A bedroom on the north wing where most of the furnishings date from the seminary period. PHILADELPHIA, USA: In one image, an empty great hall and its grand staircase were covered in dust yet still in beautiful condition. In another image, what had once been a glorious indoor pool was empty and trashed with debris. The mesmerising photographs were taken by urban explorer Abandoned Southeast in Philadelphia, who used a Canon mirrorless camera with a wide-angle lens to capture the shots. Plagued by financial glory and ruin, Lynnewood Hall is a stunning example of America?s mansions. During its glory years, the palatial estate was visited by the likes of Spanish royalty, the Crown Prince of Sweden and the Grand Duchess Maria of Russia. Notable features throughout the property included doors and gilding clad in gold, interior design inspired by the Louis XV style and ceiling murals which originated in a 16th-century European chateau. The original owner of the property, Peter Widener, was a close business associate with J.P. Morgan and in 1912 became a 20-percent stakeholder in the company that built the RMS Titanic. As he was in his eighties at the time, he declined the invitation to board the vessel for its maiden voyage, instead sending his son and grandson George and Harry Widener, who had travelled to France to find a French chef for their new hotel and collect Eleanor Widener?s wedding trousseau. Of course, they never returned home from their ill-fated trip. Abandoned Southeast / mediadrumworld.com
