Appetite for dereliction

I have a weakness for derelict places. They often inspire bafflement, as in this corner takeaway restaurant in a relatively attractive location in my neighborhood of East Dulwich, which, judging from the prices on display inside, must have been closed since the 1980s. Looking through the windows, it appears that the owners just shut up shop one day and moved on. They didn't even bother to take the plants with them.

Derelict places reveal a lot of common elements of life: good intentions gone awry, aspirations abandoned or defeated, obsolescence, social change, migration, neglect, profligacy, stupidity. For the active imagination, derelict places can be like an infinite playground. So it's only natural that I would be drawn to the excellent Derelict London site. The page featuring defunct musical venues is particularly interesting, and I recommend it highly if you share my interest in places which no longer exist.