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.
STRETCHING his little legs in the air, a smiley leaf-tailed gecko breaks free from his old, scaly skin .
Peering curiously into a basket hanging off the arms of a snowman, this little squirrel appears fascinated by the snowy figure .
Armed with a snorkel, flippers and her skimpy bikini, an intrepid female free diver swims alongside an array of reef sharks .
WITH a paw in the air and his tongue hanging from his mouth, it is clear to see that this little groundhog is struggling to wake up and leave behind the comfort of his burrow .
This hungry white tiger has just one thing on her mind - to taste fresh meat .
DASHING through the snow, this little stoat is on the lookout for a Christmas feast .
THIS is the EXPLOSIVE moment when a 50 metre high pylon came crashing down to earth in a rural field .
WELCOME to what could be the world's tallest TOTALLY wooden construction .
A lazy otter finds the ideal spot to soak up the sun and sleep off his lunch .
SPLASHING around in a paddling pool, this little elephant soaks up the sunshine .
A German photographer travelled around Africa where he met and photographed members of tribes in a series of intimate portraits .
AT first glance these images could easily be mistaken for photographs, but they are in-fact real life drawings created using nothing but coloured pencils .