Derelict London - Photography, Social History and Guided Walking Tours
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  • Homepage
  • 22 Years of Derelict London
  • Author's Guided Tours of London
    • Minories to Poplar
    • Woolwich Alldayer
    • Roman Road
    • Whitechapel & Bethnal Green
    • Derelict Limehouse & Poplar
    • Lost Docks of Wapping
    • Isle of Dogs
    • Grand Surrey Canal
    • London's Lost Rivers Tours
    • Shadwell & Stepney
    • Silvertown
    • Bow Creek: River Lea from Bromley by Bow to Leamouth via Canning Town
    • Croydon Canal
    • Dartford guided walk
    • Hammersmith
    • East Finchley to Gospel Oak
    • London's Lost Music Venues
    • Tower Hamlets Special
  • 2025 New Pics
  • 2024 New Pics
  • Books by Paul Talling
  • Contact
  • Dereliction and Beyond...Then and Now Photos
    • Derelict London 2008 Book Then and Now Pics
    • Then and Now Pics South of the River
    • Then and Now Pics North of the River
  • London Transport
    • Derelict London Tube Trains and Stations
    • Derelict London Railway Stations,Lines and Rolling Stock
    • Derelict London Trams
  • Factories and Warehouses
    • North of the Thames Factories and Warehouses
    • South of the Thames Factories and Warehouses
  • Derelict London Homes
    • Homes North of the Thames
    • Homes South of The Thames
    • Derelict homes now Demolished
  • Derelict London Cinemas
  • Derelict London Hospitals
    • Hospitals North of the River
    • Hospitals South of the River
    • Hospitals: Then & Now pics
  • Derelict London Pools and Baths
  • Music History
    • London's Lost Music venues 2
  • Various Derelict London Buildings
  • Derelict London Pubs
    • North London
    • Derelict East London Pubs >
      • East London Pubs from Dereliction to Demolition
      • East London Pubs - Dead Pubs to Conversion
      • East London Pubs Back from the Brink
    • Central London
    • West & South West London
    • South & South East London Pubs
  • Derelict London Cemetery & Churches
  • Derelict London Hotels and Restaurants
  • Graffiti & Streetart
  • Misc London Derelict pics
  • Derelict London Cafes
  • People
  • Porticos and Pillars
  • Shopping Trolleys
  • Derelict London Shops
  • Signs and Murals
  • Derelict London Sportsgrounds
  • Post Offices
  • Derelict London Toilets
  • Toys
  • Derelict London Telephone Boxes
  • War - Bunkers and Pillboxes
  • Waterways and Wharves
  • Wildlife
  • Vehicles
  • Long Lost Burial Grounds
  • London Riots 2011: The Aftermath
  • Derelict London Boats
  • London's Long Lost Sports Grounds
  • Derelict Kent
    • Derelict Kent DA postcodes
    • Derelict Kent ME postcodes
    • Derelict Kent TN postcodes
  • Derelict Essex
    • Derelict Essex RM postcodes
    • Derelict Essex SS Postcodes
    • Derelict Essex CO postcodes
  • Derelict London Public Buildings
  • Derelict London Offices
  • Sponsors wanted!
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies Info
  • T-Shirts
Derelict London - Photography, Social History and Guided Walking Tours
Picture
Derelict London - Motor Vehicles​
smashed up vintage car on back of trailer in East London
Bromley-By-Bow E14
wreck of Morris Oxford or Austin Cambridge in South London breakers yard
Hook KT9
Rusty Vauxhall Victor
Hornsey N8

Derelict London - Motor Vehicles - Cars, Vans, Lorries, Vans, Coaches,Motorcycles and Mopeds (+ Thunderbird 4)

This gallery covers photographs that I have taken since I started this website back in 2003 so many of these are long gone by now. I shall continue to add pics as I still stumble upon a few vehicles when off the beaten track.......
Unloved Ford Cortina Mark 2 in South London lockup
Bermondsey - Ford Cortina Mark 2

Ford Cortina Mark 2 and Austin Mini

​Both of the iconic British cars below were spotted neglected & rotting away in people’s gardens – the Ford Cortina Mark 2 in Clapham and the Austin Mini in Woodford. The Cortina is around 40 years old, being one of the million or so made between 1966 and 1970 (very few survive today). The Mini was, of course, the most popular British-made car ever, with over five million manufactured between 1959 and 2000.

Apart from the fact that both cars are rusting away, they also have in common a Michael Caine connection. He drives a silver Mark 2 Cortina in the 1971 film Get Carter and the Mini played a key role in the 1969 cult film The Italian Job.
decaying Ford Cortina Mark 2 in abandoned garage in Clapham
Clapham - Ford Cortina Mark 2
Abandoned Austin Mini with mattress on the roof in Woodford
Woodford - Austin Mini
More Minis:
Flytipping inside redundant Austin Mini in London
Austin Mini on top of pile of cars at salvage yard in East London
Unloved redundant Austin Mini in East London
Gutted shell of Austin Mini in East London
Interior of trashed Austin Mini
rusting wreck of an Austin Mini

​Imperials Prestige Used Cars - Chadwell Heath,Romford. RM6

fire damaged ​Imperials Prestige Used Cars in Chadwell Heath,Romford. RM6
​Imperials Prestige Used Cars - Chadwell Heath,Romford. RM6
​This site remains derelict after a huge fire ripped through this luxury car dealership in November 2018. Around 125 firefighters spent almost nine hours tackling the fire at Imperials. Several vehicles, including two Land Rovers, a BMW and a Mercedes, were destroyed in the fire though luckily nobody was injured.Explosions were narrowly avoided as firefighters were able to drive around 40 cars offsite and remove and a number of pressurised gas cylinders from the scene.

The cause of the fire has been treated as suspicious
Burnt out car after fire at ​Imperials Prestige Used Cars in  Chadwell Heath,Romford. RM6
​Imperials Prestige Used Cars - Chadwell Heath,Romford. RM6
Burnt office furniture at ​Imperials Prestige Used Cars - Chadwell Heath,Romford. RM6
​Imperials Prestige Used Cars - Chadwell Heath,Romford. RM6

​Derelict and Abandoned Commercial Vehicles

Abandoned articulated lorry in Creekmouth, Barking
Creekmouth, Barking IG11 - 100% Beef 100% of the Time
Abandoned Royal Mail lorry on wasteland in East London
Overgrown Long Vehicle trailer in South London
Abandoned van at squat at old exhaust and tyre centre in Copperas Rd, Deptford
Wreck of an abandoned vehicle at St Georges Circus, SE1 before redevelopment
Burnt out interior of transit van in Tower Hamlets
Peckham scaffolding yard vandalised vehicle
Abandoned orange lorry at the roadside in Bromley-By-Bow E14
Bromley-By-Bow E14

Bromley-By-Bow E14 - Milkfloat

Abandoned milkfloat in Bromley By Bow
​The clink of glass milk bottles as they are deposited on doorsteps and the hum of the milkfloat pulling away at the crack of dawn is pretty much a thing of the past in London. Cheap milk in supermarkets and superstores means that many people are no longer attracted to the idea of having pints of milk dropped off on the doorstep every morning.

They probably also reckon that bottles of milk get stolen.

Picture of stolen, torched and abandoned car on wasteland in Belevedere, South East London
Belevedere DA17
​Every year in Britain between six and seven million used cars are sold, and two million are scrapped. The EU has introduced strict environmental rules on how cars should be disposed of through its End of Life Vehicle Directive, while new rules designed to combat copper and other metal theft have had the curious impact of making it illegal for car owners to be paid cash when scrapping a vehicle.

Rules introduced in 2005 make it a legal requirement that any car sent to be scrapped must go to an Authorised Treatment Facility. All car scrapyards must have a licence issued by the Environment Agency or Scottish Environment Protection Agency to ensure that scrapped vehicles don't harm the environment (all that battery acid, gearbox oil and engine parts) and that they are recycled appropriately.
Car covered in green mould in Sydenham, South London
Sydenham SE26
Car on a skip in East London beside scrapyard
Bromley-By-Bow E14
defunct Ford Granada in Selhurst South London
Selhurst SE25
Car cut in half in South London to make a shed
South Norwood SE25
Scrap Toyota on a skip in East London, E14
Bromley-By-Bow E14
Abandoned Austin Mini in East London
Bow E3
Morris Oxford at breakers yard in South London
Hook KT9
scrap Simca car on the Old Kent Road in Peckham
Old Kent Road SE15
scrapped redundant Triumph Spitfires in breakers yard in South London
Plumstead SE18

​Knackered Hackney Carriages (aka Black Cabs or London taxis)

​Knackered Hackney Carriages (aka Black Cabs or London taxis)
Bow E3
​In the UK the name hackney carriage refers to a taxicab licensed by the Public Carriage Office. 'Hackney' is derived from the village name Hackney (now part of London) which supplied horses from its surrounding meadows. UK regulations define a hackney carriage as a taxicab allowed to ply the streets looking for passengers to pick up, as opposed to private hire vehicles (sometimes called minicabs), which may pick up only passengers who have previously booked or who visit the taxi operator's office. In London, hackney-carriage drivers have to pass a test called The Knowledge to demonstrate that they have an intimate knowledge of the geography of London streets, important buildings, etc. Learning The Knowledge allows the driver to become a member of the Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers. 

As part of the Transported by Design programme of activities,in 2015, after public voting, the black cab was elected by Londoners as their favourite transport design icon. 
Wrecked Hackney Carriages (aka Black Cabs or London taxis)
Burnt out Hackney Carriages (aka Black Cabs or London taxis)
Fire damaged iconic black London Taxi in East London
Available for Spares? Hackney Carriage (aka Black Cab or London taxi)
London Taxi with Sweet Tooth streetart graffiti
Abandoned Hackney Carriages (aka Black Cabs or London taxis)

Friern Barnet, N10 - Sewage Works

burnt out joyrider cars in Friern Barnet Sewage works in North London
​​The sewage works here closed in the 1960s and the site has been used as a dumping ground ever since. The vehicles shown here may well have been stolen before they were torched. Years of fly-tipping have led to claims that the land is contaminated and so unsuitable for residential development.
Friern Barnet  Sewage works here closed in the 1960s and the site has been used as a dumping ground ever since
Years of fly-tipping at Friern Barnet Sewage works have led to claims that the land is contaminated and so unsuitable for residential development.
The vehicles shown here may well have been stolen before they were torched

Redundant VW Beetles

The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle was produced by the German Volkswagen (VW) from 1938 until 2003. With over 21 million manufactured the Beetle is the longest-running and most-manufactured automobile of a single design platform anywhere in the world. Here are a few decaying Beetles spotted around London.
Unloved abandoned VW Beetle
VW Beetle wrecks in London
One of a few decaying VW Beetles spotted around London.
Mark Holland writes "Looked at your website this morning, just browsing through the photos, when I came across the vehicles in Fiern Barnet sewage works and I saw the distinctive shape of a beetle, same year as mine. Then I noticed the bumpers - still in top condition despite everything else rusting away.

It's such a shame to see a bug rust to death, so I wondered if I could at least salvage the bumpers. I had no idea when those photos were taken, but I thought it worth a gamble so I headed up north and met a friend at Bounds Green.

We found our way to the site and climbed up an embankment to discover an area vastly different from the photos on your site. Every track was overgrown with deep undergrowth. It was like stepping into a jungle. Most of the wrecks were covered in thick weeds. Then by some stroke of luck I found the bug.

Luckier still, both the back and front bumpers were still in good nick although the bolts were firmly rusted in. With some encouragement we freed them from the frame and lugged them back to the road. I emerged covered in mud and blood but two bumpers richer. Got a few strange looks lugging them back on the tube."

Available for spares? wrecked cars. Morris Minors and VW Beetle in Deptford SE8
Minors and Beetle in Deptford SE8

Coaches and Buses

picture of abandoned wreck of a coach in London, SE1
St George's Circus, SE1

Feltham TW13 - Rail Freight Marshalling Yard

Feltham Rail Freight Marshalling Yard was built in 1918 by German prisoners-of-war. With its 32 miles of sidings it was the second largest yard in the country, complete with repair sheds for wagons and locomotives.
Wrecked stolen car in Feltham TW13 at the old Rail Freight Marshalling Yard
​This rail yard was built in 1918 by German prisoners-of-war. With its 32 miles of sidings it was the second largest yard in the country, complete with repair sheds for wagons and locomotives. However, rail traffic began to decline in 1960s, and the yard eventually closed in 1969. It was dismantled over the following decade.

Today, it is an overgrown wilderness. There is little evidence that there was a yard here, apart from one graffiti-covered concrete building. There are a few abandoned cars, burnt out by joyriders. Recent excavations on the site have revealed remains of Iron Age

And a load more Abandoned/Wrecked/Unloved/ Derelict Motor Vehicles

Picture of wrecked cars abandoned by the roadside in East London
Poplar E14
Dartford DA1 burnt out car on Joyce Green Lane
scrapyard in South East London in Bexley
Abandoned car in Beckton, East London
Only Fools and Horses. Yellow derelict Robin Reliant in South london
Classic Robin Reliant three wheeler in Charlton, South London
Mile End stolen and abandoned car
Crayford DA1 car in scrapyard by the Thames
Abandoned car in Dartford, Kent
Car wreck burnt out in Dartford Kent
burnt out stolen car abandoned in Deptford, South London
wrecked car abandoned in Epping Forest
Crayford redundant vehicles in scrapyard
Police tape around stolen car in Dartford DA1
Redundant BMW in Peckham scrap yard
Renault 5 in Hackney Wick abandoned by roadside
Wreck of abandoned stolen car in Foots Cray near Sidcup
Abandoned wrecked car in East London
Joyriders set fire to stolen car in Kent
Rusting unloved Ford Escort in Harrow, NW London
Abandoned burnt out stolen Austin Mini Metrro
Abandoned stolen car wrecked under the A13 in Barking, East London
derelict scrap vehicle in Poplar, East London
Redundant Range Rover in yard in East London
redundant Jaguar XJS on a skip off the Old Kent Road
car crash wreck in Poplar, East London
Rolls Royce in South East London scrapyard
classic car in yard in South London
crushed car in East London scrapyard vehicle salvage
One of many scrap vehicles on Ailsa Street in Poplar awaiting redevelopment along the River Lea
Gerry Anderson's Thunderbird 4 in London. West Thamesmead, SE28
Abandoned Range Rover under railway arches in Bethnal Green, East London
Unloved Morris Minor Traveller in South East London

abandoned old style metallic grey Austin Mini in front garden surrounded by refuse sacks in South Norwood, London
South Norwood, SE25
Picture
South Norwood, SE25
Red Saab abandoned with broken window in Stepney
Stepney, E1
Paul Talling's Derelict London - all photographs are copyright © 2003-2025
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