From buying a paradise island to revamping a French chateau: Derelict churches are a reflection of the long, slow decline

 

 

 

 

 

The people who really ARE living the dream! From buying a paradise island to revamping a French chateau, meet the globetrotters who traded it all in for a life of adventure  We all fantasise about owning a paradise island, but some adventurers have actually taken the plunge Leaving behind their old lives, they have embarked on creating their ideal homes in unusual locations Karina and Craig Waters bought the crumbling Chateau de Gudanes and are lovingly transforming it High-flying journalist Noelle Hancock quit her job to become an ice cream seller in the Virgin Islands We all dream of leaving behind our busy lives and living on the beach of our own Caribbean island, but what if this could actually happen? While most armchair travellers will remain just that, these brave globetrotters didn't think twice about trading their old lives in for a future of adventure in their dream dwellings. From developing a private island to revamping an old castle and even taking up residence in a lighthouse, these adventurers prove you really can make a huge life change and live to tell the tale.     The crumbling Chateau de Gudanes was on the market for four years, before Karina and Craig Waters snapped it up to transform it   The couple (left) are working tirelessly around the clock, in a team of six, to restore the château's treasures and bring it back to life (right) The aim by 2016 is to accommodation, a gift shop, and facilities for weddings, music festivals, local fêtes, workshops, conferences, seminars and courses Karina and Craig Waters - Chateau de Gudanes, France In 2013 an Australian couple had nearly given up on their dream of finding the perfect French home, when their son suddenly stumbled upon the incredibly beautiful Chateau de Gudanes. The property had been sitting on the market for four years, but the adventurous pair knew they had to travel immediately to see it, and drove 500 miles in a single day. The 18th-century neoclassical ruin became their project, and after battles for planning permission, the couple were granted the permits needed to restore the property to its former magnificence. Their efforts can be followed on the chateau's blog and social media pages, with many treasures being uncovered in the fairytale location.  +25 Their aim is to tread lightly and gently - to preserve the atmosphere and authenticity of the Chateau and region as much as possible The beautiful Chateau de Gudanes in the south of France   Rory and Melita - Song Saa, Cambodia Australian couple Rory and Melita met in New Zealand and planned to spend 12 months in Cambodia in 2005 before moving together to start a life in New York. After a-tip off from a friend, the pair went to explore a beautiful archipelago with its own rainforest and beaches, populated only by local fishermen. They ended up speaking to a family on the island of Koh Oun who said that life was extremely tough for the fishermen due to the waters being overfished, and asked if the couple would buy the island. Rory and Melita didn't hesitate at the chance, and returned a week later, with all their combined life savings.   Melita Koulmandas Hunter, her husband Rory, and their son Naryth, who are now the proud owners of Song Saa eco resort in Cambodia +25 The resort has a number of paradise villas that visitors can hire on the islands. The couple say that giving back to the local communities and creating opportunities for work has been central to the development on the island 'It was a huge risk and leap of faith for us,' Melita said. 'We were the very first hotel in the Archipelago so you can imagine the challenges, costs and responsibilities that came from being the first. 'Our original business model was funded entirely through private equity with all the design, management & operations outsourced to established hotel brands.' Tragedy struck when Melita was diagnosed with cervical cancer, and they lost a lot of their finance. Thankfully Melita recovered, and the pair returned to the only things they had left - the islands. Through investment the couple have managed to achieve their dream; the 27-villa Song Saa eco resort, which is dedicated to helping the local communities and preserving the delicate marine ecosystems.   A typical day for the couple starts out with some form of exercise at dawn – usually yoga for Melita and either running, surf skiing, or cycling for Rory Brendon Grimshaw - Moyenne, Seychelles In 1962, the Yorkshireman Brendon Grimshaw splashed out on the paradise island Moyenne in the Seychelles, and cashed in his life in cold England, for turquoise heaven, all for the bargain price of £8,000. The haven is located near to the capital, Victoria, but stood out from the glamorous neighbouring islands which were used as holiday retreats, or owned by billionaires, Arab princes and Russian oligarchs. Moyenne lay abandoned and overgrown until Brendon purchased it, but the island-owner worked tirelessly to transform it into his own little patch of heaven. Waking up to the sound of the lapping Indian Ocean, the adventurer spent the remainder of his peaceful life caring for the island’s tortoises and birds.   Yorkshireman Brendon Grimshaw splashed out on the paradise island Moyenne in the Seychelles (right), and cashed in his life in cold England, for turquoise heaven and tortoises (left) +25 He splashed out on the paradise location all for the bargain price of £8,000. It used to be completely overgrown, until he lovingly restored it +25 The island is located near to neighbouring resorts, popular with holidaymakers or with rich owners Noelle Hancock - Ice cream seller in St. John, Virgin Islands High-flying journalist Noelle Hancock, 35, realised she was not satisfied with her New York life, and decided to pack everything up and travel 1,640 miles to live on an island she'd never been to. She sold all of her possession to afford the move to St. John, one of the US Virgin Islands, where she found a simpler pace of life. There were no traffic lights, no chain stores, limited WiFi, and plenty of wild animals like donkeys and iguanas wandering about. Once she even found a chicken that had wandered into her bathroom. The Ivy League graduate got a job in an ice cream parlour and a bar, and despite only making $10 an hour, she gets far more satisfaction out of her job then before.  +25 Noelle Hancock realised she was not happy in her high-powered job in New York, and decided to sell all of her possessions and live on one of the Virgin Islands instead +25 She now lives on St. John with a much simpler pace of life, and moved there despite having never travelled there before   Noelle got a job in a bar (right) and says she now sees her friends every day after work, and is a lot happier in her balance of life Ian Usher - Usher's Island, Bocas del Toro, Panama Briton Ian Usher became an internet sensation, when he cashed in his entire life, including car, home, job and friends, after his wife left him. He took the money, mainly raised through eBay, and set out to travel the world and tick off all the goals he had on his bucket list. From raising £192,000 from his three-bed house near Perth in Western Australia and more from the sale of his Mazda, motorbike, jet-ski and parachuting gear, he ended up forking out for his own private island. The Caribbean island, off the coast of Panama, became his home and he created a wooden house from scratch. The house is solar-powered with rainwater collected on the roof, and the island is teeming with fresh fruit. Not one to be pinned down, Usher hopes to continue onto his next mission, and his island is even up for sale on his CaribbeanLife4Sale website.  +25 Ian Usher sold his life on eBay following going through a divorce, and ended up buying a paradise island off the coast of Panama +25 It's a hard life! Ian Usher relaxing on his jetty, on his private island. Getting the tropical paradise was just one of the items on his worldwide list of things to do followed the sale of his possessions   From raising £192,000 from his three-bed house near Perth in Western Australia and and extra from the sale of his Mazda car, motorbike, jet-ski and parachuting gear, he ended up forking out for his own private island a few years later, in Panama +25 The derelict island was transformed into a paradise home, complete with solar-powered home that collects rainwater David and Linda Waller -  Graves Island Light Station, Boston They may not own a boat, but they own an offshore lighthouse! Dave and Linda Waller stumbled upon an auction for the 110-year-old Graves Island Light Station, located at the mouth of Boston Harbour, and knew they had to be part of it. A furious bidding war followed, leaving the Waller's the victors and left to pay $933,888 for the off-shore property. Mortgaging their house the couple embarked on a mission to renovate the lighthouse in the hope it could one day be opened to the public for overnight stays.   David (left) and Linda Waller decided to mortgage their house to buy the 110-year-old Graves Island Light Station (right) located at the mouth of Boston Harbour +25 The couple have decided to transform the iconic offshore lighthouse in order for the public to stay in it overnight   A dilapidated country mansion in the Scottish Highlands that was once the secret love nest of Coco Chanel and the Earl of Grosvenor has gone on the market for £3million. The Rosehall Estate near Inverness boasts a 22-room main house along with 700 acres of land and five separate out buildings. It was built in the 1820 but its most colourful period of its history was during the 1920s after it was bought by Hugh 'Bendor' Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster. +13 The main house on the Rosehall Estate near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, which was once the secret love nest of the Duke of Westminster and Coco Chanel  +13 The main house, pictured, has 22 rooms, which is set in 700 acres of land along with five separate out buildings that are on the market for £3milllion   The house has not been lived in for more than 60 years and is now in a dilapidated state, right. Its most colourful history was when it was used as a secret love nest of the Duke of Westminster and Coco Chanel, left,  The super-wealthy land owner would spend his summers at the property with the fashion designer, with whom he had an affair between 1923 and 1929. Miss Chanel would love to fish on the estate's river, catching more than 50 salmon, according to former Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who stayed with her at the property. She redesigned the whole of the building's interior, making the property unique in the UK and despite leaving the home 85 years ago, a number of the rooms still bear her work. +13 One of the rooms inside the main house, which still has the remants of the hand-blocked wallpaper shipped in from France by the French designer +13 The French designer painstakingly decorated each room in subtle, elegant hues, much of it based on the look of her Paris apartment   +13 A dilapidated bathroom in the main house. The estate, in the Scottish Highlands near Inverness, was originally built in 1820before being bought by the Duke +13 The downstairs vaults of the main house. It is on the market for £3million but also requires millions more to be spent on a full restoration The French designer painstakingly decorated each room in subtle, elegant hues, much of it based on the look of her Paris apartment. She had hand-blocked wallpaper shipped in from France, and oversaw local workmen as they put together simple fireplaces. Churchill, a friend of the Duke of Westminster, stayed at the mansion in 1928 as he recuperated following an illness. In letter to his wife, Clementine, the future PM described both Chanel and the main house as 'very agreeable'. +13 As well as the main house on the 700 acre estate, it also comes with five outbuildings including a cottage set near to a wooded area  +13 More of the outbuildings that come as part of the Rosehall Estate. Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill also stayed there while recuperating from illness He wrote: 'The air is most exhilarating, keen and yet caressing. Coco got three fish yesterday. 'This morning it is raining, which is good for fishing. We all play Bezique so that the time is not burdensome. 'Coco is here in place of Violet. She fishes from morn till night, and in two months has killed 50 salmon. She is very agreeable - really a great and strong being fit to rule a man or an Empire. 'Bennie is very well and, I think, extremely happy to be mated with an equal - her ability balancing his power. We are the only three on the river, and have all the plums.' But the years and the harsh weather hasn't been kind to the estate and it has not been lived in for 60 years. +13 Set within the 700 acre estate is a lake and an island. Churchill wrote in a letter how Miss Chanel would love to fish on the estate's river, catching more than 50 salmon +13 The estate's herb garden growing a selection of produce. The estate is regarded as one of the most expensive properties in Scotland after going on the market for £3million  +13 The view across the Highlands from one of the windows of the main house. It is being marketed by Lonfon-based estate agents RE/MAX, who suggest it could be turned into a family home or luxury hotel  It now requires millions spent on a full restoration and, when ready, it could be returned to a stunning family home or converted into a luxury hotel.  The estate has been put on the market with London-based RE/MAX for £3 million - making it one of the most expensive properties for sale in Scotland. It is thought that the Duke and Miss Chanel were introduced in 1923 when the fashion designer was 40 by British socialite Vera Bate Lombardi. The Duke is said to have lavished her with expensive gifts, extravagant jewels and costly art and even provided her with a home in London's prestigious Mayfair. However, he is thought to have been devastated when she turned down his proposal of marriage, when she reportedly said: 'There have been several Duchesses of Westminster, there is only one Chanel.'   Suspended in time: Eerie photographs capture decay of remote Scottish island homes that relatives can't bear to sell Photographs taken by former Buzzcocks drummer John Maher show abandoned homes on remote Scottish islands Haunting images taken in Outer Hebrides show properties rotting away as they lie untouched and unchanged But homes are often deliberately left exactly as they are following the death of loved ones as a memorial A remarkable photographic exhibition shows the family homes abandoned to decay on remote Scottish islands because relatives cannot bear to sell them. The haunting images, taken in the Outer Hebrides by former Buzzcocks drummer John Maher, show the properties slowly rotting away and remaining untouched and unchanged since the day the owner died. The homes, many of them original crofters' cottages miles from the nearest road, appear frozen in time and some have become memorials to the dead of the islands. +15 This crofters' cottage on the Isle of Scalpay has clearly not been inhabited for years - the original stone chimneys can be seen, in contrast to the corrugated iron front, which would have been a relatively recent addition in order to keep out the bitter Hebridean winds +15 This eerie photo was taken from inside a crofters' cottage on the Isle of Harris - the broken glass cannot hide the beautiful sea view In some cases, estate agents have received enquires to buy the properties but were ordered to turn them down as relatives cling on to past lives in crofting communities. Now the stories behind the lost homes of Lewis, Harris and other islands have been revealed with the help of social media and will form part of an exhibition in Edinburgh which opens on January 4. The exhibition will feature pictures taken by Maher and Fife-based photographer Ian Paterson as well as a new concerto composed by former Scots Trad Music Awards winner Mike Vass. The hauntingly beautiful photographs show lives suspended in time with wedding pictures on mantelpieces, beds fully made and even dinner plates on the table. +15 This picture shows the home of Kenneth and Peggy MacKinnon on the Isle of Harris. Although the couple later left the island they continued to make an annual pilgrimage home to light the fire and sit in the front room together - it was Peggy's last wish for the house to remain as it was +15 The exterior of the MacKinnon's home on the Isle of Harris - like many it had a corrugated iron casing to protect it from the harsh weather +15 This photo shows a home in the Isle of Harris which still has a family's sideboard, armchair and knick knacks despite the state of disrepair +15 A living room in a cottage on the island of Scalpay - the chair with a favourite blanket thrown over it is still positioned in front of the TV Mr Mahar, who drummed on 70s hits such as Ever Fallen in Love, stumbled across the hidden treasures when taking outdoor nighttime photographs around the Outer Hebrides. After entering the lost homes his interest soon turned to what was inside. 'In some of them you see so many personal belongings that have been left behind,' said Maher. 'There was one house with a suitcase on the bed and letters on the side board that haven't been opened.' +15 This photo, titled 'George's House' was taken on the small Island of Eriskay which lies between South Uist and the Isle of Barra +15 This extraordinary image shows an abandoned crofters' cottage on an unnamed island in the Outer Hebrides with the sea behind it +15 The kitchen in a cottage on the Isle of Harris remains a cheerful shade of yellow - a clock, mirror and framed photo add a personal touch He continued: 'In some houses it would be quite easy to spook yourself.' He teamed up with photographer Ian Paterson and soon the stories behind the mysterious houses started to emerged. Mr Paterson explained: 'The houses just exist as they are. It's very emotive. People still have a very close emotional attachment. There are a lot of emotions tied up in them.' After getting in touch with relatives through Facebook the story behind one of properties soon emerged. The house in Harris photographed by Maher still packed full of belongings was built by Kenneth and Peggy MacKinnon. +15 This picture, taken on the Isle of Ensay, shows an abandoned bedroom with a neatly folded blanket on the bed and a view of a nearby chapel +15 The haunting images were taken on the islanda by former Buzzcocks drummer John Maher (pictured) and are part of an exhibition +15 This abandoned kitchen on Harris provides a snapshot in time - complete with old an fashioned teapot, a scythe and a framed photo Although the couple left the island in their later years they continued to make an annual pilgrimage home to light the fire and sit in the front room together. 'One of her [Peggy's] last wishes was for the house to remain as it was,' said Paterson. 'There is still a very strong personal connection.' 'When the older generation die off there is no one to take the houses over,' explained a Stornoway estate agent. The agent, who asked not to be named, said often people ask about old abandoned croft houses - 'where people are looking for that kind of lifestyle on the island'. +15 This blue bedroom was photographed on South Uist - a mirror remains over the fireplace and the paint is in suprisingly good condition +15 This attic bedroom in a cottage on Lewis has a beautiful original fireplace painted pink - which contrasts with the peeling walls and dusty floor +15 The houses are often left to lie as they are by families after the death of the owners as a memorial to their loved ones But families often don't want to sell because 'it's the original family home'. 'It's sentimental family values. They have no intention to live in them at the moment,' she said. The remote locations of a lot of the properties - many of which were built before the roads and are not accessible by car - mean they lay hidden out of sight. Now they are at the mercy of the notorious Hebridean weather. 'Quite a few of these will disappear in the next five or ten years,' said Paterson. He added: 'Not all decay is bad decay. There is a lot of memories.' The exhibition 'Away Being' is launched on January 4th in Gallery 1 at St Margaret's House, 151 London Road, Edinburgh. THE OUTER HEBRIDES: A BEAUTIFUL ISLAND CHAIN WITH A BLOODY AND TRAGIC HISTORY The Outer Hebrides are also known as the Western Isles, the Long Isle and in Gaelic, as Na h-Eileanan Siar and Innse Gall. The Outer Hebrides are comprised of an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotand. The 15 inhabited islands form part of the Hebrides, separated from the Scottish mainland and from the Inner Hebrides by the waters of the Minch, the Little Minch and the Sea of the Hebrides.  The inhabited islands have a total population of 27,400 - but there are more than 50 substantial uninhabited islands. The Western Isles became part of the Norse kingdom of the Suðreyjar, which lasted for over 400 years until sovereignty was transferred to Scotland by the Treaty of Perth in 1266. Control of the islands was then held by clan chiefs, principal of whom were the MacLeods, MacDonalds, Mackenzies and MacNeils. The Highland Clearances of the 19th century, combined with the potato famine, had a devastating effect on many of the islands and it is only in recent years that population levels have stopped declining. Much of the land is now under local control and commercial activity is based on tourism, crofting, fishing, and weaving.

Grade II-listed Loxley Chapel built in Sheffield in 1787 then closed two centuries later in 1993 Building now sits among overgrown plants as abandoned chapel in shocking state of disrepair Many of 240 victims of 1864 Great Sheffield Flood are buried in cemetery which is now overgrown Organ keys smashed to pieces, and stack of Bibles and hymn books now strewn across storeroom Built in 1787, it served its local community for more than two centuries – but it is now a scene of torn Bibles, broken organs and smashed windows. Loxley Chapel in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, was closed in 1993, and now sits among overgrown plants as an eerie abandoned place of worship. The Grade II-listed church, once known as Loxley Methodist Church and Loxley United Reformed Church, has been left in a shocking state of disrepair. Scroll down for video   +22 Eerie: Loxley Chapel in Sheffield closed its doors in 1993, and now sits among overgrown plants as an abandoned place of worship +22 Abandoned: The Grade II-listed church, once known as Loxley Methodist Church and Loxley United Reformed Church, is in a shocking state +22 Key problem: The Sheffield-based chapel was built in 1787 - but it is now a scene of torn Bibles, broken organs and smashed windows +22 Boarded up: The cemetery is overgrown with graves being lost in the foliage - provoking outrage amongst families of the deceased +22 Left behind: A Daily Herald newspaper cutting from 1960 inside Loxley Chapel, which served its local community for more than two centuries +22 On the floor: The congregation had collapsed to an unsustainable amount by the early 1990s, which saw the chapel’s closure +22 Plaques: The chapel was constructed in 1787 by Curate of Bradfield the Reverend Benjamin Greaves, along with some of his friends The surrounding cemetery is also overgrown with graves being lost in the foliage - provoking outrage amongst families of the deceased. The keys of the enormous organ have been smashed to pieces, while a stack of Bibles and hymn books are now strewn across a storeroom. The chapel was constructed in 1787 by Curate of Bradfield the Reverend Benjamin Greaves, along with some of his friends. Upon completion in the 18th century, its consecration was refused because builders would not install an east-facing window for unknown reasons. It was eventually sold at auction for £315 and became an independent chapel, but had an average congregation of 200 worshippers by 1851. However it soon recovered because according to the Religious Census of 1851 the average congregation at an afternoon service was 200. A look inside abandoned Loxley Methodist Church   +22 Falling apart: The chapel is believed to be owned by Hague Farming of Bradfield, but nobody at the company was available for comment today +22 'Come and worship God with us': Sunday services at the chapel used to be held at 10.30am every week - and once a month at 6.30pm as well +22 Looking down: Upon completion in the 18th century, its consecration was refused because builders would not install an east-facing window +22 +22 In and out: It was sold at auction for £315 and became an independent chapel, but had an average congregation of 200 worshippers by 1851 +22 Used to be busy: According to the Religious Census of 1851, the average congregation at an afternoon service at Loxley Chapel was 200 +22 Surveying the scene: Looking out into the overgrown cemetery from the abandoned Loxley Chapel in Sheffield But the congregation had collapsed to an unsustainable amount by the early 1990s, which saw the chapel’s closure. Many of the 240 victims of the 1864 Great Sheffield Flood, one of Britain’s worst man-made disasters, are buried in the cemetery. The flood occurred when the Dale Dyke Dam broke as its reservoir was being filled for the first time. It sent 650million gallons of water cascading into central Sheffield while people were sleeping in their beds. Amongst the bodies that are buried here are the Armitage family, who lost 12 members including five children. RMS Titanic chief officer Henry Tingle Wilde - who is thought to have killed himself as the ship sank in 1912 - was baptised at the chapel. But the state of the church now has caused furious reaction among locals and visitors to the graveyard, who want action.  +22 Upsetting: The state of the church has caused furious reaction among locals and visitors to the graveyard, who want action +22 All quiet now: Sheet music for 'Praise and Prayer - Anniversary Anthem' by Colin Sterne and H Ernest Nichol sits on a pew in the chapel +22 Church and graveyard: Amongst the bodies that are buried outside are the Armitage family, who lost 12 members including five children +22 Remembered: A plaque on the chapel wall in memory of the Reverend John Lee, a former pastor who died in 1913 aged 71, and his wife Ellen +22 Sheet music on a stand: The owner is said to have the freehold of the land, while the grave plots still belong to families of the deceased +22 Reminder of days gone by: Copies of The Free Church Council Hymnal - priced at fourpence - sit abandoned at Loxley Chapel in Sheffield Shropshire resident Iain Kelly has relatives buried in the chapel’s graveyard, and said he was ‘shocked’ at its state after visiting there in 2010. Mr Kelly said: ‘After a long search I was unable to identify the family graves and came away quite distressed at the total and utter neglect. Writing on Sheffield Forum, he added: ‘My horror was increased on the discovery that the burial ground is still accepting new customers, as it were. ‘I can’t help but feel that this is a shocking state of affairs being a microcosm of much which is wrong with our society. Here lay our dead. ‘Sheffield people laid to rest in originally quite beautiful surroundings but now ignored and forgotten. How did this come about?’ The chapel is believed to be owned by Hague Farming of Bradfield, but nobody at the company was available for comment today. However, one issue is said to be that while the owner has the freehold of the land, the grave plots still belong to families of the deceased. GREAT SHEFFIELD FLOOD: WHEN 650MILLION GALLONS OF WATER CASCADED INTO SHEFFIELD - KILLING 240 PEOPLE As a gale swept through Sheffield on the night of March 11, 1864, a water engineer was sheltering under the new dam when he noticed a crack. It was only wide enough to take a penknife, but it stretched along the earthen bank for 50 yards, following a jagged line 12 yards from the top. Just before midnight the dam burst, sending 650million gallons of water cascading into Sheffield in a disaster which killed 240 people in their beds. +22 Great Sheffield Flood: The dam burst, sending 650million gallons of water cascading into the town in a disaster which killed 240 people Half of those who died instantly were children, and around 60 more were killed as diseases swept through the stagnant water in the aftermath. But historians claim that one of Britain's worst disasters has been largely forgotten because the dead were northern and working-class. For years there was no full-scale memorial to those who died in Sheffield, with only a small memorial stone near Bradfield, where the reservoir stood. The dam was built by the Sheffield Waterworks Company from 1859 to provide drinking water for the people of the fast-growing industrial town. +22 Diasastrous: The dam was built by the Sheffield Waterworks Company from 1859 to provide drinking water for the people of the town It was also designed to provide a supply of running water for the mills in surrounding villages. But as it was being completed and filled the structure collapsed, sending water cascading down the Loxley Valley - devastating farms and hamlets. The floodwater then moved down to meet the River Don and laid waste to large areas of the centre of Sheffield. Harrowing stories emerged of how many of the victims died. One person who drowned was a new-born baby washed from his mother's arms. Three children died in a cellar while their parents were away. Then a village and now a suburb, Malin Bridge was worst hit - with 102 deaths.     Abandoned and crumbling, these derelict churches are a reflection of the long, slow decline of a once-great city. They are all located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the city where modern America was born, but which for the past 40 years has slowly been paling into insignificance. The photographs were taken by Matthew Christopher, a photographer and lecturer who works in the city, who has campaigned to raise more than $45,000 to preserve and maintain them. +14 St. Bonaventure Roman Catholic Church: This stunning ruin is one of Philadelphia's many crumbling churches +14 Another view of St. Bonaventure: The derelict houses of worship reflect the long, slow decline of Philadelphia over the past 40 years +14 A view down the nave of St. Bonaventure shows how it has been smashed at the transept, with the choir totally destroyed +14 Pews peer out at a grey sky over the Pennsylvania city: The pictures were taken by local photographer Matthew Christopher +14 +14 Whatever has happened to St. Bonaventure to smash half of the church left a lot of rubble behind Mr Christopher said that because of Philadelphia's many church consolidations and closures it provides the perfect location to shoot America's decaying wonders. 'In order to find the churches, I do quite a bit of research, networking and partnering with preservation groups, property owners and so forth,' he said. 'It helps when people see over time that I'm not going to belittle their faith or take advantage of their trust and that I'm not interested in using my work to harm the buildings or the people who have been kind enough to allow me access to them. 'Unlike almost any other style of buildings, churches are purely a form of art - by their very nature designed to make you look upward and consider greater things than your day to day troubles. 'Most other buildings have elements of form, but function is the end goal - a factory needs to produce things, a school needs to make it simple to find and attend classes. 'In a church, the form is the function. You're surrounded by beautiful windows casting colored light, intricately carved altars, hearing hymns that are centuries old. That sense of timelessness and connection to the divine is why they exist. 'In the U.S. they were often founded by immigrant craftspeople with trade skills and materials that no longer exist. So in many ways they're very unique repositories for an area's heritage.' +14 The Church of the Transfiguration lies eerily empty but in good shape, having weathered the years rather better than St Bonaventura +14 The stoup in the Church of the Transfiguration is dry and empty, and the floor around it covered in plaster dust +14 The doors are locked shut, and the central aisle littered with old detritus, in this view of the exit to the Church of the Transfiguration +14 The vast empty space of the Church of the Transfiguration shows walls and ceilings fading with age and riddled with damp +14 These seats, which would once have been filled with hymn-singing worshippers, lie empty and gather dust in a gloomier corner of the Church of the Transfiguration +14 A shaft of light pierces the still air inside the church as it emanates from a window nest to a spiral staircase leading to a higher level +14 Windows smashed, pews reduced to splinters and damp slowly suffusing through its walls, St Boniface Church is a sorry shadow of how it might have looked in its hey day +14 The remains of an old heating system lies decaying in a hidden space behind a window of St Boniface Mr Christopher's fascination with abandoned spaces started when he was a child. He enjoyed looking at artwork set in buildings that have since decayed. His fascination with churches stemmed from this genre of art, as many painters in the late 1700s and early 1800s would paint churches and abbeys, closed under Henry VIII. Later this year a book named 'Abandoned America: The Age of Consequence' will be released documenting some of the most spectacular ruins, including Mr Christopher's church pictures.