A luxury hotel abandoned four years ago has revealed its extraordinary secrets - a fully stocked bar and wine cellar.
Photos reveal everything inside the country hotel in Somerset has been left pretty much as it was when the final guests left during the pandemic. The interior of the four-star Ston Easton Park Hotel in Bath is still well kept, if a little dusty, and the building is now up for sale. An urban explorer was amazed to find items including a huge unopened Champagne bottle.
She was also photographed behind the hotel bar, where there were plenty of unopened bottles of booze. There were also neatly-laid dining tables, made-up beds, and luxurious bathrooms. The only thing missing is the people.
Urbecs posing with a giant unopened bottle of bubbly at Ston Easton Park Hotel (mediadrumimages / @urbecs)
A bedroom inside the abandoned Ston Easton Park Hotel (mediadrumimages / @urbecs)The hotel was once home to the Rees-Mogg family – the father of Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, William Rees-Mogg, purchased it in 1964. When it changed hands in the 1970s, it became a popular hotel but sadly it closed in 2020, citing challenges from the Covid pandemic.
The images were taken by an urban explorer from Bath who goes by the TikTok handle Urbecs. She said the absence of people made the experience surreal because she was one of the locals who had treasured the hotel when it was open and had fond memories of the afternoon tea there.
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“I have pictures of me inside when it was open in 2014 and I think that’s what made this exploration more special as it was 100 per cent more personal to me than anything else,” she said
A bar inside the hotel Ston Easton Park Hotel (mediadrumimages / @urbecs)“I like to try and capture shots which really show the true beauty of the building. A lot of people look at an abandoned building and wonder what’s inside but never actually go in and find out.
“I like to be the one to show people what’s inside and feed their curiosity. My favourite thing I found was 100 per cent the massive champagne bottle. It was the size of my upper body.”
Urbecs does not normally share the location of her explorations for fear they will be ransacked and looted but said the former hotel now has security and dogs protecting it.
Exterior photo of Ston Easton Park Hotel (mediadrumimages / @urbecs)The manor has since been used as a filming location for period dramas, including the BBC adaptation of The Pursuit of Love starring Lily James and Dominic West.
Urbecs never takes anything from the locations and leaves them as found; her mission is purely to document the inside of beautiful places.
“I always feel happy when I look back at my camera roll and see a photograph or video that I’m particularly proud of,” she said.
“The whole urban exploring side of things can get very addictive. Hunting a place through research, then you visit, sometimes these places are sealed and there’s no way in and it leaves you feeling frustrated.
“But when there is a way in and the place is stunning inside – the feeling of achievement and accomplishment is something unmatched personally.”
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