Do you ever pass abandoned buildings, derelict and decayed, and wonder what they could look like if they were brought back to life?
Well, these inredible pictures show what an abandoned lighthouse, an old train station and an old power plant could be turned into with a bit of imagination and funding.
Barratt Homes used their knowledge and creativity to redesign five of the UK’s most infamous decaying buildings for modern day living.
Among them was Point of Ayr Lighthouse in Talacre, Flintshire, which has been visually transformed into a remote wellness spa harnessing renewable energy.
The conceptual images drawn up by a 3D render artist are not real proposals.
But they show something that could one day be possible.
Point of Ayr Lighthouse
Point of Ayr Lighthouse at Talacre, Flintshire, was originally built in c. 1776 but has stood abandoned since its last use in 1883. Since then it has become a popular landmark for visitors to the dunes and nearby holiday park.
Standing at 60ft tall with an 18ft diameter, the lighthouse is about as remote as you could wish for, as the single door to the three-storey stone building is only accessible at low tide. The top floor provides views over Liverpool Bay and the Dee estuary, and on the balcony stands a 7ft tall sculpture of a lighthouse keeper made from highly polished stainless steel.
The new design reimagines the famous local lighthouse as a remote wellness spa. Its location is ideal for a true Welsh getaway and being surrounded by water makes it the perfect spot for harnessing renewable energy – from hydro power to solar and wind, being exposed to the elements would allow the spa to be completely off-grid and encourage guests to assume a full digital detox.
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Aldwych Tube Station
Subterranean bars and basement restaurants have become quite the trend in recent years, so this reimagined image shows Aldwych tube station as an exclusive underground speakeasy bar and restaurant, inspired by the likes of Cahoots in Soho and Le Wagon Blue restaurant in Paris.
Transport for London claims there are at least 40 overground and underground stations still in existence that are no longer used for travel. Aldwych – which was known as Strand for the first eight years of its existence – is one of the most well-known in the list but is said to be one of London’s most pointless underground stations.
Aldwych remains in disrepair, however in more recent years, the tube station has doubled up as a filming location for productions, including The Prodigy’s ‘Firestarter’ music video, and zombie movie, ’28 Weeks Later.’
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Inverclyde air raid shelter
A relic of a dark time in history, the air raid shelter in Inverclyde is the UK’s largest purpose-built World War II shelter and acted as a safe haven for more than 1,000 people during the Nazi bombings.
The dark, rusty, labyrinth-like tunnels are built into the side of a cliff in Port Glasgow and are now dirty, desolate and forgotten but would provide ample underground space to develop a sustainable indoor farm for growing local vegetation and produce. According to research, civil engineers are trying to solve the problem of increasing populations by building downwards rather than upwards, and installing agriculture into existing tunnels, mines and underground spaces is a good opportunity.
Indoor farming of this kind is usually done using hydroponics, aeroponics and container gardens, and requires an intensely controlled environment for artificial light, humidity, temperature and gases – which is why a structure like this air raid shelter would work well for producing local, energy-efficient and pesticide-free crops.
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Maunsall Forts, Kent
Rising from the water like rusty invaders, The Maunsell Forts are armed towers built in the Thames and Mersey estuaries during the Second World War to help defend the Kent shoreline from German troops. They were operated as army and navy forts, made from a mixture of concrete and metal, standing approximately 30 feet – 78 feet tall.
Each fort consisted of a cluster of seven stilted buildings – one central command tower surrounded by six protective forts which, when operational, were interconnected by suspended walkways over the water.
Originally there were three of these forts, but only two are still left standing today: The Shivering Sands Fort and the Redsands Fort. Plans to preserve the forts in 2005 came to nothing, as did a proposal in 2015 to turn each into a luxury getaway, with the seven forts accommodating bars, restaurants, retail, banqueting rooms and rooftop terraces.
Now you can see them as the location for a luxury glamping retreat. With views to die for and a remote location that is a necessity for every good camping trip, the forts would be accessed by a private boat that serves the retreat.
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