Report - EdgeHill University Campus, Chorley, Lancashire (September 2023)

[SPK LilDopey]

We ended up stumbling upon this after noticing it seemed empty every time we’d seen it, I’m not sure how long it’s been closed for, but I can only presume it was at the beginning of the pandemic as I believe it was used as a testing zone.

(Image of campus from afar)

Upon entering the campus we were greeted with a security camera shouting at us that were ‘being monitored’. We decided to go around through the bushes but it made no difference as there were more cameras around the campus. We came to realise that these cameras do not alert the police, so your free to just ignore them and keep on going.

(Image of university entrance)

We ended up doing a full loop off the college and ending up at the entrance. I won’t explain how we got in as the building is already very decayed and has live wires all around.

(Image of entrance from inside)

Once inside the college, we navigated our way through dorms to the main entrance.

(Image of ‘bar and lounge’)

We found some signs leering us to a bar and lounge but it was just a empty room with a few monitors in it, I presume it was alot more glamourise as it once was but it was still quite interesting to see.

(Image of kitchen area)

After walking through the bar and lounge we found ourself in a small kitchen witch I can only presume provided food for the uni.

(Image of hallway)

There was a lot of hallways but I must say this was the nicest looking one, probably one of the few that still has working lights and the ceiling attached.

(Image of hallway light)

(Image of dorms from inside)

The dorms as I mentioned earlier where quite empty and littered with cctv (on the outside).

(Image of dorm room)

The dorm rooms were well and truly gone beyond repair, they were absolutely disgusting and littered with mold.

(Image of dorm stairway)

Just like the dorms the stairway was knackered. After this we decided to leave, but if your up for it there’s still a little left to explore, although I’ll be honest it doesn’t seem to worth it.

 

[The_Raw]

Not a bad first report. Just needs the month and year of your visit in the title please.

 

[SPK LilDopey]

Not a bad first report. Just needs the month and year of your visit in the title please.

Added that to the title now mate 👍🏽

 

[Calamity Jane]

Welcome to 28dl.
I am a little confused about this site. I tried to find some history/reason for closing etc. Edge hill University Lancaster has a really long interesting history, but is a lot older than this building? I read "Edge Hill University is a campus-based public university in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England, which opened in 1885 as Edge Hill College, the first non-denominational teacher training college for women in England, before admitting its first male students in 1959.[3] In 2005, Edge Hill was granted Taught Degree Awarding Powers by the Privy Council and became Edge Hill University on 18 May 2006."

This seems, like either a rebuild or separate part altogether. Closing in 2015. Either way, it made me research some pretty cool reading.

 

[MrDevla]

I’m fairly certain this used to be called Woodlands Conference Centre and was managed by Lancashire Country Council. It was in a fairly bad state when I did some work there 7 year back and needed a lot spending on it then. This’ll likely be a housing estate in a few years......

 

[Crazy cargirl]

I’ve been waiting for this to come up for some time. Lancashire college is the part you show here. It was used for many educational training purposes. It closed in around 2015 I think. There was also the edge hill library (not shown here) and also woodlands conference centre (also not shown here) that was used for teacher in service training (single story building to the back). I have been here many times for training and it was very sad when it closed. During the pandemic a Covid testing centre was set up on the car park. Prior to this it was a ‘field hospital’ with a very interesting history. It is planned that housing will be put on there very soon. I’m sure there are squatters in there, windows open or closed police visit occasionally. So sad to see it in a sorry state.

 

[urb3xer]

This is a great report, I have been eyeing up this place for a while now as I pass it almost every day. I had a look on Google maps and it seems that the car park was always full on the street view pictures until around 2018, but then as mentioned, it was a Covid testing site in 2020-21. I haven't had the chance to visit yet, but I will definetly be going to this place, along with the abandoned library and the massive woods behind it in the near future.

 

[urb3xer]

I also forgot to mention in my first comment, a few weeks ago some travellers were in the back car park and set fire to one of the back buildings so I don't know whether all the things will still be there.

 

[Crazy cargirl]

The part shown in this report is now fenced off and all boarded up, the kitchen has gone, the dorms mostly gone too. Looks dangerous from what can be seen from the road. I also found some plans online for building.

 

[SPK LilDopey]

The part shown in this report is now fenced off and all boarded up, the kitchen has gone, the dorms mostly gone too. Looks dangerous from what can be seen from the road. I also found some plans online for building.

I’ve been in there recently and there’s asbestos signs everywhere so I wouldn’t recommend going in unless you’ve got the propper masks and a good pair of wellies as it’s ended up a little bit flooded. Other than that the buildings really cool, has a kind of silent hill vibe to it

 

[Nothingtonobody]

I’ve been in there recently and there’s asbestos signs everywhere so I wouldn’t recommend going in unless you’ve got the propper masks and a good pair of wellies as it’s ended up a little bit flooded. Other than that the buildings really cool, has a kind of silent hill vibe to it

Is there any security? Is it still accessible?

 

[Redshanks]

There are 2 buildings on this site, Lancashire College and Woodlands. Both owned and operated by Lancashire County Council. Woodlands was the county council's conference and in service training facility and is to the rear of the site. It was also used by Lancashire Music Service. As I understand it, Edge Hill university rented some room space at Woodlands on a long term basis to use for their students. Lancashire College was a purpose built residential college, built @ 1976 intended for adult students. I worked at Lancashire College for 17 years until 2013. When I first worked here the college offered residential courses typically at weekends focusing mainly on languages but other typical adult education subjects. The language provision was specialised and delivered by many native speakers. They also had tailor made language provision for businesses eg British Aerospace, Customs/ border control. When I started work here the college was embarking on adult community learning, which originally was focused on working with adults who were visually impaired, deaf, or unpaid/informal carers who lived in Lancashire. It expanded out to cover adults who were socially isolated, adults with learning disabilities and other targeted groups who found it hard to access typical learning. Much of this targeted learning provision took place off site in local communities across Lancashire. The service expanded to become Lancashire Adult Learning with other sites at White Cross, Lancaster and in East Lancashire. Lancashire College also ran weekly adult education classes both at the college and in local communities. The photographs shown above are of Lancashire College, not Woodlands, which is the single storey building a the rear of this large site. The rooms referred to as dorms were never used as dorms. This is not typical uni provision or accommodation. They were bedrooms used for fee paying learners on traditional adult learning courses, or for adult learners on specialist targeted community residential courses which were free to begin with and very low cost by the time I left in 2013. All courses were short term for just a few days. I think that there were originally 44 bedrooms but as demand decreased for traditional residential courses and people wanted en suites, the number of bedrooms were reduced and more en suite facilities created. Many bedrooms were converted to offices and I shared an office with colleagues which was actually 2 bedrooms knocked through. The attached building to the right as you look from the front was built in the early noughties as purpose built teaching rooms, and some meeting rooms. So that part of the building isn't old at all. I can actually see my old office window in one of the photos. It's a shame to see the pictures from inside the building and the decay that has occurred. It's sad.

 

[Redshanks]

I’m fairly certain this used to be called Woodlands Conference Centre and was managed by Lancashire Country Council. It was in a fairly bad state when I did some work there 7 year back and needed a lot spending on it then. This’ll likely be a housing estate in a few years......

The building in these photos is Lancashire College. Woodlands Conference Centre was on the same site but at the back behind Lancashire College. You are correct in that they were both owned by Lancashire County Council but were operated as 2 completely separate and different buildings. Woodlands was the county council's conference and in service training facility but Edge Hill rented or used some of the rooms. Lancashire College was a purpose built adult residential college delivering tradtional adult education weekly classes and also short residential courses. Lancashire College had an attached residential block that had 3 floors. An extension was added late noughties to provide more teaching rooms. I worked at Lancashire College from 1997-2013 and can actually see my last office in the photos. My office was 2 bedrooms knocked into 1 room

 

[Redshanks]

This is a great report, I have been eyeing up this place for a while now as I pass it almost every day. I had a look on Google maps and it seems that the car park was always full on the street view pictures until around 2018, but then as mentioned, it was a Covid testing site in 2020-21. I haven't had the chance to visit yet, but I will definetly be going to this place, along with the abandoned library and the massive woods behind it in the near future.

If you haven't visited yet, you need to do asap if you still want to. Demolition starts on 4 November 2024

 

[Redshanks]

We ended up stumbling upon this after noticing it seemed empty every time we’d seen it, I’m not sure how long it’s been closed for, but I can only presume it was at the beginning of the pandemic as I believe it was used as a testing zone.

(Image of campus from afar)

Upon entering the campus we were greeted with a security camera shouting at us that were ‘being monitored’. We decided to go around through the bushes but it made no difference as there were more cameras around the campus. We came to realise that these cameras do not alert the police, so your free to just ignore them and keep on going.

(Image of university entrance)

We ended up doing a full loop off the college and ending up at the entrance. I won’t explain how we got in as the building is already very decayed and has live wires all around.

(Image of entrance from inside)

Once inside the college, we navigated our way through dorms to the main entrance.

(Image of ‘bar and lounge’)

We found some signs leering us to a bar and lounge but it was just a empty room with a few monitors in it, I presume it was alot more glamourise as it once was but it was still quite interesting to see.

(Image of kitchen area)

After walking through the bar and lounge we found ourself in a small kitchen witch I can only presume provided food for the uni.

(Image of hallway)

There was a lot of hallways but I must say this was the nicest looking one, probably one of the few that still has working lights and the ceiling attached.

(Image of hallway light)

(Image of dorms from inside)

The dorms as I mentioned earlier where quite empty and littered with cctv (on the outside).

(Image of dorm room)

The dorm rooms were well and truly gone beyond repair, they were absolutely disgusting and littered with mold.

(Image of dorm stairway)

Just like the dorms the stairway was knackered. After this we decided to leave, but if your up for it there’s still a little left to explore, although I’ll be honest it doesn’t seem to worth it.

Thank you for posting this. I worked in this building, Lancashire College. It's shocking to see the state it is now in. Althought the kitchen and what was the dining room, behind the bar had a flat roof and needed regular costly maintenance. Demolition is supposed to start tomorrow, 4th Nov. One of your photos taken upstairs, where you've taken a photo through a tall window towards an exterior wall, shows my office window from the outside, and you can also see the end of the extended, newer part of the college. The bedrooms weren't dorms in the traditional sense, but were bedrooms for adult learners on short adult education courses. The photos you show of dorms were originally bedrooms for 1 person containing a built in wardrove, vanity unit, wash basin, bed and bedside cabinet, but were knocked through to create offices for staff. You can see the electric sockets put in at desk height. There were several bathrooms in that part of the building to, which aren't shown. I guess that the fittings have been stripped out. Your first photo taken from outside is of Woodlands, a separate building at the rear of the site, that was used as a conference centre by Lancashire County Council. I think all the rest of your photos are of Lancashire College, the building closest to the road, which can be seen from the road. The county council also owned the college but both buildings were managed separately with different functions. The corridor that you refer to as not looking as bad as the others appears to be in the newest part of Lancashire College, which was an extension built in the noughties. It is around 20 years old. The hallway light you showed is not actually a light. It is a tube that runs between the ceiling and outer roof and reflects daylight into the corridor and is in that newer part. It's shocking that public money was used to build that extension and it is about to be demolished. I no longer live in the area but do drive past from time to time and wondered what was happening with the place. Now I know, thanks to yourself