Tag Archives: derelict

Jul 30 2025
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Daily Post, Transport

Blockship

Monday 28th July 2025, 3.05pm (day 5,086)

Blockship, 28/7/25

At the start of World War 2, a good portion of the British Navy was berthed in the immense natural harbour of Scapa Flow, the entrances of which were defended by a range of methods including the sinking of obsolete ships in the channels. That these defenses were inadequate was proven when a U-Boat snuck in anyway and sunk HMS Royal Oak with the loss of hundreds of lives. As a result, Churchill ordered the building of the barriers that now bear his name and block off all entrance to Scapa Flow on its western side — though, in a move typical of many public works projects, these were not in fact finished until literally four days after the war had ended. Anyway, the Barriers now act as causeways linking Orkney’s south-eastern group of islands to the Mainland, and the blockships still sit there, rusting away and playing home to the occasional lobster pot.

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Jan 23 2024
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Art and architecture, Daily Post

Moon over the North Campus

Monday 22nd January 2024, 3.25pm (day 4,533)

Moon, North Campus, 22/1/24

Students from a quarter-century or more ago will know the UoM’s ‘North Campus’ as ‘UMIST’ — but this institution has long been merged out of existence, and quite a few of its buildings, like this one beside the Mancunian Way, have stood derelict for years. But there’s still an aspirational feel to this shot — climb the ladder and jump over the moon? And let’s get some blue sky into things. It’s been altogether too grey lately.

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Dec 24 2023
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Art and architecture, Daily Post

Coatbridge: a ‘most dismal’ town?

Saturday 23rd December 2023, 1.25pm (day 4,503)

Coatbridge tower block, 23/12/23

After a month where I felt I’d barely left the house, time to go a-travelling again, and this is Scotland’s first appearance on here since we came back from our holiday in July. Coatbridge, a few miles east of Glasgow, has had a bad rep down the years; notoriously polluted and run-down in the early 20th century, and arguably, in decline ever since, in 2007 it was apparently voted ‘Scotland’s Most Dismal Town’. But we passed through today and I thought it was OK. The Stalinist apartment-block architecture doesn’t give it glamour but it at least gives the photography some interest. Not to mention the stadium of Albion Rovers FC just down the road, but that’s another story, for a different social medium.

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Mar 16 2023
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Art and architecture, Daily Post

Hopwood Lane, Halifax

Thursday 16th March 2023, 12.20pm (day 4,221)

Hopwood Lane, Halifax, 16/3/23

A visit to the less glamorous side of town. I like the optimistic advertisement for the £3 all-day car parking however.

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Nov 04 2014
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Closed pub, Grafton Street

Tuesday 4th November 2014, 1.10pm (day 1,167)

Bowling Green pub, 4/11/14

This pub sits right on the edge of the university campus. But obviously not in a well-frequented enough spot. This is my photography with the ‘social realist’ hat on.

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Jun 18 2012
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Old BBC building, Oxford Road

Monday 18th June 2012, 2.20pm (day 298)

BBC building, 18/6/12

A couple of years ago the BBC moved a substantial portion of their operations up to the new Media City complex in Salford Quays. Apart from the wounded pride of a chunk of the London media set, fearful of having to deal with Northerners on a regular basis,  the other casualty was the old building on Oxford Road, pictured here. Now completely empty, it is fenced off and – according to this sign – awaiting demolition.

In its place will be built an eco-friendly, natural piece of parkland, along with some discreet business premises and workshops that will ask for a peppercorn rent and be reserved for local enterprises who otherwise could not afford to be based in Manchester city centre.

Or possibly I imagined all that and it will just be turned into another supermarket.

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Sep 20 2011
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Daily Post, Interior Gallery

Vicky in the old Hippodrome theatre, Hulme, Manchester

Tuesday 20th September 2011, 5.05pm (day 26)

Vicky, Hippodrome theatre, 20/9/11

No single photo or few lines of text can do justice to this place. Several people I spoke to today, from the district of Hulme, said that this used to be a real asset to the area.Derelict, but still just about hanging in there, this place is owned by an evangelical ministry and seems also to have a community group on its case, trying to stop it either falling down completely or being ripped down by developers. Hulme was one of the places hit by the civil unrest back in August. Right-wingers want to strip ‘benefits’ from anyone caught nicking a bottle of Lucozade at that time but they won’t raise a finger to restore an incredible place like this for the REAL benefit of the community. I could go on and this page would get angrier, but you get the point I’m sure.

(Thanks to Vicky for showing it to me and also not complaining as I snuck her into the corner of the pictures…)

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