Exploring the charm and beauty of the UK is often overlooked in favour of cheap flights abroad. We may live on a relatively tiny island, but it’s full of charm, adventure and abandoned buildings. Wait, what?
You read that right the first time. Britain has its fair share of long-lived, time-honoured structures. They are diverse in architecture, full of history and make for a fun day of exploring on your next caravan or motorhome trip. Not to mention, some of them are considered to now be haunted!
If you’re eager to learn about some fascinating, history-rich structures, this article is for you. With help from Alan Boswell Landlord Building Insurance, here are the five most famous abandoned buildings in the UK that you should know about.
Whitby Abbey, Whitby
With links to Dracula himself, Whitby is a seaside town in Yorkshire, split by the River Esk. There are bits and pieces of the town throughout Bram Stoker’s novel, notably including the Count running up the Abbey’s 199 steps in the form of a black dog.
The bucket list status of Whitby Abbey has only increased over the years, with the 2020 drama series ‘Dracula’ adding to its ‘spooky’ factor, yielding more than 4.4 million TikTok views and over 111,000 Instagram hashtags.
St Dunstan in the East Church, London
Constructed around 1100, the Grade I listed structure of the Church of St Dunstan in the East was caught in the chaos of the Great Fire of London in 1666. Since then, it also fell victim to the Blitz in 1941, at which time it was never repaired.
Eventually, in 1967, the ruins caught the eye of London’s decision-makers, when the grounds were converted into a public garden. Today, the picturesque architecture is a popular spot for tourists of the capital, garnering plenty of attention on social media with more than 3 million TikTok views and over 20,000 Instagram hashtags,
Crumlin Road Courthouse and Gaol, Belfast
Constructed in 1846 and serving its purpose as a prison until 1996, Crumlin Road Courthouse and Gaol is now open to the general public for events, tours and paranormal excursions.
Next to the prison resides a courthouse, both of which are linked via a system of tunnels previously used to transport prisoners. Since the 19th century, it’s been in decay. However, the architecture on-site is beloved by plenty of visitors.
Borley Rectory, Essex
Once a grand Victorian mansion in the quaint village of Borley, this building was destroyed by a fire in 1939, but had already gained a reputation for being one of the UK’s most haunted abandoned structures.
Reported hauntings at Borley Rectory caught the attention of the general public in 1929, when respected paranormal investigator Harry Price covered the building in a Daily Mirror article and dubbed it “the most haunted house in England.”
Two headless horsemen, the ghost of a nun and a phantom carriage are just a handful of the reported paranormal sightings at Borley Rectory. The site was later demolished in 1944, but ghost hunters continue to visit the ruins.
Newsham Park Hospital, Liverpool
This is another Grade II listed site, which opened as Seamen’s Orphan Institution before closing in 1949. Six years later, the building was repurposed as the Newsham Park Hospital, before another closure in 1992.
Since then, the property has been dubbed one of the UK’s most haunted places and frequently welcomes thrillseekers and ghost hunters alike, including the star-studded cast of the Channel 4 series Celebrity Ghost Trip.
These abandoned buildings have been made safe to visit and can be the basis of a fascinating excursion on your next touring holiday, especially as Halloween is on the horizon. Never venture into dilapidated buildings where the structure may be unsecured for your own safety.
Photo credit: Barry Jones / Pexels
