From haunted prisons to derelict hospitals, the UK is teeming with spine-chilling forgotten places steeped in history. You’ll find eerie abandoned places across the whole country, including incredibly preserved military forts and lost towns as well as crumbling castles and forgotten ski centres.
Click through the gallery for a selection of the creepiest abandoned places in the UK if you dare...
The decline of the coal industry led to the holiday camp closing down in the 1990s. Since then, the majority of its buildings have been demolished due to safety concerns and vandalism. Fallen into disrepair, the last few buildings are in a derelict state, with smashed windows, rooms ravaged by fire and piles of rubble scattered across the site.
This imposing jail in Cornwall was infamous for its cramped conditions and public hangings. Built by military engineer Sir John Call in 1778, Bodmin Jail was one of the first modern prisons in the UK to hold prisoners in individual cells with segregated male and female areas. At least 55 public executions took place here until 1868, which often drew large crowds. In 1840, an estimated 25,000 people attended the executions of the Lightfoot Brothers, who were hanged for murder.
Following the outbreak of World War I, the number of prisoners drastically depleted, the last male inmate left Bodmin Jail in 1916 and it was officially decommissioned in 1927. Notorious for its dark and sinister past, the creepy jail has been transformed into a museum, and much of its eerie charm remains. The museum delves into the gruesome and ghostly stories of some of the jail’s former inmates and is one of Cornwall’s leading visitor attractions.
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Situated on Scotland’s craggy Isle of Skye, the spooky ruins of Boreraig serve as an eerie reminder of its gut-wrenching history. In the 1850s, landowners forced Boreraig’s residents to flee to make way for grazing land. This brutal practice, known as the Highland Clearances, was common throughout Scotland during this period. Families were driven out of their homes and some tenants even burned the roofs of houses to stop residents from returning.
In the early 20th century, the farmland nearby was abandoned and now all that is left of Boreraig are a few worn-out cottages and buildings. Nature has since reclaimed the village; its crumbling stone houses have merged with the wild landscape and is a beautiful sight. Boreraig is now part of a scenic trail that takes walkers and hikers through its grass-topped church and stone houses overlooking the shimmering Loch Dunvegan.
Portland Harbour played an important role during World War II – its waters were regularly used for military exercises and firing practice. After the war, the maintenance required to keep the port running proved too costly. It ceased operations in 1995. Although much of the harbour was sold to Portland Port Ltd who has since established a commercial port in its place, traces of its military past remain. Possibly the most imposing is the derelict Breakwater Fort (pictured), which has been a Grade II-listed structure since 1978.
After years of operation, the mill finally closed its doors in 1986 and was left to rot, depleting in an eerily beautiful way. There have been various redevelopment plans for Gilford Mill over the years, none of which have yet to become a reality. In 2016, Karl Group acquired the site, with plans to transform the building into apartments, a restaurant and a rooftop garden. In July 2023, the redevelopment scheme was given the green light.
Nicknamed Dorset’s lost village, Tyneham is one of England’s most breathtaking ghost towns. In December 1943, the village was taken over by the army for military training, and its residents were forced to leave within 28 days. What was originally thought to be temporary became permanent after a compulsory purchase order was made after World War II and Tyneham’s residents were sadly never able to return.
With its chilling roofless buildings, overgrown plants creeping along the walls and well-preserved objects that were left behind, it’s easy to see why Tyenham is a huge hit with ghost town fans. Although the village is still used by the military, it is open to the public for a few weekends and public holidays each year. Some of Tyneham’s eeriest spots include the school building, with still intact workbooks on the desks, and the postcards throughout the village which delve into the lives of the former residents.
This ominous concrete complex lies among overgrown woodland in western Scotland, resembling something from another planet. Completed in 1966, St Peter’s Seminary was built as a Roman Catholic school for housing and training new priests. After the number of trainee priests significantly dropped in the 1980s, the seminary was forced to close its doors for good and has been abandoned ever since.
Today, its concrete façade has been taken over by nature, while graffiti decorates the old walls, giving it an eerie feel. Although a ruined skeleton of what it once was, St Peter’s Seminary is considered a Modernist triumph and was awarded Category A status. The spectacular building continues to draw architecture enthusiasts and urban explorers from around the world.
Buried deep within the hills on the Antrim coast are some of the most breathtaking ruins in Northern Ireland. Galboly, which means ‘the English dairy place’ was once a thriving medieval village, whose population lived off the land and sea as farmers and fishers. It’s thought that the village was home to at least 60 people but by the 1950s there were only a handful of residents due to a rise in unemployment. Galboly’s last remaining resident, a monk, lived in the village until his death in 2013.
The village was originally thought to have around 10 houses, although most are now in ruins. Its beautiful remains have become a popular filming location, several scenes from the epic TV series Game of Thrones have been filmed here. Abandoned to nature, with a stunning mountain backdrop and spectacular views across the water, the derelict stone cottages are an eerie symbol of a bygone era, popular with walkers and hikers.
The oldest lighthouse in Wales, Point of Ayr Lighthouse towers high above the Irish Sea off the north coast. The lighthouse was built in 1776 to help guide and warn ships entering between the River Dee and Mersey estuary. Standing roughly 60 feet (18.3m) tall, the lighthouse remained active for decades until it was discontinued in the 1880s and left abandoned.
Over the years, the Point of Ayr Lighthouse has been ravaged by storms and sea. This has only added to its striking appearance looming over Talacre Beach, where it can only be accessed at low tide. The Grade II-listed building is also known for its ghostly sightings. There have been reports of visitors seeing a dressed man named Raymond, supposedly the last lighthouse keeper, who died of a fever during his shift.
These bizarre-looking structures are located offshore on the Thames Estuary. Built in 1942 during World War II, the Maunsell Forts were built to defend Great Britain from airstrikes and sea raids from Germany. Named after the engineer Guy Maunsell who designed them, the army forts originally had seven towers connected by steel walkways. They once housed weapons as well as accommodation for the soldiers.
The Maunsell Forts were later decommissioned and were left abandoned by 1958. Today, the derelict structures still remain off the coast and can only be reached by boat. Soaring high above the water off the coastline, the rust-coloured towers are a magnificent sight, offering a glimpse into Britain’s military past.
Lying off the western coast of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, this Atlantic outpost is as remote as it gets. Originally settled by humans around 4,000 to 5,000 years ago, St Kilda’s isolated location from the rest of the Outer Hebrides allowed its residents to create a self-sufficient community.
The island was inhabited for centuries until its last few occupiers left for mainland Scotland in 1930. Today, traces of its settlements are scattered across the landscape, offering a glimpse into what life was like on the island. The largest colony of Atlantic puffins now calls the deserted island home, nesting on its craggy cliffs and shores. Its incredibly unique natural and cultural features have earned St Kilda dual UNESCO World Heritage status, making it the only dual heritage site in the UK.
Sitting on the outskirts of Chell in central England, this disused coal mine was the largest working mine in north Staffordshire. Thought to date back to the 1750s, the Chatterley Whitfield Colliery was a key component of the Industrial Revolution. In 1937 it was the first colliery in the UK to produce 1,000,000 tonnes of saleable coal in a year.
Following World War II, there were plans to modernise the colliery and merge it with those in nearby Norton and Victoria. This never happened though and, ultimately, it ceased operations in 1977. The site re-opened two years later as the Chatterley Whitfield Mining Museum, before closing for good in 1993. Today, the Grade II-listed building is widely regarded as the most comprehensive surviving example of a deep mine site in England and serves as an eerie reminder of the Industrial Revolution.
Enveloped in overgrown trees and untamed grass, this former railway station in London looks chillingly beautiful. Before its underground station, Highgate was home to an overground steam railway that first opened in 1867. The railway was set to become a busy interchange to help expand the Northern line, called the Northern Heights Project.
Unfortunately, World War II brought the plans to a standstill and the scheme was abandoned along with Highgate Station by the 1950s. Today its station tunnels have been closed off and much of the original trackway between Alexandra Palace and Finsbury Park has been converted into a public footpath. Now home to more than a hundred species of wildlife, the footpath, known as the Parkland Walk, was declared a local nature reserve in 1990.
Former inmates ranged from murderers and loyalists to suffragettes and republicans and it was the site for executions, attacks, riots and even births. The prison operated for 150 years before finally closing its doors in 1995. Crumlin Road Gaol lay empty for years before becoming a popular tourist attraction. It is best known for its spooky ghost tours and paranormal investigations which run throughout the year.
Hidden within the woodland of Kennall Vale, the ruins of this gunpowder works are one of the most hauntingly beautiful relics in Cornwall. Dating back to 1812, the peaceful wooded valley was once the site of the Kennall Vale Gunpowder Company factory. Built around the River Kennall, its waters powered the gunpowder’s waterwheels as it cascaded down the valley. At its peak in the mid-19th century, the factory was producing 4,000 to 5,000 barrels of gunpowder a year.
The gunpowder works thrived for nearly 100 years before closing down for good in 1910 as the demand for gunpowder had declined. Stretching across 20 acres, today the site is managed by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust and is home to several species of wildlife including the dipper, a little brown bird which nests along the riverbanks. Overrun by nature, the ruins of the gunpowder works have been carpeted in a thick layer of moss and is a dreamy sight.
Beneath the suburbs of Edinburgh, this once-secret military bunker is one of the largest subterranean complexes in the UK. Due to growing concerns of a possible Soviet Union attack during the Cold War, the nuclear bunker was built in the 1950s as a shelter for the Queen and royal family. Spread over three storeys, the underground building was fitted out with a BBC broadcasting studio and plenty of space for other important people such as members of the military, the police and government officials.
As a Russian attack never happened, the Cold War bunker was left empty. Its existence remained a secret until 1963 when an anti-war activist group called Spies for Peace broke into a similar facility and exposed the nationwide scheme, making the government preparations for nuclear war public. Over the years, the bunker has been damaged by fires, neglect and vandalism, giving it an eerie appearance. The owners of the Barnton Quarry Bunker have had plans to turn it into a war museum and it's currently possible to book guided tours of the facility.
Once the second-largest slate quarry in the world, Dinorwic covers more than 700 acres between Llanberis and Dinorwig in North Wales. First built in 1787, the huge demand for slate roofing tiles in the late 19th century meant that tiles made here were exported all over the world, including across the UK, Europe and even North America. During its heyday, the quarry employed more than 3,000 men and was the second-largest opencast slate producer in the country.
A combination of the industrial decline and the extraction of slate becoming increasingly difficult led to the Dinorwic Quarry closing its doors in 1969. For decades, the quarry lay in ruins until it was given a new lease of life with the opening of the National Slate Museum in 1972, located in one of the old Victorian workshops. The museum tells the history of Welsh slate. Ruined remains of some of the quarry buildings are still scattered across the site.
This creepy abandoned airfield in Wiltshire dates back nearly 100 years. First opened in 1916, the Royal Flying Corps built Yatesbury Field to train pilots during World War I. After the war ended, training at Yatesbury continued until the site closed down in 1920 and the land was returned to its original owners. It wasn’t until 1936 that the site would be used for training again, following the growing concerns of a possible German invasion.
Over 50,000 men successfully passed the training from 1939 until 1945. After World War II, training largely ceased and by 1965, the training camp had closed. Since then, much of the site has been demolished except for a few buildings. Tangled weeds and grass have managed to creep through the windows of the buildings while bricks from the demolitions are strewn across the overgrown grass.
Nestled on a bend of the River Wye and bordered by steep limestone cliffs, Lancaut takes ‘lost village’ to the extreme. A place of worship since at least AD 625, the medieval village is thought to be one of the earliest sites of Christian activity in the Wye Valley. Lancaut’s original church was dedicated to the Welsh saint St Cewydd, who may have helped spread Christianity inland along the Wye.
A second church, which is thought to have been built by the Lord of Chepstow Castle around 1067, became its focal point and the village grew up around it. It’s unclear what happened to Lancaut, although its isolated location may have been a factor as well as the declining population. Shrouded in mystery, all that remains of the village are the atmospheric ruins of St James Church, a hollow shell of what it once was.
Perched on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, this foreboding fortress is unlike anywhere else in Northern Ireland. Originally built around the 13th century by Richard de Burgh, the 2nd Earl of Ulster, the castle’s first documented owners were the McQuillan family in the early 16th century. The castle had a turbulent life, it was also occupied by the McDonnell clan after numerous battles with the McQuillans.
In the 1630s it was owned by Randal McDonnell, the 1st Earl of Antrim. In 1634, the castle’s kitchen wing collapsed into the sea and McDonnell’s wife Catherine refused to live there any longer. In the late 17th century, the castle quickly fell into disrepair and was finally abandoned – its materials were used for nearby buildings. Not much of the castle still stands except its crumbling exterior. Surrounded by the beautiful County Antrim coast, Dunluce Castle is often named one of the most romantic ruins in Northern Ireland.
Also known as the ‘Old Pier’, this spooky structure lies off the coast of North Somerset on the Bristol Channel. Designed by famous seaside architect Eugenius Birch, Birnbeck Pier was built between 1862 and 1867 and is the only one in England to link the mainland to an island. The pleasure pier was initially a success, with 120,000 people visiting during its first three months of opening. Renovations and improvements swiftly followed with the additions of refreshment rooms, a large concert hall and the pavilion being extended.
Tragedy struck on Boxing Day in 1897, when most of its structures were destroyed in a fire, which marked the beginning of the end of Birnbeck Pier. Profits began to drastically decline and the pier was passed through the hands of several owners. Due to irreparable damage from storms, it was finally closed and dismantled for safety reasons in 1994. Despite proposals for its revival and redevelopment, the Grade II-listed structure has been on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register since 1999, serving as an eerie example of the age of Victorian pleasure piers.
Now a haunting ghost town, this former Welsh mining village can be found hidden in a valley in Gwynedd. During the boom of the 19th-century slate industry, Cwmorthin was home to a handful of families alongside a farming community that is thought to have lived in the area since the 11th century.
The decline of slate quarrying led to Cwmorthin’s eventual abandonment by the 1940s. All that remains of the village are a few crumbling quarry buildings and cottages. Set within what is now known as the Snowdonia National Park, the surrounding valley and striking blue lake provide a breathtaking backdrop for the peaceful ruined town and is popular with photographers.
Situated in a secluded spot in Glasgow, it’s hard to believe that this incredible building was home to one of Scotland’s biggest mental hospitals. Originally built in the 1830s, it wasn’t until a century later in 1936 that the building was converted into a psychiatric clinic. Sprawled across the Campsie foothills, the hospital housed around 1,200 patients and the old castle was the site of the nurses’ home. The Lennox Castle Hospital was one of the largest and best-equipped of its kind in the UK; its features included a stage, equipment for cinema shows and recreational facilities.
Sadly by the 1980s, hospital standards had quickly deteriorated. A 1989 study by the British Medical Journal found that around a quarter of its patients were dangerously underfed and malnourished, with claims of neglect, abuse and in more extreme cases, the injuries and deaths of patients. In 2002, the last few patients were reintegrated back into the community or transferred to other units and the hospital closed down. Today, the once-grand Lennox Castle now remains empty, its crumbling ruins are a spooky symbol of its grisly past.
It’s hard to believe now, but this unassuming slope just north of Sheffield’s city centre was once an elite training base for British winter Olympians. Opened in 1988 it boasted eight slopes, a lodge and even a bar. Soon half of the British freestyle skiing team were training at the site. Here we see all that remains of one of the viewing platforms.
In April 2012 disaster struck when fire destroyed the main building and later that year arsonists set fire to the nursery slope and a hut at the top of the main slope. Today all that is left of this elite training centre is an abandoned ruin. Its ski lifts lay in parts and left rusting across the hill. Its ski runs are overgrown, covered in graffiti and littered with rubbish. Recent plans to redevelop the site into an extreme sports centre fell by the wayside after a dispute between the local council and the developer.
This old ship rusting away in southeast London hosted some of Britain’s biggest music acts during its life at sea. Launched in 1951 on the River Mersey, the Royal Iris was the first vessel of its kind designed for both cruising and ferrying. During the 1960s, the ship became a floating music venue, hosting bands like The Beatles and Gerry & the Pacemakers. The vessel has ties to royalty too, in 1977 Queen Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh stepped on board for their Silver Jubilee celebrations.
Due to rising repair costs, the ferry was decommissioned in the early 1990s and transported to Woolwich in 2002. Today, the Royal Iris is still moored in London, slowly deteriorating on the Thames, with no plans for its future. Its peeling paint and hulking size are all that’s left of its once glamorous life.
In the heart of Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, the North Street Arcade is one of the few surviving Art Deco shopping centres in the UK. The mall was built in the 1930s on the site of the demolished Brookfield Linen Company warehouse. Spread over three floors with a tiled walkway and glass roof, the North Street Arcade was considered a jewel of the city, with independent traders ranging from jewellers to pet shops.
The mall operated for years until 2004 when arsonists targeted the building, causing extensive damage and its much-loved glass roof was completely destroyed. The North Street Arcade has been left in disrepair ever since. There have been plans to revive the listed shopping centre as part of the Tribeca Belfast development but nothing has materialised yet.
Thought to have been founded in the 9th or 10th century, Wharram Percy is often regarded as one of the largest and best-preserved medieval villages in Britain. Perched on an isolated valley in East Yorkshire, the village thrived between the 12th and early 14th centuries. Recorded in the Doomsday Book as ‘Warren’, the village gets its name from an important family known as Percy, who lived and owned land in the region.
The village was inhabited for around six centuries until it was deserted in 1400 after its last few residents were driven out to make space for sheep pasture. Today, the only building that has survived is the spooky ruined church. The foundations of some of the old houses and their outbuildings are still visible on the grassy plateau. Dubbed the best-known medieval village in Europe, Wharram Percy’s eerie remains have become a popular research site.
Dungeness, the southernmost point of Kent, feels almost apocalyptic. Sandwiched between Folkestone and Hastings, the headland is one of the most isolated spots in southern England. Formed largely of a shingle beach, the area represents the most diverse and extensive example of stable vegetated shingle in Europe. Although a handful of residents live in the fishing village, much of the population left over the years, most likely due to its remote location, giving the vast landscape an eerie, empty feel.
Another chilling sight in Dungeness are the abandoned ‘sound mirrors’, a set of three concrete monoliths, built sometime around 1916 to ‘listen’ for approaching enemy aircraft. These acoustic mirrors were constructed all along the south and northeast coasts of England and quickly became obsolete when radar was invented. Today they sit brooding in a disused gravel pit and can only be visited on one of the public open days run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) who manage the site.
Puncturing the South Wales coast, the history of this military battery dates back over 100 years. The Lavernock Battery was first built during the late 1860s to defend the channel between Barry Island and Flat Holm. The fort was originally triangular and included four guns, a protective ditch, barracks and a laboratory. It was here that radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi made telecommunications history in 1897. Marconi sent the world’s first-ever wireless communication across open sea; he sent the message 'Are you ready', from Flat Holm Island to Lavernock Point over the English Channel.
Much of the battery has since been demolished and was replaced by a new anti-aircraft structure during World War II. Equipped with four anti-aircraft guns, it served as a gun replacement before it was later abandoned. Today, the present complex has remained mostly intact and has been listed as an Ancient Monument. There’s something deeply atmospheric about its graffiti-strewn walls and desolate, decaying rooms.
Known as the first psychiatric clinic in Wales, you can’t get much more chilling than an abandoned hospital. Formerly the North Wales Counties Lunatics Asylum, the hospital first opened in 1848 to treat Welsh residents suffering from mental health issues. At its peak during the 1950s, it housed around 1,500 patients.
The North Wales Hospital operated for decades until staff shortages and too many patients caused the quality of treatment to rapidly decline. Over the years, numerous reports of abuse and neglect emerged and following former health secretary Enoch Powell announcing the closure of Victorian asylums in 1961, the hospital was nearing its end. It wasn’t until 1995 that the North Wales Hospital closed for good. Today, with its peeling paint, crumbling walls and ruined rooms carpeted with greenery, the Grade II-listed complex resembles something straight out of a horror film.
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