Video: Inside the derelict Great Northern Railway warehouse (Urbex Hunter, full video here)
Urban explorers have shown how one of Nottingham’s most hated – and loved – industrial landmarks has fallen into decline.
The vast Great Northern Railway warehouse between London Road and Manvers Street has stood derelict for decades.
A former network of corn warehouses, also known as the Island Site, it was built in 1857 but is still empty and awaiting development.
Now a team of Nottingham ‘urban explorers’ – people who enter empty sites illegally and share pictures of them – has uncovered its current state of disrepair.
It is not the first time it has been ‘explored’ but the pictures and video taken earlier this month show most of the inside and out is now covered in graffiti and vegetation.
One of the explorers, Keaton Clarke, told Notts TV News he advises against others carrying out the practice – saying he tries to reduce safety risks by planning his routes.
He said: “I wanted to get in there and film it before it was taken over so that people could see what it was like before a redevelopment; a ‘before and after’ would be interesting.
“There were some absolutely incredible views and you got a real sense of what’s going off around you.
“You always know the risks involved as these buildings are quite dangerous but we always plan thoroughly before we go anywhere or else you will end up getting injured.
“You also have to expect things like needles lying about, barbed wire and tight spaces that you’ve got to navigate your way through, all of which we encountered.”
There is also evidence from the group’s footage that people are still staying inside the building after it became known as an unofficial shelter for rough sleepers several years ago.
The grade two listed building was damaged by a major fire in 1998, which caused extensive damage resulting in part of the roof collapsing.
Developers are working up detailed proposals
Nottingham City Council is considering taking control of the site from the current owner through a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to finally force its development.
A statement from the council read: “Officers from the City Council have met a number of developers over the last few weeks who are interested in working with us through a CPO process to ensure the site is acquired and developed.
“Following initial discussions, developers are working up detailed proposals about the site along with the form of partnership with the council and will be coming back to present these ideas over the next few weeks.
“In parallel with this, our officers are continuing to talk to representatives of the site owner and encourage them to progress a sale of the site to a pro-active developer.”
