Desolation Row

For those of you who follow me on twitter, no, this is not why I need a roofer!

I first visited this row of derelict cottages in Weardale a couple of years ago. I was fascinated by the fact that the roofs at one end had fallen in and the houses virtually collapsed yet it was largely intact at the other end. The state of the houses gets progressively worse from one end to the other, like an exhibition designed to illustrate the various stages of dereliction.

When I last visited it was still safe enough (well, perhaps not for the Health and Safety conscious...) to go up the stairs where I found an abandoned bed and a dressing table. But today I could see much more daylight, and what's left of the roof will have taken quite a strain with all the snow and rain we've had recently, so I decided it would be unwise to take the risk of venturing up to see if they are still there.