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The
Townhouse, Malacca
town
Visit date : 2015
Year of build : Pre-war
Current status : Abandoned
/ Substantial internal material theft (2017) |
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I’ve passed this location many times over the years,
watching closely as it slowly fell into obscurity. Then one
day a newspaper report showed up of residents complaining
of the same very building and how it was now an eyesore and
was attracting the wrong kind of attention. The report clearly
hit the spot and the council soon after sent crews around
to remove rubbish and chop down overgrowth. In the process
of this work they had to gain access inside the building itself.
This was to be a double edged sword, as after they had completed
their work the building was left unsecured! That’s when
scrap thieves set upon the building like vultures.
It was probably a month after this that I finally explored
the townhouse for myself. Sadly, by then much of the interior
had already been stripped out and stolen. Even the main wooden
staircase had been ripped out by thieves. This was of some
inconvenience, but I managed to climb up to the first floor,
splayed legged and gingery balancing my way up the skeletal
frame of what had been the staircase. My trusty old tech camera
perched up on my tripod was finally hauled up by rope and
exploring of the 1st floor could begin. Again, not much was
left up here, but what was there made for some good enough
pictures. The haunting green painted walls stained and streaked
definitely gave off a weird vibe.
Over the coming weeks I continued to watch the little townhouse
die a slow death. Nothing was safe now and more and more of
the old home went missing, including the wrought iron front
gate and even the metal awning above the arched main entrance
way. In such a public setting it amazes me how such vandalism
and theft can seemingly go unnoticed and unstopped. |
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