About Finders Beepers
How It All Began
The Finders Beepers History Seekers channel was conceived in 2017 whilst Matt, Andy, and Roy were on a trip to Edinburgh. Originally the channel was going to be videos showcasing our metal detecting trips but this soon changed to Urban Exploration ( Urbex ) videos covering abandoned buildings and sites.
It all changed when TC suggested we try urban exploring ( Urbex ), leading to Matt and Andy visiting the Suicide Farmhouse and filming our first Urban Exploration ( Urbex ) video. Unfortunately, Roy was unable to join us on this video but instead, they were accompanied by the mysterious Shadow Man. The channel continued predominantly with metal detecting videos but included more and more Abandoned and Exploring videos.
We were joined for a while on our explores by TC and visited some great Urbex locations together, including the Abandoned RAF Base and the Abandoned Denbigh Asylum. TC also completed some eating challenges hesitantly munching on Carolina Reapers and Surstomming.
Today
Matt travels the UK and the world exploring and seeking out amazing abandoned locations to document and share on the Finders Beepers History Seekers YouTube Channel. We have visited England, Scotland, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Estonia, France, the Netherlands, and Russia so far, with much much more planned.
As the channel has grown so has our community and we want to thank each and every one of you for being a part of it. As we enter the next chapter we want your input on the future of the channel. What would you like to see us do? Where would you like to see us go? Let us know via Facebook. If you have a specific location that you think would make a great video, visit our submit a location page to share it with us.
The Origins of Urbex
Urban Exploration referred to as Urbex or UE, doesn't simply mean exploring towns and cities, it refers to exploring any man-made structures. It has rules, as Andy has mentioned in our videos. Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints, and importantly do not break-in.
It's hard to pinpoint the origins of Urbex, however, there is a group that has been credited as being the starting point of modern urban exploration.
In the late 1970s, a group of friends were hanging out by the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco watching the waves hitting the bridge during a storm. They each decided to run up and grasp onto one of the bridge’s chains just as the wave hit, attempting not to be knocked off and swept away. Enjoying the illicit thrill of outwitting death the four friends, Gary Warne, Adrienne Burk, David Warren, and Nancy Prussia formed a group known as The Suicide Club.
The club carried out various stunts and explorations, some annually such as the Golden Gate Bridge Dinner Party and the Treasure hunt, although slightly altered still exists today. One of the first major explores for the group was the Sewers of Oakland, followed closely by the abandoned Kennedy Hotel. They also took part in a number of bridge climbs including the Golden Gate Bridge and Oakland Bay Bridge.
After Gary Warnes’ death in 1983, ex-members of the group set up the Cacophony Society in 1986, continuing many of the original events of the Suicide Club as well as organising new and innovative events. The original Cacophony Society members were highly involved in the organisation of the Burning Man festival, continuing the Suicide Club mantra of "Leave No Trace".