A grand 56-bedroom hotel, once heaving with injured soldiers during the First World War, now lies completely abandoned. Named The Rest, the Grade II listed building in Porthcawl, Wales was built as a convalescent hotel in the early 1860s. It was subsequently used as an auxiliary military hospital from 1915. Between World War I and II, the hospital provided care for more than 2,500 wounded soldiers from Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The Rest, which sits on a clifftop overlooking Rest Bay, returned to civilian use as a convalescent hotel in 1946, before it closed in 2013. Photographer Shaun Ashford, 25, of Cardiff, Wales, visited the historic site and captured the Victorian building’s empty interiors.
STARING open-mouthed into the camera, this shocked fish looks out of place in the middle of its angry friends .
STRETCHING his little legs in the air, a smiley leaf-tailed gecko breaks free from his old, scaly skin .
PERCHING on the edge of a flower, these loved-up caterpillars can't resist each other as they enjoy a romantic moment together .
MESMERIZING night sky photographs offer a spellbinding look at the stars .
A hungry hippo is seconds away from catching a bird in its gigantic jaws .
BASKING in smug satisfaction, a confident squirrel gives a wink to the camera .
SOME OF the sea’s most terrifying creatures show their softer side as they join a group of diners for lunch .
CONTRASTING settings reveal some of England’s most beautiful landscapes in all their glory .
SITTING in the middle of a vast desert, an abandoned cinema is still waiting for its first movie to be screened .
BURSTING colours of reds, pinks and purples give the illusion of a collection of stunning flowers .
With the full moon looming behind him, this polar bear nestles down for the night .
