# Abandoned Equestrian Centre, Sussex, Kent..Rambo?!



## lucemoose (15 December 2009)

Sorry to be so super vague, but a while ago there was a link to an 'Urban Explorers' form/site where someone had visited a showground that had been left derelict and posted photos. I really want to see again but also I live a block away from an abandoned hospital much visited when I was stupider and younger and want to see if anyone has been there too- 
so either if the original poster could see this and post the link to the UE site, or if someone knows what showground Im talking about could they post the name and Ill go from there. It was abandoned due to access route?
thank you!


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## AutumnRose (15 December 2009)

I have no idea about the original link but could it Maybe be Crockstead??

Show ground there has been empty for ages hasn't it?


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## Seahorse (15 December 2009)

It was Matthews Riding School in Gillingham Kent, it's where I learnt to ride when I was 11.
He wanted to hold big competitions there but the council wouldn't let him something to do with access I believe.

He started up a smaller riding school at Capstone country park where I later worked and taught people on the same ponies I learnt on


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## georgiegirl (15 December 2009)

I love looking at photos of derelict places like that (i know im strange..... 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 )

Cant remember the link but I saw some once of a derelict theme park in japan and it absolutely fascinated me.

What a waste for an equestrian centre to be left though!


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## Seahorse (15 December 2009)

I was lovely too, it looked like it should have been in Spain or somewhere.


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## machannah (15 December 2009)

try this one http://www.28dayslater.co.uk has loads on there. And i remember the place you are on about! really cool pictures of the site


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## lucemoose (15 December 2009)

Thank you! The photos I remember were amazing, it looked like it was just ...left...
Ive been looking at pics of the hospital and now feel so so sick though, will stick to hunting the showground pics down..


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## machannah (15 December 2009)

Here it is http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:GGP...=clnk&amp;gl=uk


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## machannah (15 December 2009)

and here http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=29803


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## wonkey_donkey (15 December 2009)

Those photos are creepy and spooky . . . . don't like it !!


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## Seahorse (15 December 2009)

wow made me quite upset looking at those pictures.


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## Eventer96 (15 December 2009)

All the pictures look very spooky. The place looks haunted...

Not my thing.... at all!


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## Vicki_Krystal (15 December 2009)

Wonder if i could get away with dismantling those Loddon boxes?


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## Tharg (15 December 2009)

I thought the same STK!

  I could waste a lot of time on the 28dayslater website...


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## Eventerlad15 (15 December 2009)

Its insane all of these abandoned places.

Not gonna lie I quite fancy having those Loddon stables!


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## SpruceRI (15 December 2009)

What a shame to see the place in wrack and ruin


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## MillbrookSong (15 December 2009)

Ditto Tharg - its a very interesting site!


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## vik100 (16 December 2009)

omg that is so weird, just clicked on this post and it brought back SOOOOO many memories of a day in 1982 when I went with my friend, Fiona, who I trained with at Talland for a job interview (for her, not me) with the owner of Matthews Riding School, who wanted a Manager. He told us the sad story of his son.  The place wasn't finished and he walked us round telling us all about his vision for it all and how amazing it was going to be with the arena etc.  It was a bit surreal, he clearly wasn't very experienced at the time and there were some things which needed adjustment.  I remember the surface in the indoor arena was woodshavings.  I never went there again, Fiona didn't get the job, and the next time I saw it was today in these pictures of it derelict!!!!  That is so WEIRD!!!!!


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## TableDancer (16 December 2009)

What a very sad story, and what a waste


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## jules89 (16 December 2009)

How amazing would it be for someone to pick up a place like that really cheap and do it up and get it running again

I LOVE things like this!


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## Rambo (16 December 2009)

Sorry for the slow response...I've been working (for a change lol!) so only just seen this.

The venue was indeed Matthews Equestrian Centre at Gillingham and the owner was a guy called Tony Rocco who madehis fortune as a professional wrestler back in the 70's. He built the place as a memorial to his son (Matthew funnily enough) who died of leukemia or something like that at a very young age. Mr Rocco wasn't a horseman by any means...but he was a visionary and a very good publicist and so at the time Matthews Equestrian Centre featured heavily on the local (Meridian?) tv. He did get to hold few big shows and in fact I was privileged enough to compete at the first of them in the pro-am final...partnering none other than Michael Whitaker on Disney Way...one of my heroes at the time 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 As has been said though, the council put the nail in the coffin of Matthews by refusing planning permission for more major shows and as a sort 'up yours' to them, Mr Rocco decided to leave it there to rot rather than redevelop it 
	
	
		
		
	


	





I have some video from around 1986 when I last rode there for those interested. Bear in mind that at the time this place was smarter than Towerlands and showjumping was at it's peak of popularity :-

http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d53/kirkkr/?action=view&amp;current=boris_foxhunter_matthews.flv


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## Seahorse (16 December 2009)

My friend did the pro-am final partnered with Harvey Smith!!


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## StaceyTanglewood (16 December 2009)

OMG that is so sad i cant beleive they didnt let it hold any more shows !! 

Shame they would now not reconsider and let someone redevelop it !! we need a nice showground like that near me x


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## lizzieb (16 December 2009)

That's really sad that a great equestrian centre has been left to rot. Such a waste


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## jules89 (16 December 2009)

why won't they let anyone develop it?


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## Kenzo (16 December 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
Those photos are creepy and spooky . . . . don't like it !! 

[/ QUOTE ]

same here.

weird but very intersting website though


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## vam (16 December 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
why won't they let anyone develop it? 

[/ QUOTE ]

It would prob cost a forture but how fab would it be. I imagine that the council will be aginst it anyway, they were before.


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## Nando (16 December 2009)

Gosh, what an incredible waste of a potentially fab equestrian centre (and pretty decent stables too!!) Would love to have the cash to be able to restore it....but hey  
	
	
		
		
	


	




 *keeps dreaming* Perhaps we can all chip in a fiver.....??!!! 
	
	
		
		
	


	





Wierdly that large wall painting of the horse and the gallery overlooking the school has sparked off a familiar memory.....cant for the life of me think why I would have been there except for maybe a uni comp years ago! 
	
	
		
		
	


	





Wouldnt fancy being there on my own taking pics tho, no thank you!!!


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## little_flea (16 December 2009)

Thanks for posting these links - fab pictures!!


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## dingle12 (16 December 2009)

Is it this one ?? http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=37634


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## StaceyTanglewood (16 December 2009)

I think that picture reminds me of Harwood Hall in Essex !!!! what ever happened to that place x


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## FigJam (16 December 2009)

So sad seeing it like that.


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## Jambo (16 December 2009)

Harwood Hall closed down about 15 years ago, I think it is a Retirement Home now although there is a livery yard there still.
I remember going to Matthews years ago to a big show they put on, a friend was jumping, sad to see it now.


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## Firewell (16 December 2009)

Goodness what a waste of money and space. Does that guy still own the land? I guess he must do or they would have redevloped the land by now? How weird that he just left it there to rot, especially when it was for his son and even more strange he tried to do it without planning permission.


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## Worried1 (16 December 2009)

It's just down the road from where I now teach - in it's day it was stunning and was way ahead of it's time.

Still cannot believe that KCC were so pigheaded in not allowing further development when you consider it is now on the link road from the medway tunnel which has excellent access from M2, A2 and M20.

Could have made such a massive difference to what is an incredibly deprived area and could have potentially made such a difference to hundreds of kids in the area.


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## Rambo (16 December 2009)

He didn't build it without planning permission....he built it with the correct permissions but that only included a very limited number of 'major' shows. You used to have to drive through a fairly residential area to get to it back then and he wanted the road links improved to cater for the bigger trucks. The irony is that the road has now been built that would have allowed the venue to survive....but too late to save it :-( it would be cheaper to knock it down and start again than try to refurb it all now...it's in a pretty bad way. There's also no land to speak of...it's basically just a parking lot with a huge warehouse in the middle.

I remember competing at Harwood Hall back in those days too...not a patch on Matthews but still used to have the odd international show televised from there. It is indeed a retirement home now.

Another venue of days gone by was Crabbett Park nr Crawley...that is now a hotel/spa complex :-(


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## Seahorse (16 December 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
He didn't build it without planning permission....he built it with the correct permissions but that only included a very limited number of 'major' shows. You used to have to drive through a fairly residential area to get to it back then and he wanted the road links improved to cater for the bigger trucks. The irony is that the road has now been built that would have allowed the venue to survive....but too late to save it :-( it would be cheaper to knock it down and start again than try to refurb it all now...it's in a pretty bad way. There's also no land to speak of...it's basically just a parking lot with a huge warehouse in the middle.

I remember competing at Harwood Hall back in those days too...not a patch on Matthews but still used to have the odd international show televised from there. It is indeed a retirement home now.

Another venue of days gone by was Crabbett Park nr Crawley...that is now a hotel/spa complex :-( 

[/ QUOTE ]

I know what you mean about Crabbett Park when my friend said about it I couldn't believe it was the same place that is famous world wide for breeding Arabs, and it's sitting there derelict like that :-(


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## vik100 (16 December 2009)

I find this stuff really fascinating - is Crabbett Park still there derelict then?  The other place is Park Farm in Middlesex, I took my BHSAI there in the early 80s and tried to find it on Google Earth recently but understand it has gone too.   So sad!


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## JoBo (16 December 2009)

I use to live next to Matthews Riding School, just on the edge of the river. We walked around there all the time, it was quite surreal . It was such a shame as that place was, and still could have be the place in Kent, but it will never happen. Ruddy Council!


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## vik100 (16 December 2009)

Actually just tried to find Matthews on Google Earth but couldn't figure out where it was - any clues?


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## SpruceRI (16 December 2009)

Does Ridgewood in Reigate still hold BSJA shows?  I went there once about  9yrs ago.  Thought it was lovely!


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## _Phoenix_ (16 December 2009)

What a waste  
	
	
		
		
	


	




 It looks like it could be stunning if it were ever fixed up.

I know people that used to visit the old derelict hospital in Taplow and that used to be a very creepy place.


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## MegaBeast (16 December 2009)

That is so sad and what a waste. Looks very creepy

Really ugly looking building although nice looking stables.


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## viewfromahill (16 December 2009)

What an interesting thread fascinating that what was an interesting centre is just decaying slowly.   Can anyone enlighten me as to what is currently happening with Crockstead?  FYI Harwood Hall closed after the death of Cyndy Mead who owned and ran the centre


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## Rambo (16 December 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
Actually just tried to find Matthews on Google Earth but couldn't figure out where it was - any clues? 

[/ QUOTE ]

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&amp;so...p;sll=53.800651,4.064941&amp;sspn=7.814938,28.168945&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;hq=&amp;hnear=Gillingham,+Kent,+United+Kingdom&amp;ll=51.389124,0.584443&amp;spn=0.002015,0.006877&amp;t=h&amp;z=17


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## vik100 (17 December 2009)

Thanks Rambo!  Found it.


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## spotty_pony (17 December 2009)

aww that's such a waste! It looks really spooky though ... especially as in the 28 days later link there appears to be what looks like a ghost or something visible in one of the photos!


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## Maiko (23 December 2009)

We competed there a lot before he closed down, it is so very sad to see those photos all these years later.


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## PeterNatt (7 November 2012)

Here are various links about it but does anyone know when it opened and when it closed?

Why did it close?

Was it just a competition venue or were horses kept there?


http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php/29803-Disused-Riding-School-March-08

http://beno.org.uk/grotty/matthews.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzqBlgzZH9A

http://www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=5504.0

http://www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=5504.0


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## Rambo (8 November 2012)

PeterNatt said:



			Here are various links about it but does anyone know when it opened and when it closed?

Why did it close?

Was it just a competition venue or were horses kept there?


http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php/29803-Disused-Riding-School-March-08

http://beno.org.uk/grotty/matthews.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzqBlgzZH9A

http://www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=5504.0

http://www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=5504.0

Click to expand...


Peter, my memory isn't so great, but thinking back to the first horse I jumped there (and it had just opened at the time) I would say it opened around 1983 or 1984? I have video of myself jumping there on a horse I sold in 1986 or 1987 and I think it shut that same year or maybe a year later.

It was a riding school as well as a competition venue and yes, horse and ponies lived on site.Not sure if there was much (if any!) Grazing though...

The owner closed it because of a dispute over planning permission I believe. He wanted permission to run lots of big shows there but the council would only grant him permission for a few due to the (then) poor access. You had to drive through a housing estate if I remember correctly to get to it.


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## Zerotolerance (8 November 2012)

I too have video somewhere of me jumping at Matthews - will check it for date but think it was around 1987. So sad to see it in this state.


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## Ferdinase514 (8 November 2012)

WOW! Amazing pics. So sad though, place looks like it would be amazing.


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## Gypley (8 November 2012)

Very old thred by the looks of it but i live close to gillingham and have never heard of it! However im intrigued so im going to check it out this weekend!


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## squiz22 (8 November 2012)

Oh wow how sad is that. I have a weird facination with things like this..?!

What a huge waste though - bet the Council are really pleased with what they ended up with! I'm a planning engineer and that doesn't look like an awful place to put it especially if it was an existing site. Perhaps it caused issues whilst it was operational? What a shame!


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## perfect11s (8 November 2012)

squiz22 said:



			Oh wow how sad is that. I have a weird facination with things like this..?!

What a huge waste though - bet the Council are really pleased with what they ended up with! I'm a planning engineer and that doesn't look like an awful place to put it especially if it was an existing site. Perhaps it caused issues whilst it was operational? What a shame!
		
Click to expand...

 It would ether be the guys face did'nt fit , not a big enough brown envolope or nimbys with the right hand shake had it kyboshed , I cannot emagine how dull this countrys arcitecture would be if we had planing controls years ago , hey no way !!you're not building that castle there it dosnt fit in with the local plan !!!


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## Captain Bridget (8 November 2012)

That place looks so weird... It's a shame those Loddon boxes were totally destroyed by idiot chavs. They would have been better off dismantling and selling them rather than setting fire to the building!

It's a fab looking arena inside but it's pretty odd looking from the outside. It does just seem to be a car park with a warehouse in the middle that someone put an arena surface in! 

I can imagine the road network to get there is a lot better now, but realistically you wouldn't want horses living on site as there doesn't appear to be any grazing, so it would only be able to be used as a competition centre and that wouldn't cover the cost of doing it up.. So I can imagine when it eventually becomes available it will just be knocked down to make room for more houses.


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## teapot (8 November 2012)

Looking at google maps it had/has some grazing and the access is off a 30mph speed limited B road...

Looks really interesting though!


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## Worried1 (8 November 2012)

I teach at secondary school just up the road, it is in a built up area but 5 minutes up the road Nd you are in rural Kent, ironically the medwall tunnel and new bypass pass just outside this place, direct links to the M2 in under 5 minutes! It's really sad as when I was a kid this place was way ahead of its time


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## Bigbenji (8 November 2012)

Wowzers!

Does anyone have pictures of this place in it's glory days?


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## Gypley (8 November 2012)

Bigbenji said:



			Wowzers!

Does anyone have pictures of this place in it's glory days?
		
Click to expand...

Just what i want to know! Have scourerd the net and all i could find is a video of a lady competing in that amazing school. i want to know what the outside was like, the layout, whats upstairs etc. Finding this very interesting. Cant wait to look on saturday! although im slightly worried ill be arrested for trespassing!


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## Bigbenji (8 November 2012)

Gypley said:



			Just what i want to know! Have scourerd the net and all i could find is a video of a lady competing in that amazing school. i want to know what the outside was like, the layout, whats upstairs etc. Finding this very interesting. Cant wait to look on saturday! although im slightly worried ill be arrested for trespassing!
		
Click to expand...

Do you have the link to that video please?


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## Rambo (8 November 2012)

The place was custom built in the style of a Spanish villa. The owner was Tony Rocco (he still owns it) and he keeps it as a sort of "up yours" to the planners I think. He lives next door.

This is the only video I have of the place in its heyday :

http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d53/kirkkr/?action=view&current=Boris_Foxhunter_Matthews.mp4


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## Gypley (8 November 2012)

Rambo said:



			This is the only video I have of the place in its heyday :

http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d53/kirkkr/?action=view&current=Boris_Foxhunter_Matthews.mp4

Click to expand...

This is the video Bigbenji


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## Rambo (8 November 2012)

Haha...that's no lady ;-)


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## Gypley (8 November 2012)

Rambo said:



			Haha...that's no lady ;-)
		
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Haha! I stand corrected! watched this on my phone first time round. Not terrific quality ! 

Sorry Mr(s)


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## Bigbenji (8 November 2012)

Rambo said:



			The place was custom built in the style of a Spanish villa. The owner was Tony Rocco (he still owns it) and he keeps it as a sort of "up yours" to the planners I think. He lives next door.

This is the only video I have of the place in its heyday :

http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d53/kirkkr/?action=view&current=Boris_Foxhunter_Matthews.mp4

Click to expand...

Nice round! Is that you jumping?

Did look good a nice venue, was there a bar at the top?


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## Rambo (9 November 2012)

Bigbenji said:



			Nice round! Is that you jumping?

Did look good a nice venue, was there a bar at the top?
		
Click to expand...

Yes, that was me....25 years ago :-O

And yes, there was a bar upstairs. In some of the links above you can see some still shots of it...optics and all still there.

Tony Rocco was a former professional wrestler....from the days when wrestling was on prime time TV on Grandstand or World of Sport on Saturday afternoons. I think the place cost a million pounds+ to build back then and it was built as a memorial to his young son who died at an early age. All very sad really but I remember Tony was a very big character at the time and always made you feel very welcome when you jumped at his place. There was a lot of TV publicity on TVS or whatever the local TV station was called back then too. Somewhere at home I also have the full video of a big pro-am comp and grand prix that he put on too....sadly its on betamax though and I don't have a player for it :-( They built a temporary stand at one end of the school though and had a couple of thousand paying spectators in there for it. All the big names of the time competed....Michael Whitaker, Harvey Smith, David Broome etc....it was an amazing evening


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## Jenni_ (9 November 2012)

Wow, I'd love to have a look round this.

I love abandones building stuff.

We sometimes go for a poke about Bangour Phsyciatric Village near me. Place is eerie.

Brilliant thing about living in Scotland - no tresspassing laws. As long as you don't break anything to get in, you can go where you like. Handy  for places like Bangour when you know which window boards aren't fixed in


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## R.A.H (26 November 2012)

Never heard of this place,
Very interesting. So sad that its gone to waste


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