Where homes go to die: Eerie pictures show abandoned estate frozen in time when residents were forced out to make way for redevelopment that never happened

An urban explorer has discovered a derelict apartment complex in London where more than 170 apartments remain abandoned and full of personal belongings.

The researcher, identified as Ashley Urbex, 26, discovered the South London estate, which consists of 16 four-storey blocks.

Residents of the 172-home Marion Grove estate in Woolwich were evicted from their homes more than 10 years ago when the site was slated for redevelopment.

Sharing her find on TikTok (ashleyurbex) with her 31,500 followers, she quickly racked up over 475,000 views.

“Walking through this housing estate was a very eerie, eerie atmosphere,” the researcher from Milton Keynes, England, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.

An urban explorer has discovered an abandoned apartment complex consisting of 170 houses.

A researcher named Ashley Urbex discovered apartments full of abandoned items, including this basketball and trophies.

The video, which has received more than 475,000 views, shows a staircase littered with debris and broken concrete.

The residential complex consists of 172 apartments in 16 apartment buildings. In the photo: an abandoned corridor of the estate.

The site was planned for 160 affordable homes but remained untouched for 10 years after residents were evicted.

The Marion Grove estate has since been demolished due to safety concerns raised by local residents.

In March of this year, two apartments caught fire at this site. Pictured: a door covered in graffiti in a front garden full of rubbish.

“It was a real ghost town, some of the apartments were badly damaged by fire and, unfortunately, were destroyed due to easy access and accessibility for everyone.

“Most of the apartments still had property from the previous owner. I found rooms filled with furniture, DVDs, books, personal items including photographs, drawing journals.”

Walking through the apartments, Ashley found items left behind, including videotapes, indoor plants and family photographs.

Known as Marion Grove in Woolwich, it believes plans for 165 affordable new homes were approved in 2015 but no progress has been made.

Residents were evicted from the complex, as well as the neighboring Morris Walk estate, before it was taken over by the PA Housing Association and used as short-term temporary housing.

The empty buildings were taken over by the council in 2021. Greenwich wire reported.

The derelict 1970s estate sparked safety concerns among local residents, which intensified when two flats caught fire in March this year, after which Greenwich Council vowed to demolish the houses “as soon as possible”.

TikTok videos show gardens littered with children’s toys and damaged mattresses.

The clip has received more than 18,200 likes and 600 comments from shocked viewers, including many people who used to live in the apartments.

“Oh my God, this is my old estate, I lived there at 75 years old, it’s heartbreaking,” Malisa said.

In the photo: an abandoned TV and an armchair collecting dust.

In the photo: a littered staircase, paper peeling off the walls.

Viewers expressed regret that the houses were left empty due to a shortage of housing. Pictured: An urban explorer points out an abandoned passage.

Diana commented: “They say there is a housing shortage, but they leave all these houses just sitting there!”

Another person wrote: “The number of families who could move there instead of waiting in line is ridiculous.”

“My old estate where I lived at 51 makes me actually sad f*ck,” someone else added.

Fay wrote: “Sad that they left the pictures.”

Another researcher, Sean Kent, who previously found the complex and posted on TikTok, described it as “the end of the world.”

Ashley claims the estate has since been demolished.