Derelict London 2023 Update Page (Part 2)
Derelict toilets at Warren Farm Sports Ground - Southall, UB2
Warren Farm Sports Ground - Southall, UB2
This site was initially a farm, which was acquired by the London County Council in the 1960s. Control was handed over to Ealing Council in 1990 but these dilapidated sports changing and shower facilities plus pavilion in a 60+ acre urban meadow, have been left unused for over a decade. The surrounding green areas have made way for rare plant and animal species such as skylarks, barn owls and bats. Warren Farm’s 12 pairs account for a quarter of London’s entire Skylark population. There are also at least 15 locally important plant species that are dependent upon the site. Experts have warned the Council's plans to build football and cricket pitches will destroy this area of high ecological value. Southall FC, who have not played in Southall since the early 1990s and have been groundsharing out of the area, are hopeful of a return to Southall if the council proceeds with its plans.
Queen’s Park Ranger Football Club proposed using Warren Farm for a new training ground, but eventually abandoned their plans in 2020 after a near-decade-long battle with local opposition groups.
Queen’s Park Ranger Football Club proposed using Warren Farm for a new training ground, but eventually abandoned their plans in 2020 after a near-decade-long battle with local opposition groups.
Derelict facilities at Warren Farm Sports Ground - Southall, UB2
Maryon Grove Estate, Charlton, SE7
The abandoned Maryon Grove Estate, Charlton, SE7
After 20 years of running this website, I document yet another derelict 1970s housing estate. This Greenwich Council estate comprises 172 homes in 16 4-storey blocks. It is adjacent to the Morris Walk estate (see elsewhere on Derelict London) which was recently demolished.
Council tenants and leaseholders were moved out of the Maryon Grove estate in the mid-2010s as part of plans to redevelop it. Then a housing association housed people there on short-term tenancies. The last tenants were moved out recently, leaving the estate empty. Many of the steel security screens to protect the windows and doors have been forced or cut open, presumably by thieves who have stripped each property of wiring and copper piping. This in turn has left them open to the elements for vandals, crack heads and arsonists.
Workmen are (slowly) erecting wooden poles around the estate to secure it with a perimeter fence. Meanwhile, you are likely to bump into the odd shifty loose cannon, injure yourself in a burnt out flat or scratch yourself on a sharp needle. So, it best that you give this place a miss....
Council tenants and leaseholders were moved out of the Maryon Grove estate in the mid-2010s as part of plans to redevelop it. Then a housing association housed people there on short-term tenancies. The last tenants were moved out recently, leaving the estate empty. Many of the steel security screens to protect the windows and doors have been forced or cut open, presumably by thieves who have stripped each property of wiring and copper piping. This in turn has left them open to the elements for vandals, crack heads and arsonists.
Workmen are (slowly) erecting wooden poles around the estate to secure it with a perimeter fence. Meanwhile, you are likely to bump into the odd shifty loose cannon, injure yourself in a burnt out flat or scratch yourself on a sharp needle. So, it best that you give this place a miss....
The abandoned Maryon Grove Estate, Charlton, SE7
Faversham, Kent
Abandoned Boats on Faversham Creek
Faversham owes its existence to its Creek, a tidal inlet with convenient access to the Swale and Thames Estuary. With its main tributaries. This formed a safe, spacious haven, shallow but good enough for coasting vessels. It attracted prehistoric, and then a Roman, settlement alongside its banks.
The town of Faversham is quite picturesque, but I still managed to find a few abandoned buildings, dilapidated boats, and old rail wagons.
A (now defunct) branch line once carried apples, cherries, hops and other produce from the rich North Kent fruit belt down to the creek where it could be transported by barges to London markets such as Spitalfields. This era of the port ended with the closure of the railway in 1960. Today the quay caters mainly for leisure boats. Around the boatyard are many the abandoned goods wagons that were left stranded here when the railway track was dismantled.
Abandoned railway wagon on Faversham Creek
Burnt out property on St Mary's Road, Faversham
Emergency services were called to the blaze in this Victorian end of terrace house on St Mary's Road in the early hours of the morning in July 2023. Two people were taken to hospital with injuries. A 59-year-old man was arrested and charged with two counts of attempted murder and arson with intent to endanger life. Pre-fire images of the property can be seen on Google Streetview here