and the trails in the mildew are just so similar, I was really struck by that.
Old caravans being put out to grass!
ReplyDeleteHa, yes - no more causing tailbacks on narrow country lanes for these ones!
DeleteGreat stuff C. I've got to say I love an old, dilapidated caravan
ReplyDeleteThanks - I thought you'd probably like them too - there's just something about the aesthetics of abandoned places.
DeleteIn case you're wondering, these old caravans have actually been kept and used as props for a Hallowe'en event that takes place every year at this location. They are usually occupied by killer clowns, so I should think myself lucky!
ReplyDelete