This tiny little mortuary is tucked away up a little side street in the picturesque seaside town of Tenby. It has been very difficult to find any information regarding how this curious little oddity came to be here, There are no hospitals near by and there is no record of there ever being one. For years the little street which runs along side it was called Mortuary Lane, so it's existence is no secret, But recently the lane has been given a new name presumably by some council official who thinks people need to be hidden away from the inevitable facts of life. As soon as I saw the first pictures of Tenby mortuary to hit the internet I was intrigued enough to know i would have to see it for myself, and surprisingly I had the opportunity to visit twice in the one weekend with two different sets of companions.

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The first time I visited I was armed with an incredibly detailed map of its location courtesy of the Assembly Government but it was no help we still managed to get lost in the towns narrow georgian streets. Luckily a passer by was able to give us directions, an no I didn't have to ask "Do you know where the old mortuary is fella ?" The name of the nearby school was good enough to bring us to the top of the lane.

I had been warned previously that the door could be loud and tricky to open so i made my way over to the door and cautiously pushed it open to be greeted by the sight of two immaculate porcelain slabs didn't have time to admire them though a quick call over to my companions and one by one they dashed past me into the mortuary before I closed the door behind me.

The Mortuary itself is absolutely incredible is is a complete time capsule the fixtures and fittings are from another age where even the smallest detail was crafted with care. Obviously the two Twyfords slabs dominate the the one small room but charming details like the 1950's mixer tap and the Creda Crusader water heater are absolutely charming.

I can find very little concerning the history of the mortuary other than it is used by morticians repairing a body for burial rather than any medical use. The recessed slab would have been used for embalming a body any excess fluids draining away through its impressive steel plug hole. The body would then have been transferred to the second flat slab where it could more easily be cleaned and dressed ready for the coffin.

On the first visit I was concentrating on the photography which is no easy feet in such a small space with four other photographers competing for the shots, but with a bit of patience and understanding we all went away happy with the results we got. The following day I returned with a second group of explorers this time I was able to leave the camera behind and concentrate on everyone else reactions to the small treasure trove which was equally fascinating

Entering the site had been a little more difficult than the first time a older lady was walking the most disgruntled look King Charles Spaniel on the grass right outside the mortuary she was determined to keep an eye on us outsiders. So we engaged in game of talk nonsense while looking like the last thing in the world we were interested in was the little mortuary and eventually here patience broke and we were left alone in the lane. Again I made my way over and cautiously opened the door for everyone to make there way into the peaceful silence of the mortuary building. We weren't left in alone for long very soon two local kids were out side the door trying to work out the way in one stuck his eye up against a crack in the frosted glass only to find one my companions eyeballs staring back at him, they soon ran away screaming. Our own exit was slightly more subtle slipping out one by one leaving the door to the best one room explore in the country secure behind us.