Ashes to ashes: Horrified urban explorer finds bags and urns filled with cremated bodies in abandoned funeral home… some dating back to funerals in 1995
- Wayne Masefield, 47, was exploring an abandoned funeral home when he found the forgotten ashes
- Masefield, who enjoys urban exploring in his spare time was investigating the site in Newport South Wales
- Opening a large fridge, he noticed ash and several urns containing what he believes are human remains
Advertisement
An urban explorer was left horrified after stumbling across an abandoned funeral home – that still had human remains inside.
Wayne Masefield said he was saddened to make the shock discovery while exploring the disused funeral directors near Newport, South Wales on Wednesday.
The 47-year-old security guard found bags of human ashes that had not been returned to the families of those who had been cremated.
Wayne Masefield, 48, was taking photographs of an abandoned funeral home in Newport, South Wales on Wednesday
Mr Masefield opened up a fridge where he found what he suspects are human remains left behind after the funeral director closed
Inside the abandoned building, the table used for embalming bodies was left behind when the building was locked up
Mr Masefield said some of the urns he saw in the funeral directors related to people who had been cremated in May 1995
Each bag had a label with each deceased person’s name attached on them.
Mr Masefield also found a brown plastic container that had the name of the woman who was cremated in May of 1995.
Images show bags of grey ash discarded onto one of the racks which would have been used to store bodies.
Disused urns and a white stone washing table which would have been used to embalm the deceased were also left at the abandoned building.
The former funeral home was owned and operated by Lyndon Bassett, who sadly passed away in 2011.
Before he died, his business was taken over by fellow funeral directors Arthur Peake.
Speaking today, company spokesperson Kerrie Peake, said: ‘We weren’t aware of that – we didn’t know anything about this.
‘The problem is that families don’t come back and collect them sadly. Most directors probably have remains going back years. It is unfortunate.’
The former funeral home was owned and operated by Lyndon Bassett, who sadly passed away in 2011
Before he died, his funeral service was taken over by fellow funeral directors Arthur Peake
Wayne Masefield, pictured, said he was shocked and saddened when he came across the human remains
He said: ‘It was quite eerie looking at all the stuff around, knowing what they’re used for’
Mr Masefield said: ‘I was taking my photographs and footage and came across the old freezer.
‘I opened the door and pulled out one of the shelves to get a better photo and saw bags of remains on both the top shelf and bottom shelf.
‘I was quite shocked when I saw a plastic tub with a label from 1995 with the deceased person’s name, date and funeral director who carried out the cremation.’
He continued: ‘It was quite eerie looking at all the stuff around, knowing what they’re used for.
‘I got a little upset if I’m honest, because of personal circumstances, I felt sad that these remains have just been forgotten about.
‘The local authorities are being made aware of the remains and hopefully they can either trace family members or remove and scatter or bury them, so either way they will be laid to rest.’
He said: ‘I got a little upset if I’m honest, because of personal circumstances, I felt sad that these remains have just been forgotten about’
One of the containers dates from May 1995 from a cremation conducted by Lyndon Bassett
Mr Masefield said: ‘I opened the door and pulled out one of the shelves to get a better photo and saw bags of remains on both the top shelf and bottom shelf’
Several items from the funeral director business were left behind when the firm moved out of the building
Mr Masefield said he hoped it will be possible to contact the families of the deceased people whose remains were left behind