Urban Exploration: Workhouse Farm
We are Urban Explorers, we are not vandals. We take nothing besides photographs and leave nothing but footprints.
For my Urban Exploration adventures, I have been scavenging information from the internet but also keeping my beady eyes open for things of interest while I drive about.
When you make your own ‘find' it gets a little more interesting. I can't credit this one to myself, but my good lady @bingbabe who pointed at the roof of a passing building with the explanation, "Look at the holes in the roof".
Urbex Tip 1: Holes in the roof of a building means that nobody lives there anymore, so it’s derelict, so it’s a target.
We drove past the building on that particular day due to lack of time but I earmarked it for future investigation.
Urbex Tip 2: So it’s empty, but is it worth looking at?
If it’s a worn out husk, it may not be worthy of having a look. I checked Google Maps and could plainly see the holes in the roof from the map.
If only Maps had a ‘Show all properties with Holey Roofs’ filter, it would make things so much easier.
Some research educated me that this building has been Grade II listed since 1985 and is named Workhouse Farm. It has been empty for at least 16 years and looking at the state of it probably a lot more years than that!
I tried to find information regarding if it was for sale but came up with nothing. There was an application around 2002 for planning permission to demolish it and create a services area that was rejected.
The barn that is attached to the farmhouse was used a workhouse in the 19th century. I did find this titbit of information. The building originates from around 1850.
Victorian Workhouses’ were where the poorest people lived and had to essentially work like slaves just to survive. Check the link for further information.
My first attempt at accessing Workhouse Farm failed due to me thinking someone else was in the building. A red mini was parked up right outside essentially telling me, ‘Hey… I’m in here’.
My second attempt proved fruitful though I had to time my entrance. The house sits next to a very busy junction with bored motorists waiting at traffic lights watching what you are doing.
Access was laughably easy, and once in all the shrubbery and trees protects you from the motorists and their wandering thoughts.
The place was an absolute wreck. I mean worse than Extwistle Hall and that was bad. Collapsed ceilings made an upstairs visit quite impossible.
I had to walk to the back of the house to get a full impression of it. Looking through some of the windows showed me the state of the place,
Some of the downstairs windows and doors had been bricked up. That can make light inside the property troublesome.
You need to be able to see for your photographs and to stop yourself from getting injured. Not a problem here as the roof was mostly gone.
On the other side of the building, I had to scramble over some trees just to get to where I took the cover photograph.
This was the entrance for me, but this barbed wire looked quite new and I did believe the sign that said, ‘Danger’.
Part of the barbed wire had been ripped down by someone else and it was easy to scramble under it at one point. I then had all these fallen beams to get past.
The small gap looks like an escape route or something. It was too small for me to crawl through.
This is the barn where the workhouse used to be I presume. There was a door at the far end but on the next level up. Trees and nature were taking over in a big way and I had to check my footing.
The door was accessible again by means of a board placed by someone. I didn’t fancy my chances up there and declined to see what was beyond. Maybe this was the overseer's office?
Some parts of the extension were simply inaccessible with the amount of debris, fallen bits of roof and junk in the way.
The door once had an elaborate design, the handle is now so rusted that is doesn’t move anymore.
I think this was a sliding door once, you can see the pulley system amidst the fallen beams.
The house was devoid of atmosphere. Maybe it was just too far gone. Scrambling around inside did not feel dangerous to me. At no point did I think it would all collapse on top of me.
Urbex Tip 3: Touch as little as possible unless you want it all to fall on you and you to cease living.
The light switch was one of the only things I saw that linked the house to modern times. Just how long has it been empty?
I had to circle the house when I had finished and noticed that part of it still had some roof left. There were two windows with no trace of glass that I could scramble through and have a look.
Only one of them revealed any sign that this place could still be used as a shelter. I spotted a closed door that might have led into a cellar; I didn't open it remembering, Urbex Tip 3.
The other direction just led me into the area that was open with collapsed beams again.
There was nothing of interest in terms of possessions left by previous occupants and I found no evidence of vandalism.
With a place that you find yourself, you can be sure that it's not a well-trodden path for others but it can also be disappointing.
Workhouse Farm has some history behind it, and for that reason, I went to investigate.
There are many derelict buildings dotted about the country if you care to look. It's finding the good ones that are the challenge.
Other articles in the ‘Urban Exploration’ series:
Urban Exploration: Hellifield Abandoned Train
Urban Exploration: Extwistle Hall
Urban Exploration: Huncoat Power Station (Demolished)
Urban Exploration – A Trilogy of Failures
Urban Exploration: Holdings Country Pottery
References:
https://www.theurbanexplorer.co.uk/
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/
https://www.whateversleft.co.uk/
https://www.britainsdecays.com/
http://www.urbanxphotography.co.uk/urbex-faqs
If you found this article so invigorating that you are now a positively googly-eyed, drooling lunatic with dripping saliva or even if you liked it just a bit, then please upvote, comment, resteem, engage me or all of these things.
FOR TSE: ---> Looking at the Google maps photo, this thing is enormous!! And why on earth would they deflect an offer to raze the place and replace with something at least functional? That's a puzzle to me.
I love this series. (I hope you don't get in trouble!!) What a sad and terrible place. But, yes, even the pictures feel like everything's been purged out now. It's almost sterile. Definitely time for it to go.
It's the Grade II listed laws we have in the UK. They are somewhat stupid sometimes.
https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/your-home/owning-historic-property/listed-building/
Good to hear you like these. A lot of the time its hard to get into the places. I went to another this weekend but couldnt find a way in without alerting local residents.
You'd probably be able to find out more at the land registry or main town library. I'm guessing it's probably owned by someone who doesn't have enough money to refurbish it in line with the planning regulations, as it's a listed building. It would make a good film location if it was done up.
I don't know about holes in the roof, it doesn't look like its got any roof to speak of! Once that goes, it doesn't take long for the rest of the building to deteriorate. It's certainly awesome dereliction, but it didn't seem to have as much majesty as Extwhistle Hall. I'm surprised that no one has started removing building materials, some of it looks like very fine stone, especially the Hall. I guess it would be difficult to remove it discreetly :)
That workhouse description is very moderate, doesn't give any clue to the level of cruelty and abuse that went on.
Fantastic photos as always, really appreciate your eye.
Yes its no Extwistle Hall. Those places are few and far between. Im struggling to find new haunts to visit.
I visited one last weekend but its too sealed up to enter. I have a factory on my radar and another mansion but they are not exactly close by and failed attempts are disheartening.
I did mention workhouses to you, didn't I?
You did mention workhouses, yes 😊 I think we had a moment of internet ESP. Thank you for the support of the slobberchops family on tasteem, I noticed votes from @bingbabe and @dismayedworld, much appreciated.
I saw you were not going to finish in the ten and that was just wrong. Mentioning no names, some of the ones above you were written in terrible English, had zero story and virtually no content.
I had to do something to impart my little justice. @tasteem are changing the way the system works soon, and I worry that its not for the good.
That will be a shame. Let's hope it turns out well, it's a nice idea and I've picked up one or two places I would like to visit.
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I love those old stone walls! I find it interesting to see how nature is reclaiming it!!
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Now that is what they call a 'fixer upper' on Homes under the Hammer. lol
There are so many empty buildings all over the country. (700.000 at the last count) It makes me wonder what happened to the people who lived there?
The main structure looks ok and it wouldn't take much to throw a roof on it. What a waste?
Following...I'm collecting GB steemians. :-)
Yes, very wasteful. I could do with finding some more of these 700,000 houses you mention to enable me to do more of these!
Are you from the UK too?
Yep I'm in Cambridgeshire. Have you checked the land registry?
It has many 1,000's of abandoned properties listed.
There is also a register of abandoned buildings here's the link.
https://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/
I heard about the Land Registry, it might be worth a look... the link you added is one of the UbrEx sites I use.
Yep the land registry list the ownership (if known) of all properties in the UK. when they were bought and sold with prices etc. Very handy information for your investigations.
Wow, this was pretty cool and great for something that you found yourself. Too bad that there wasn't a little more interesting stuff there, but not bad for a first find!
A while back there was always a contest called #abandonedshitweekly ... This would have fitted perfectly in there. I really looks like a bit of a haunted place to far in ther forest for some reason
There was no atmosphere, no creepy feelings.. nothing. Just beyond the trees were piles of stationary cars at the busy junction.
It was secluded but if cleaned up would be in the middle of all that pollution and openly viewable. Not a good place to live really.
Truly a weird place even not being haunted!