The British photographer spent three years traveling Europe, exploring abandoned buildings, forgotten factories, dilapidated libraries, and grimy industrial plants that are as enlightening as they are gritty. The photos are "a form of preservation, of preserving history," Emmett says.

Take for instance a jet engine manufacturing plant: "It's been demolished now and it's responsible for most of the fighter jets the UK has produced in the past several years. The planes like the Tornado, Vulcan Bomber, the Typhoon Eurofighter, and the Concord had its engines built there. It was hugely important from a historical point of view. When the government decided to demolish it they made no preservation at all—they just bulldozed. One of the first places in the world where the jet engine was born. It's a really important site, and nothing remains of it now."