Tales of the Urban Explorer: The Old Council Offices

'Hmmmm.. what could that be?'

I was trawling over google maps trying to find something in the Wigan urban district that might be off the radar.

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The land around it looks a little overgrown, roof has been compromised and what’s that mess of land I see?

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Zooming down to street level revealed my suspicions. A derp ripe for the visit! But what was it.., that was a little more difficult to discern.


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...'google street maps are great, I could see right away it was a derp, there was no mistaking it'...

I have since learned this used to be an old Council Office but have no more information. @anidiotexplores also picked it off google maps so I was not the first to notice or visit it. On mentioning it he said... 'Scooby-Doo!'

On doing a little research I can confirm it was a Council Building and that it was torched in 2018 forcing the homeless bedded down to evacuate.

What would be left when we arrived?

I can't say I would have enjoyed working here. The building looks like a grisly enormous WW2 air-raid shelter and not a modern office.

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Someone had made a bad effort to keep people out but honestly, if you call jumping a knee sized wall, and trying to do it when the cars were NOT passing difficult then this hobby is not for you.

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…’jumping through windows is part of all this, the trick is not to use your knees as a stabiliser else the glass will stab you’…

We were greeted by Scooby-Doo and then a massive pile of junk that we needed to scramble over to get inside.

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It was like all this crap was blocking the door with Scooby acting as a would-be guard.

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Keeping upright can be testing when walking on mounds of rubbish like this. I tend to stick my arms out horizontally for balance while trying to avoid sharp objects like this large piece of wood complete with nails.

These are the kind of old artifacts I would rather not rummage through lest a bunch of hungry rats jump me. Yes, I used to read James Herbert books when younger.

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Some of it could have been the possessions of the homeless crew before the blaze. The ghetto blaster was looking in a sorry state.

The Old Council Offices were not looking promising unless piles of shit are your thing; still, we continued exploring the corridors.

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How do car bumpers get into places like these?

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The building was decidedly ‘L-Shaped’ and this leg had not come off very well. Through the door was a large room that lacked a roof.

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Neither @dizzydiscovery nor myself fancied walking down through the green rushes and so we did a u-turn at this point.

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Back toward the large pile of crap.

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A long corridor that looked ever so familiar. After visiting almost 200 locations some of them do look a little samey.

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This one had been neglected for far too long. Anything of interest seems to vanish within the rubble after many years.

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There was a little graffiti, some of it from a warped mind.

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Doors and cupboards do show evidence that people were here once.

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At the end of the other ‘L’ the roof was at least intact but nature was still taking over.

Does that long dark corridor look creepy to you? I guess it would to non-explorers.

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They can't all be wonderful time capsules, can they? After 15 minutes we were out and off the next one.

They are all worth a look; else you might miss something amazing.

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James Herbert! He was awesome, the thinking teens horror writer. I loved his stuff

He was.., I read all these books around 16 just after leaving school. The stories still float around my mind.

I might need to see if I can get those in my library. The teens need better books.

I went from Enid Blyton to James Herbert, does that seem a little outrageous?

Gotta be honest, neither of those names mean much to me, a millennial yankee. One of our librarians grew up in Ireland, and has mentioned Blyton, but that is the extent of my knowledge of the subject.

The Rats is a bit of a cult classic. I had this same edition with this old cover.

Same here, he was really good at it and occasionally I will see or hear something that reminds me of em

’jumping through windows is part of all this, the trick is not to use your knees as a stabiliser else the glass will stab you’…

I laugh to myself at the visions of you two jumping without getting stabbed. Do you mean like pogo sticks?

Rats?? OMG. I read too many books with rats under the rubbish.

I'm done! I'll meet you in the car.

I agree with you. They all deserve a look-see! That dark corrider was okay. I could walk down it. :))

I struggle to get my legs up, call it old age! Getting your knee up is not always a great idea, though much easier for me. Will need to work on the stretches!

That dark corrider was okay. I could walk down it. :))

Some corridors are more scary than others, this one was regular to me. I walked over some sacks last weekend with rats underneath, not keen on those horrors of the dark.

I walked over some sacks last weekend with rats underneath, not keen on those horrors of the dark.

Sweet Jesus. You would have had to carry me out. Rats+Me= No Bueno

@slobberchops, who would've thought that photography can capture beauty in such a neglected and dilapidated building. Art is such a funny thing, it can be found in so many weird and wonderful places.

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I was into James Herbert too as a kid. Always got a bit of sex in with the horror :)

What a dump! I've worked in a few crap buildings in my time, but were habitable when I was there.

Did you take any Scooby Snacks?

It is a particularly bad looking building, could it ever have been half-decent? I think Fluke was my favourite, by accident I dropped the book in a bowl of water but had read it by then.

Was that about a bloke who was a dog? It's been 40 years, but I remember bits of the books.

Ugh, complete disaster inside. maybe it's time to burn out the building? 😎

Agreed, it needs to be demolished. No redeeming aspects whatsoever.

When I was a cop, I went into some people's houses that looked like that while they were living in them. Nasty people...

I find lots of homeless evidence, needles, smokes, bongs, sleeping bags.., they are generally not home during the daytime. You should do some more of those cop tales, that one you did was an eye opener!

How do car bumpers get into places like these?

That’s the beauty of these discoveries and guess. I love it when things defy reason or rules.

Why is there a bumper? Who brought it there and when?
Why does it look pretty new?
Where are the other car parts? Are the wing mirrors on the roof?

Truth is stranger than fiction.

I once found a boat in a pub's bar area, I mean... WHAT? Hehe.. expect the unexpected. How can you not love doing this!

PS... I was in Huddersfield last weekend, hit eight places.., why are there so many rats in this town?

Crikey! Ahoy!

Rats - I’ve only ever seen them in parks! Big ones too. But never around buildings.
Great you’ve been in the Hudd! Any good finds?

There's a synopsis here, I plan to do a 'Tales' for all for the successes in time. I saw Rats in multiple places, one was carrying stringy meat in it's teeth before disappearing into Kirklees College.

Gruesome!

Ah Kirklees College. I’m curious about that one too!
It’s a 20 minute walk away fom where I am now.
Would you recommend a look or is it too unsafe/patrolled?

Would you recommend a look or is it too unsafe/patrolled?

There is no security and I do know how to get in, it's just the effort is too much for me. I value my limbs.

😆 limbs are good!

Last time I was there 3 years ago trying to do some filming there was a security guy on patrol, but I guess there’s a limit to what they can keep realistically patrolling especially now it’s probably so dangerous.
And it’s probably a bit costly a few years on too!

They're all definitely worth a look. This seems like a low point though, I know one of these days there'd be a very high point for you in this Indiana Jones career of yours, I'm waiting to enjoy the story.

There are many more to come, it's finding the time to write them all.

What a F...ing disaster ... I would be afraid to take a piss in that place.. Did you burn your clothes a block from home..?

I could have taken a piss here too, certain memories do evade me.

The speakers look detachable. Do you think the ghetto box was at one time the deciding tempo in a breakdancing battle?

It's probably still there if you want to retrieve it and check?

Understood. I'll let you know what I find out.

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I would like to find such an unusual abandoned building and turn it into an awesome house...

Oh good thing they torched the place to get rid of those damn pesky people trying to have a roof over their heads...

Cool photos, looks like an interesting place. Looks a hell of a lot more interesting on the inside than it does on the outside..

I’ve found a shitload of cool things on Google maps/earth whatever. Everything from abandoned buildings, to weird structures in the woods, to skate spots... all sorts of shit. It’s a pretty cool tool

great to see those pictures.