We were told this Oxford college had been abandoned… but the moment we stepped inside, something felt very wrong.
What should have been an empty, forgotten building turned into one of our most intense explorations yet — security was still inside, lights were on, and every sound echoed through the corridors. This place may have been left to decay, but it definitely wasn’t empty.
From hidden staircases to decaying lecture halls, this abandoned Oxford college holds secrets it clearly wasn’t ready to give up. One wrong move and this explore could have ended very differently.
⚠️ This video is filmed for historical and documentary purposes only.
📸 Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints.
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We step through the grounds of a once-prestigious country estate — a place where silence now hangs heavier than luxury ever did. Long driveways curve through overgrown parkland, hinting at a past shaped by wealth, power, and privilege. Every footstep feels measured, as if the building itself is watching… remembering.
Inside, time has stalled. Grand rooms that once hosted lavish gatherings now sit frozen, their elegance fading but not forgotten. Peeling paint, dust-covered furniture, and abandoned corridors tell a quieter story than any guestbook ever could. The contrast is striking — opulence versus decay, refinement versus neglect.
Natural light spills through tall windows, illuminating details easily missed: intricate plasterwork, sweeping staircases, and the bones of a place built to impress. You can almost imagine the echoes of conversation, the clink of glasses, the soft rhythm of life that once filled these halls.
As we explore deeper, the atmosphere changes. Corridors narrow. Service areas appear. The behind-the-scenes reality of running such a vast estate is revealed. This wasn’t just a place to stay — it was a machine, powered by staff, tradition, and routine.
Outside once more, the grounds stretch endlessly, reclaiming what was once carefully controlled. Nature is slowly undoing centuries of human ambition, reminding us that no matter how grand a place may be, nothing is permanent.
This exploration isn’t about vandalism or thrill-seeking — it’s about preservation through documentation. Capturing a moment in time before it disappears forever.
The History
To understand how this estate came to exist, we need to go back centuries.
Local records identify a house on this site as early as the Domesday survey in the late 11th century. In 1402, the property passed into the hands of the Sherard family, who would remain here for nearly five hundred years.
Significant architectural development began in the early 1500s under Thomas Sherard. In 1633, a major fire led to extensive rebuilding of what later became known as the Old Wing.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the estate continued to evolve:
Around 1670, a major wing was constructed for Bennet Sherard, later Baron Sherard
In the late 1700s, the surrounding parkland was redesigned by Lancelot “Capability” Brown, shaping the rolling landscape seen today
In 1719, the family was elevated to the Earls of Harborough — a title that lasted until 1859.
After the earldom ended, the estate was sold in 1885. Two years later, it was purchased by John Gretton, who transformed the house once again, expanding it into the grand late-Victorian country residence expected of the era.
By the mid-20th century, the estate entered a very different chapter. Parts of the grounds were opened to the public, featuring a miniature railway and even a lion reserve — attractions that drew visitors throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The miniature steam railway survives today as a rare heritage feature.
A pivotal change came in 1988 when the house was purchased by an American restaurateur and hotelier, who converted it into a country house hotel. Interiors were restored, and the estate entered a new era of luxury hospitality.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, development continued:
A golf course and expanded country sports
New spa and wellness facilities integrated into historic buildings
In August 2022, ownership changed again, with plans to expand luxury and wellbeing offerings. However, financial difficulties followed, leading to the cessation of trading in October 2024 and the liquidation of the operating company.
Today, the future of the estate remains uncertain — but the historic mansion and surrounding parkland stand as enduring reminders of centuries of ambition, wealth, and change.
A once-busy Pizza Hut in Coventry… now completely silent 🍕 In this video, we explore a recently closed-down Pizza Hut, frozen in time with traces of its past still inside. From the dining area to behind-the-scenes spaces, this is a look at what happens when a popular fast-food spot shuts its doors for good.
⚠️ Filmed responsibly — take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints. Join me as I explore forgotten, abandoned, and off-limits locations, uncovering the hidden stories behind the places time forgot. From eerie ghost towns to decaying mansions, underground tunnels, and mysterious ruins, I take you on thrilling adventures into the unknown.
🔦 Expect exciting urban exploration content, haunted locations, and incredible lost history captured on camera. Whether it’s an abandoned asylum, a forgotten factory, or a secret underground bunker, every location has a story to tell.
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⚠️ Urban exploration can be dangerous and is done at your own risk. Always respect property laws and never vandalize locations. #DeeExplores #UrbanExploration #Urbex #AbandonedPlaces #ExploringTheUnknown
In this urban exploration, we explore the remains of Liberty Pressings — from rusting machinery and empty production halls to hidden details most people never get to see. This explore was carried out respectfully and responsibly. 📍 Location: Coventry, West Midlands
🏭 Site: Liberty Pressings (Abandoned)
⚠️ Disclaimer: This video is for documentary and educational purposes only. No damage, theft, or forced entry took place. Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints. If you enjoy UK urbex, abandoned places, and industrial history, don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to support the channel.
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Throwing it right back to 2017, when we explored the abandoned Hall Green Dogs Stadium.
Thanks to Jellyfish on the pics!
Hall Green Greyhound Stadium opened in 1927, right in the heart of Birmingham, during the golden age of greyhound racing. For decades it was one of the city’s biggest sporting and social venues, drawing thousands through its gates week after week. The stadium wasn’t just about racing — it was about community. Families, workers, regulars with their favourite dogs, the sounds of the crowd, the bookmakers shouting, and the smell of food drifting through the stands.
At its peak, Hall Green was a huge operation. It hosted major races, employed large numbers of local people, and became a landmark for the area. During and after the war years it remained popular, offering people escapism and entertainment at a time when life was far from easy. Generations grew up with memories of nights spent here.
But as the years went on, attendance declined. Changing habits, rising costs, and the slow decline of greyhound racing hit hard. In 2017, after nearly 90 years of racing, Hall Green Dogs finally closed its doors. What was once full of noise and movement was suddenly left behind.
Walking through it abandoned was surreal. Empty stands where crowds once cheered. The track slowly being reclaimed by nature. Old signage, peeling paint, and rooms that felt like they’d been left in a hurry — all frozen in time. You could almost imagine the echoes of the past still hanging in the air.
Places like this remind you how quickly everything can change. From one of Birmingham’s most loved venues to complete silence.
Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints.
We set out to explore an abandoned Odeon cinema, expecting dark corridors and forgotten screens — but things didn’t go to plan. While the cinema itself stayed sealed, we uncovered access to nearly every surrounding building instead.
Urban exploration doesn’t always go how you expect, and this one turned into a completely different adventure. Join us as we search for entry, explore what we can, and show the reality of exploring abandoned places when access just isn’t there.
📸 Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints.
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Big thanks to MOD Jelly on the Photographs and MOD Dan2 on editing!
As a kid, I lived opposite this abandoned site for about 13 years, long before I became an explorer. It was obvious that this would definitely be a building I’d explore one day. Some of the history surrounding this building is quite dark. There are rumours online of a tunnel system used by MI5 and MI6, and claims that the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors of the block were also used by MI5 and MI6. There are multiple reports of people being moved via the tunnels and of individuals being brainwashed at this location. How true this is, I am unsure.
We explored this building back in 2016, and it was not easy at all. With security based inside the building and positioned at the rear, it was challenging to gain entry. We explored this building around 15 times, popping back and forth to try and find out more about what this place was used for. This has to be one of the most interesting explores.
The Powergen building once stood at the junction of Stratford Road and Haslucks Green Road in Shirley, Solihull. It was part of the offices for the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB), which later became Powergen — one of the companies formed after the UK electricity industry was privatised.
The building was designed in the 1960s by notable Birmingham architect John Madin, who also designed other major local structures such as the old Birmingham Central Library. Its style reflected the era’s modernist/brutalist trends, making it distinctive but also controversial among local residents.
Powergen vacated the site in the mid-1990s, around 1995, leaving the building largely unused for many years. After closure, the site sat derelict for decades and became a familiar, if slightly eerie, landmark in Shirley.
In 2015, while still abandoned, the building’s decaying appearance made it an ideal filming location for the zombie movie The Girl With All the Gifts (starring Glenn Close). The production used the site’s rugged, abandoned atmosphere to depict a post-apocalyptic setting.
The Powergen building was demolished in 2017 to make way for redevelopment. Today, the site has been transformed into Solihull Retirement Village (also known as Solihull Village) — a modern residential community with homes and facilities for people over 55.
Back at the start of November, myself, Brummy Explores, MOD Dan1, MOD Ry, and that one explorer stumbled into an adventure we never expected to have — effectively “breaking into” a prison.
(For the record, we didn’t actually break in… it just sounds cooler.)
We started the day by scouting out the site and quickly noticed a dog unit had been posted on location. Instead of putting us off, it made the explore feel even more intense. We continued searching for the best point on the wall to get over.
Eventually, we found the perfect spot. With that, it was time to commit — no questions, no messing about. One by one we climbed the ladder, sitting on top of the wall while waiting for the last person to get up so we could pull the ladder over and begin exploring the abandoned HMP Reading.
This explore turned out to be one of the best — and eeriest — we’ve ever done. We spent around three hours inside during the morning, taking photos, filming, and imagining what life must have been like for the prisoners, officers, and everyone who worked within those walls.
After exploring every part of the prison we could access, we decided it was time to go, making our “great escape” back over the wall and out.
Later, while passing by again before leaving Reading, we noticed the prison was fully lit — the power was on. Obviously, we had to take advantage of that. So we sent it back inside to capture nighttime shots and experience what a prison feels like after dark.
This second explore didn’t last long. We were caught by three security officers and two dogs — and that was our cue to leave, fast.
A Bit of History: HMP Reading
HMP Reading, originally known as Reading Gaol, was built in 1844 and designed by architect George Gilbert Scott. The prison became well known for its radial design, based on the “separate system” intended to keep prisoners isolated from one another.
It housed both men and young offenders over the years and is most famously associated with Oscar Wilde, who was imprisoned there from 1895–1897. His experiences later inspired The Ballad of Reading Gaol.
The prison officially closed in 2013, and since then has remained largely unused, occasionally opening for exhibitions, events, and rare public tours. Its imposing Victorian architecture and long history make it a well-known site in UK urban exploration.
Credits
Massive credit to MOD Dan1 for providing the photos from this explore — couldn’t have captured it the same without him.
Welcome back to the channel — this time, I’m diving into PRYZM Birmingham for the third time 🕺… but things don’t go quite how I expected.
About PRYZM Birmingham
PRYZM was one of the most iconic nightclubs on Broad Street in Birmingham. Originally it was the legendary Gatecrasher, but in 2016 it relaunched with a £1.4 million renovation under the Deltic Group.
The venue was huge: up to ~2,500 capacity across three floors.
Inside, there were four distinct rooms: a main arena, a more intimate R&B-style “Curve” room, a pure house “House” room, and a retro disco “Vinyl” area.
It was known for its cutting-edge light & sound tech, massive LED screens, neon lights and disco balls — definitely a proper super-club. soundvibemag.com
The club catered to a young crowd and mixed genres like electronic, hip-hop, and R&B, which made it a central hub for Birmingham’s nightlife. soundvibemag.com
Ownership & Business Background
PRYZM in Birmingham was run by Rekom UK (previously the Deltic Group).
Unfortunately, in early 2024 Rekom UK went into administration, citing major financial pressures — rising energy costs, business rates, and a drop in student night-out spending due to the cost-of-living crisis.
As a result, PRYZM Birmingham closed with immediate effect.
The closure meant more than 70 jobs were lost.
According to local business groups, there are already plans or hopes to redevelop the former club space.
Why It’s So Legendary / Why I Keep Exploring It
For years, PRYZM was the place to go in Birmingham for a big night out — massive dancefloor, big-name DJs, and a wild clubbing experience.Because of its size and layout, there are so many corners and rooms to explore; it’s a playground for urban exploration.
The contrast between how vibrant it was in its prime and how it is now (after closure) gives it a hauntingly nostalgic feel.
In This Video / Exploration
I go back in for the third time, pushing boundaries further than before — checking out parts I haven’t explored in my previous visits.
Things go wrong: this time, it escalates — the police are called, and yes, Dee gets arrested (for real).
I document every twist: the layout, the vibe, security, and the tension of being caught in real time.
I reflect on the club’s history (from Gatecrasher to PRYZM), and what its closure means in the bigger picture of Birmingham nightlife.
Why You Should Watch
If you love urban exploration, this is not just another abandoned building: it’s one of the UK’s most iconic clubs.
There’s real stakes — the risk of getting caught, plus a lot of emotional weight because of the club’s legacy. It’s a story about change: the nightlife boom, the decline, and how places like PRYZM have shaped our memories.
Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints.
