Exploring the Abandoned Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre

In this video, we head inside the abandoned Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre in Rochdale, England! The complex boasting 15,130sqm of space for 26 tenants closed during the second lockdown in 2020 after being forced to close in both periods, because it hosted no essential retail stores.
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[@nyasa5349]

This is very sad. I used to go the library with my mum when I small. It was the one place I truly loved. I’m 25 now and I won’t ever forget it.

[@christopher9727]

.... Do you know Jesus Christ can set you free from sins and save you from hell today Jesus Christ is the only hope in this world no other gods will lead you to heaven There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today Romans 6.23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus

[@sportsnet1997]

It's tragic to see a perfectly good building like that abandoned. Call me old fashioned, but I still like to buy things in an actual store.

[@christopher9727]

.... Do you know Jesus Christ can set you free from sins and save you from hell today Jesus Christ is the only hope in this world no other gods will lead you to heaven There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today Romans 6.23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus

[@christopher9727]

.... Do you know Jesus Christ can set you free from sins and save you from hell today Jesus Christ is the only hope in this world no other gods will lead you to heaven There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today Romans 6.23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus

[@legendelliot94]

The fact the calendar was left on March 2020 16:20 was an earie reminder of the start of lockdown and a bleak 2 years of covid.

[@christopher9727]

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus

[@jezdavies4917]

One of COVID’s biggest causalities was retail and leisure, there wasn’t much else that could’ve been done but perhaps a lower rental figure during the pandemic recovery would’ve saved centres like this

[@reneastle8447]

Good thing I have ideas to make sure centres like this are saved and reopened for sure.

[@Urbandoned]

This would have been good to see and definitely would have helped places like this. Thanks for the idea

[@reneastle8447]

@@Urbandoned Indeed it would. You're welcome. The plan I have in mind is "The Retro Decade Revival Project".

[@-----------g-]

Casualties*

[@jezdavies4917]

Haha there’s always one

[@Icybluepearl2222]

i used to live in rochdale and it was always busy with people, this was my entire childhood coming to and from this place and when i got a place of my own i became a frequent visitor and shopper. such a shame this entire building is now wasted like this. they did the same with the old rochdale indoor markets. thats abandoned too inside of the exchange centre in rochdale.

[@christopher9727]

Do you know Jesus Christ can set you free from sins and save you from hell today Jesus Christ is the only hope in this world no other gods will lead you to heaven There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today Romans 6.23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus

[@chloedarling9895]

Grew up spending my life shopping here 😌 it fills my heart with such sadness to see it like this 😪 the large shop with the homeware section you showed use to be tj Hughes and next to it use to be wilkos until they couldn't keep up with the councils insane rent requests unfortunately covid was the final nail in the coffin for this once alive shopping center. The tenants didn't even get a heads up before they closed the center they found out the same time as everyone else including like the cleaning staff. It was brutal how they closed it I really believed the council would have kept up maintenance of the building as they at one point said they had plans for it 😕

[@cjmillsnun]

It was owned by a private firm.

[@-----------g-]

All the emojis make me laugh 😂

[@DEAD-DROP]

Strange seeing a shopping centre in an in-between state like this. Feels like you should see people strolling around... This being 90s structure, it connected with me too. I had a weird feeling of nostalgia and I only really noticed it when you shared the same sentiment in the video. Glad you guys could capture this place before the vandals get in! Great work!

[@mrkipling2201]

I’m so used to seeing abandoned shopping centre videos from America, it’s a surprise to see one from England. In fact it’s probably the first one I’ve seen from England. Just down the road from where I was born as well.

[@thealien_ali3382]

U were born in rochdale and now live in America? Woow, hope Ur doing well bud

[@barrystanton3613]

@@thealien_ali3382 did he say that lmao?

[@thealien_ali3382]

@@barrystanton3613 are u stupid? Or is this a special occasion for u? He literally referred to the video by saying "In fact it's probably the first one I've seen from England. Just down the road from where I was born as well" The last sentence is literally self explanatory: in fact it's probably the first one I've seen from England JUST DOWN THE ROAD FROM WHERE I WAS BORN.

[@GentlemanGaming1122]

@@thealien_ali3382 Lol

[@ulysses4989]

You were born up the road from the wheatsheaf?

[@TheVleckChannel]

I work very close to the Wheatsheaf and walked through it a few times to get to the shopping street. It suffers from a bad layout: only one main entrance to the shopping section from the street, as seen at the start of the video. The rear used to be connected to an elevated walkway from the bus station that was demolished, leaving a trek up some escalators to get into the shopping centre. The library used to be in this building but it moved into the new council offices. As well as this, towards the end it had very few big name retailers to attract customers. A real oddball of a building by the time it came to close.

[@keithalexander3386]

We lived in this area for a number of years and it is sad to see the building closed down. We were regular users of the library but also shopped here. For a long time it was a vibrant area to which many people came. It sits in an unloved and relatively little used street. Much has now gone, including the market which became little used.

[@kirkybury]

You did a great job of documenting the site. I had many trips shopping here with my parents and sister when younger. Great memories and so sad to see it now gone. Thanks for bringing those memories back. 👏

[@hillkatback]

I worked in the library. We were actually on more than 2 floors, the top floor was the reference library, it’s balcony overlooked the general library and children’s area (you can see this in your video). Then there was the special services unit for those who had visual impairments on a mezzanine level, then below that we had an entire staff admin floor which also kept the reserve stock and all the book processing departments. Then we had 3 vehicles housed in the underground car park including the mobile library which unfortunately we no longer have. I loved working there even if the lift constantly broke down and the ceiling leaked.

[@lwvibes528]

I remember always going upstairs to the Argos ever since I was young. From queuing up as a kid ordering my yugioh cards to buying my PlayStation and games.

[@RPKGameVids]

I have great memories of going shopping with my mum in there in the early 90's and then in the late 90's and early 2000's. It's still a perfectly good nice building, and as far as buildings go it's not that old, it would be an absolute shame if it get's demolished.

[@niallh8129]

Really interesting to see it now. Used to go in here all the time. You used to be able to walk from the old bus station/ multi storey car park up the escalators and connecting bridges and through TJ Huges ( which is what became the long dark corridor on level 2) into this shopping mall and out onto Yorkshire St. When they closed the old bus station and demolished the bus station and connecting bridges it basically meant you could only access this mall from Yorkshire St and effectively made it a dead end mall. The new owners did put the new connecting escalators in at a later date down to the new Rochdale Riverside shopping centre but by then the damage had been done and the big names started to move out. Where the beautiful stain glass window is was where the connecting bridge to the old bus station and multi storey car park was. It originally had travelators with a blue carpet but the carpet didn't last long. There was also a model railway by the stain glass window that was commissioned by the shopping centre when it first opened ( where is that now!) And also a (mill?) engine of somesort that looked like it came out of a old mill that used to sway back and forth with a wheel. All gone long before closure. There was also a cafe in the middle of the mall that used to have a pianist that would play a grand piano. Sad to see how it is now but sadly this mall was built in the mall boom and wasn't big enough to compete with other shopping centres and the Internet.

[@cliveevans9795]

Home shopping has wrecked the high street and department stores

[@clivet3252]

That's an excuse made by bad management.

[@Cjbx11]

@@clivet3252 Not really. High street rents and rates are so ridiculously high and town centres with bad parking and roads there is nothing that can stop the online shopping boom. I’ve worked in retail all my life and we moved off the high street on to a industrial estate out of town where we now have bigger premises with better parking paying less then half the rent and rates and now sell a mix of in store and online. This move probably wouldn’t work for every business but worked for ours. It was a risk but turned out to be the best move we ever made. Had we not made the move we would now be out of business. If the government was serious about levelling the playing field with online retail the only way is for them to impose a higher VAT rate for items purchased online. It really saddens me what has happened to the high street but it’s the old saying use it or loose it.

[@clivet3252]

@@Cjbx11 Decent management would group together to sort out those issues. Too many people in retail are on the merry-go-round for a pay day. The bloke who ruined Morrisons and the woman who is destroying John Lewis and Waitrose are perfect examples. No one has a problem talking about how useless the governement are, well if they're so useless then it stands to reason that high level retail management will be also.

[@Cjbx11]

@@clivet3252 I wouldn’t disagree that bad management causes problems and a lot of retailers have been very foolish. But that still doesn’t alter the fact that the way people shop has changed and no matter how good or bad the management of individual company’s maybe will change that.

[@1family473]

The government and council wrecked it.. they have spent millions again in Rochdale on a shopping retail street that feels like a movie set. It doesn’t have a permanent feel to it anymore. It’s difficult to get to it difficult to park it’s just not accessible anymore. The old bus station was perfectly placed as was the car park and town/council offices. They have made hundreds of mistakes and covers it up with a new tram link, opened up a bridge with nothing to see, the river is like a sewage stream just s complete waste of money. It all worked far better before

[@TheMarcushowell]

Thank you for tho video, really touched a spot inside me. I used to visit here with my great grandma. So have some really fond memories, I remember what a lot of a bigger stores used to be and can even visual now how they looked on the inside. I can also recall the area where the escalators Still have power actually appear in TV series seen

[@kevinmarshall5431]

Whilst visiting Rochdale a fortnight ago, I discovered the cafe with the piano has moved to Yorkshire Street (minus the piano I presume).

[@kdb-qr9jh]

Quality video.The Urbandoned team is back at it again!

[@mohammednadeemanwar2213]

My mother would only use catalogue if a particular item was not available in any shop, that was early 1980's. She loved going to shops and department stores. Malls were basically Victorian shopping arcades that were demolished. sad state of affairs!

[@styxthistle497]

I actually took my economics exams in what used to be the library just 18 months ago. Even back then, it was already half liminal space; it just got deader and deader as you went up

[@stuartarundale6219]

Weird seeing the empty stock room of the Argos. I serviced the fire alarm here for nigh on twenty years and the place barely had room to move in

[@scottlancaster9737]

Such a shame that it’s got to that! Looks an amazing building. Tragic waste. All the same great vid, hope it don’t get demolished, however, excellent coverage! Really enjoyed watching that! Well done! 👍👍

[@CrazyDuckie94]

So sad to see it that way! Thanks for a great video. I remember going in there after school and college when my Mum used to work at Hopwood Hall as a drama tutor

[@DaveBeaven-tx2tp]

The old bus station was linked to this by bridges from the black box building before they were demolished. I was lucky enough to photograph the inside of the old bus station before demolition started. That was weird experience walking around a derelict bus station. The loss of the bridge links could have been a factor in the closure of the shopping centre. There is always an a hidden agenda when places like this close down. There’s nothing wrong with the shopping centre so why close it?

[@paulnewman5975]

Wow. Reminds me so much of the Coventry shopping centre. Great explore. 👍

[@chrisduckz]

Remember the Benetton shop on the left hand side and when they used to have Athena the poster shop. Going to the library I loved. Bought my first proper girlfriend a pair of shoes from there.

[@serenityinside1]

Shoes from the library?!!! 🤔

[@klh1977]

Benetton, Birthdays, Athena, BHS, Mark One, TopShop, there as a bookshop, a stationers (upstairs), newsagent where I used to but Smash Hits, and before TJ Hughes there was a food court

[@chrisdoney8578]

Really great vid this. Nostalgic in a way as we have all enjoyed shopping centre style shopping over the decades, waiting for a film or toy release and buying on a Saturday with parents or friends and having a drink/snack in the centre etc. Then becoming a parent yourself and taking the kids shopping for this or that. So sad to see these kind of places go and Amazon and the suchlike get bigger and bigger. Shopping used to be more of a event, sometimes exciting almost! Maybe I'm just dwelling in the past and my own nostalgia. Thanks for filming abd sharing 👍

[@peterdockrill9653]

I use to work in Rochdale late 70s. I Remember the old mill what use to be on site. Use to walk past it everyday to work at the holcrofts factory

[@jezdavies4917]

Thanks for the mention and thank you for another great video

[@MostlyLoveOfMusic]

The best regeneration method for abandoned retail/leisure buildings is to turn them into vertical farms or indoor parks - lots of green space to improve the health and wellbeing of the urban population

[@RevokCronenberg]

I wonder if regulations would permit the conversion of the shops into residential dwellings (flats)? If so, it would be an amazing investment opportunity for some cashed up developers to buy the whole site and convert it into essentially a block of flats but in a very nice setting (keeping the walkways and centre court as it is). Could even be done with many of the other dead malls in town centres. I'd live there.

[@stevev2492]

It could be more expensive to convert it into a block of flats than to knock it down and build new on the site.

[@stephaniemcquillan1930]

Abandoned shopping centres are very interesting but also very sad as they are becoming a thing of the past. I’ve seen a lot of abandoned shopping centres and malls on KZbin. There are a lot in the U.S. which I have seen on This Is Dan Bell’s channel. He has done a whole series of them. I used to love going to a shopping centre. Unfortunately they are in decline and aren’t what they once were. This was a great one you explored. Thanks guys!

[@MostlyLoveOfMusic]

beautiful and very functional building - it simply must be saved

[@andycarter917]

I moved to Rochdale in the early 90s, the place was renovated a lot over the years, the biggest shop they have was never there as it used to be a walk though with shops and a cafe leading down to a play area. I remember being told off by one of the security guards when I was about 5 and he was still working there until the shopping centre closed down for good. There used to be a BHS in there as well which had 2 floors, I think it was in the section that got renovated.

[@minimaxi802]

I haven't been to Rochdale for a while and I only live in nearby Bolton. I didn't know the shopping centre has closed down and remember a man playing a piano in a restaurant.

[@jerrywallop5647]

Russell’s cafe

[@strzxgvnuvwvfld3597]

Great video and fascinating to see inside, reminds me a lot of my teenage years shopping in Rochdale.This place had been in decline for a long, long time though. It originally tried to be a bit more high-end than the Exchange Shopping Centre down the road, it was heavily patrolled by security guards in blazers who would kick out teenagers for the most minor of things (me and a friend were once booted out for breaking into a jog for a few metres to catch up the rest of our group, "no running" apparently). By the early 2000s the guys in blazers were long gone and the fancy cafe had turned into a massive TJ Hughes. It basically ended up full of discount stores, but in recent years even they started to move away, including the large Wilkos.

[@kaymorrice8141]

Fascinating. Thank you!

[@charcharr0]

the memorys from that place went there every week with my mum from 2016-2020

[@jaygatsby3039]

I remember this building when I was a kid. I bought my first CD from here, we used to come here every Christmas and buy stuff for our parents, we ate in the piano bar restaurant on the lower ground. That was during Rochdale's hayday, but that was a long time ago - back then there were independent shops, and a thriving community. That's long gone, and this is what's left.

[@JemimaPuddleduck777]

How sad when what was once a vibrant shopping & social area now lies abandoned 🥺 I hope some kind of new life can be breathed into it for the ppl of Rochdale ✌

[@pambromley7481]

I knew this centre well - tragic to see what it's become. The lockdowns did far more damage than the virus.

[@mrlister2000]

Online shopping was/is the nail in the coffin for this type of shopping centres. Also being charged to park in a town centre is another nail in the coffin.

[@ThanksChris]

The architecture is reminiscent of the Fishergate centre in Preston. That has a huge empty Debenhams now. 😢

[@Emy99712]

This video did make me tear up, I remember very fond memories of shopping here, enjoying the escalators and having food in the cafe on the bottom floor. The council did say at one point they had plans for it but with the state its in I can't imagine what they would use it for. Its final use as far as im aware was in 2019 or possibly 2020 when A levels were taken in a large area in the Wheatsheaf

[@Kaikuo8874]

It's so heartwrenching to watch...I used to go there every week

[@peterainsworth8026]

Giving off a strong Starcourt Mall from Stranger Things vibe

[@nancydarling4918]

Interesting mall and video. Sad. Thanks for filming.

[@OLIFAB]

Great video as always 👍🏼

[@MATTY110981]

Dead Malls have been something I associate with America due to an over supply and changing consumer habits. While I have associated dead high streets as something that is very common in the UK. But in the coming years I believe we are going to see more Malls closing down in the UK.

[@marilynhardiker1374]

Fantastic documentary of Wheatshief. A regular there from it opening till it closed. So sad that it’s left to such disuse.

[@Urbandoned]

Really glad you enjoyed the feature

[@sr6424]

Interesting that it was built in 1991. This was after, out of town shopping centres, boomed. We had two open in Birmingham City Centre. Seemed similar to the one in your video. They both thrived for a short time. The one was converted into a massive Primark whilst the other is offices with a couple of street facing shops.

[@chz9530]

Ah yes the Pavillions, my mom used to work there she said it was great in its day, sad for her to see its decline

[@slay9595]

my grandma used to take me around this shop as a little kid. Sad to see it abandoned..

[@andyarmstrong1493]

That place is eerie. Looks like people have only just left. Like someone is going to shout, "What are you doing in here!" Bangor felt much more closed down.

[@MaxineJay7]

Visited this place for the library mostly as I preferred to shop in the older Exchange shopping centre which contained the indoor and outdoor markets as well. Honestly can't see who would buy this now. There's no future for a retail venture there but it would cost such a lot to convert it to another use that I think it's more likely to be a case of knock it down and start again. However with the renovation of the town hall and the pedestranisation of that area of the town centre to turn it into a "destination", I'm sure the council must be keen not to leave the Wheatsheaf to turn into an eyesore even if it is a little out of the way. Thanks for the video.

[@coachjr91]

Wow cool

[@gillruane6235]

I remember when the wheatsheaf was built and remember that TJ Hughes used to be a huge food court. I remember a friend of mine spilling milk all over my mum and she had to walk around town smelling of sour milk 🤣🤣

[@Hotlips313]

Nice explore guys very respectably done.

[@shirleyelliott9848]

Its a crying shame it closed down. I have very fond memories from when it was open. Rochdale currently has three shopping centres and the exchange is currently up for sale,with a masive gap in v middle where the inside and outside markets used to be. The market traders really got a raw deal with such high rents. Now we dont even have a proper market anymore So sad.

[@jamesgallagher4655]

Centres such as this become such a part of peoples everyday life and routine. It is only when they are no longer available people really notice and remember, the times and maybe people they spent time with in them back in the day.

[@the_fearless_explorer1213]

Awesome place love to do this. Great experience and explore guys

[@chelsealester3087]

such a shame it closed down! me and my friends use to go shopping here during our breaks or after finishing sixth form for the day! only just feels like we were there last week!

[@mrkipling2201]

I remember when it first opened. I didn’t know that it had closed down until I saw this video.

[@dazmc7744]

Fantastic video mate really enjoyed that 👍 as sad as it is tho😒

[@pauljakeman]

Centres like that were already in trouble before the pandemic, that just finished them off sooner. What an eerie place.

[@perrysaker1526]

I'm.not surprised it shut down, the rents are so high and add business rates to that and it's inevitable!!

[@harbourwoodlandvisitor2445]

this channel may as well be the Uk sister channel of the US Proper people channel. everything about this video, both narration style and video style is the same as there's. everything I'm seeing makes me think I'm watching the US channel lol both equally a like. i love both channels.

[@TheHappyLoner]

The more I watch this and see previous videos of the centre on you tube from back in the day, when things were once happy and goin well, I feel the sorrow of the people who lost their business/Jobs in this centre. I saw another video of the abandonment of this centre and the explorers walk past the British Heart Foundation and Argos next to it. Then I saw another video of The British Heart Foundation and Argos open with the centre happy and lively. I really can't get my head around this at all 😕

[@linap8661]

Kudos for the excellent video / photodocumentary. Sadly, it closed on the second lockdown, never to be reopened for others to take vids n pix of this prominent Rochdale building. It remains to be seen what will become of the site... The ending is in suspense for now...

[@SaltimusMaximus]

I lived a short time in Rochdale and remember it opening, on my lunchbreak I grabbed a pasty and went to have a look only to be refused entry into the centre because I was eating so I went back to work. It was devoid of shops inside for a long time, almost a white elephant turning away people for eating was odd, this was overturned after many people went to the local press. The Council got the shell of the library as part of the deal, essentially free but badly miscalculated by not working out the cost of fitting it out and moving the books, then the new library building showed how crap the condition was of many books, at that time the Council frittered money away, and they had to throw thousands at what they thought was a free library. Rochdale town centre has been dead for years

[@TodmordenTourism]

A heartbreaking shame. Rochdale is a stunningly beautiful place.

[@odinharou7112]

This place recently became a venue for an airsoft event...how I wish I could have played here, it looks amazing!

[@forbiddenracer2056]

Whilst shopping centres fall, Amazon thrived, sad to see shopping moving more and more to on line.

[@michaelbramall6799]

Rochdale used to have a really good town centre, amazing weatherspoons building aswell across from the townhall

[@derrenleepoole]

Nice explore lads. Tastefully done.

[@Urbandoned]

Appreciate it

[@blimeyken]

so sad watching this 😢 i used to be one of the 7 housekeepers here until we closed down in november 2020. unfortunately the vandals have been in and destroyed it and taken all the brass railings out now. such a lovely building to just be sat there rotting away now 😔

[@Hotlips313]

OMG how disgusting taking the all the brass nothing i sacred anymore. The greedy owner could of prevented all that if he would of knocked the rents down or put a team in there on permanent security there to stop the vandals and thieves. Used to shop there myself one of my friends used to work at one of the cafe's on the food court when it was first opened where Tj Huges later became. Spent most days in there back then as she used to let me have drinks at half the price. It's so sad how its become and the town as a whole its like tumble weed is rolling by. i think developers will get hold of it at one point for housing to be more in fitting with the new developed area . Because of the new flats that have just been built and the Hilton hotel and the new shops there. Another friend called Shaun that you might know used to work on security there.

[@mattierenton701]

Thats such a bizarre thing to do.. a huge building in the middle of a town just left to rot..it saddens me to see this kind of thing. It all just comes down to one thing and that is greed, i genuinely find it astonishing, what in the heck are they going to do with that space now... it will be left forever more to rot away and become another statistic of buildings left empty and falling into a state of disrepair 😔😔

[@Techno-Universal]

What’s also amazing is how some shopping centres that are the exact same age as this one have been heavily modernised/renovated multiple times in their lifetimes.

[@nigelscott1922]

Ironically it’s places like this which killed the high street, how the tide has turned. Very sad all the same.

[@parvezahmedjalil7310]

Same will probably happen to Arndale Centre in Accrington

[@PLANDerLinde99]

On a very vaguely related note. When I was in high school there was a small walkway shortcut that I'd always take to get to school. Many other students did the same. My last year in high school was 2019, Shortly after I left the walkway was gated and sealed off, Yet is still visible through the gates, The walkway is untouched and has been completely taken over by overgrowth and vines on the ground from the ditch to the side, It saddens me to see it entirely unused, How many students would walk down there only 3 years ago, now gated and taken by overgrowth

[@michailokeefeMooMoo]

Great video very interesting

[@dean152011]

Well documented video, the first area where you went through on the top floor used to be the library where I spent a lot of time with mum as a kid, all happened really I think due to closure of first Tj huges I think going back in 2016 or 2017 closing first then everything went down hill from there, was also sad to see Wilkos go remember they had 2 floors then had to move down to 1 because of the price of the rent, then sadly they moved out in 2018 really everything was going down hill for the centre back in 2018 in my opinion covid top it off for the wheatsheaf but the main reason is the person who owned the property wanted to much rent all the time, really think they should reopen it as a shopping centre due to it being so close to the new riverside shopping centre because there is not much in its nearest centre down the road the Rochdale Exchange, had some really great memories of the wheatsheaf with mum going to bhs years ago argos wikos tj huges and the nicest Russell’s cafe which used to have seating in the middle of the centre where the escalator to go up a level are, looking at your video the centre doesn’t seem as bad as I thought it looks to be in pretty clean condition, nice video guys brought back many many many good times spent in here seemed like just yesterday keep up the good work see you in the next one 👍🏻

[@chloedarling9895]

Tj Hughes was definitely the first nail in the coffin wasn't it its sad to see the center like this isn't it remembering our childhood spent growing up it there shopping I use to love mk1 when I was a teen lol x

[@dean152011]

@@chloedarling9895 Every week I walk past it think they definitely need to try and save it be such a real shame to lose such a lovely building, they’ve have already got rid of the old bus station, black box, St. Andrews church and other buidings in this area think don’t really need to demolish another one.

[@chloedarling9895]

@@dean152011 I think the exact same when I walk past it it's such a shame to let it fall into a state of disrepair it was such a lovely building. As a child I use to sit in Russell's cafe near the escalators and lift with my great grandma and have a toasted tea cake and a hot chocolate. I use to love going in at Christmas time because it always felt festive in there or well it use to when I was younger not towards the end. I've so many fond memories over the years it's just a shame they seem to have abandoned any plans they once held for the center they could do so much good with the building for the local community

[@dean152011]

@@chloedarling9895 love reading your story with your great grandma in Russells always was and is the best cafe around, I know Christmas was always special in Rochdale, think they could move all the shops in the Exchange and maybe some of the old shops in the weatsheaf like Argos back in there and just get rid of the Exchange so all the shops and the bus station is all together so it’s easier and more convenient for people

[@chloedarling9895]

@@dean152011 I think they should move some of the shops from the exchange in. Like wh smiths would thrive in the old tjhughes space because its so enclosed currently I think they need to massively reduce rent prices and open affordable spaces for independent shops as know quite a few who would enjoy having a space to sell their products. I do miss the convinance of being able to get to the top of town through the there as the hills finish me off as I struggle walking large distances. I use to love fizz bomb it was my favourite shop towards the end but they are now up Littleborough so quite a distance from rochdale

[@pjmeee]

😱Sad state of affairs really! You could see the retail decline over the years, then the final nail covid. Nice job on video 👊👍

[@ollyshighlightreel6530]

Wow... its very surreal to see Wheatsheaf as it is now after over 30 years of visiting the centre and Rochdale as a whole (I'm from Oldham BTW, 6 miles south of Rochdale). It's sad to see the Wheatsheaf's fall over the last 10 or so years with major companies going bust who had large stores there (TJ Hughes and BHS to name a few), Wilko's moving out of another large unit and it just ended up with the local traders losing business over the centres decline. There were other things like the demolishing of the Bus Station and Municpal buidling complex (remember that?) so in it's final days... Wheatsheaf stood on it's own, most using the car park than the actual centre itself. Another thing to add to this is that Rochdale as a whole was evolving with the developments along the riverside and the Wheatsheaf just looked dated when the 2020's came around. With COVID being the killing blow for the centre...

[@ulysses4989]

It doesn't look dated to me. Studied inside it during exams

[@DRSEXPLORING]

That would make a great location for a zombie apocalypse movie

[@lewis9454]

Why am I here at 1am watching this type of stuff now I wanna go find some places gimme places guys

[@ThemeParksAndAttractions]

Hey love the video ! You have got a new subscriber...

[@mrlister2000]

Peacocks went bust way before the plandemic! In answer to your quetion, ALL shops should've remained open, especially after hearing all the evidence coming forward that it was a complete waste of time.

[@martinsallenger5526]

Such a shame to see the shopping centre all shut down especially when you see the photos of it before,great video 👍

[@Enigma77Reviews]

Strange for me I worked as TJHughes in the Wheatsheaf and loved shopping in here I don't live in Rochdale anymore I live in the south but it was sad to hear od its closing

[@oddities-whatnot]

Wow, its usually some crisis hit US town that has an abandoned shopping mall, im surprised its Rochdale, I know the area from delivering there years ago.

[@quagmirewasere]

Used to work in that shopping centre many years ago

[@BreoSims]

I used to go there when I was younger

[@Mikeb1001]

I think the places that went under during covid like this were on their way out before due to poor management. Often I see comments relating to exorbitant rent costs which is why units close, it isn’t viable to stay there

[@Tonythomas1984]

"It had gained its abandoned look very quickly" that's just rochdale dude 🤣 I used to go here all the time. The bus station was linked to it via 2 massive escalators which led to the old council building (the black box) we used to call it. Pretty sure that the wheatsheaf center was going to close anyway as they have built a huge new shopping, cinema, food outlet area similar to the Rock in Bury. But I'm guessing covid made it happen quicker than expected.

[@snakychip]

I know Covid played a factor in the decline of retail but It’s so easy sitting on the couch ordering from Amazon, this is the damage it causes. Shopping centres aren’t just stores, they are a community meeting space. We all need to get out to stores in real life.

[@kaseydeady]

Things could have been done differently rather than closing down retail and leisure sites, they could have kept these places open by selling them to other companies or getting the council to help them out instead of closing down these places during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

[@markyboy531]

scamdemic

[@KandeShack]

What is the strangest or scariest thing you’ve come across when filming? Just found your channel, great videos! Many make me sad😔

[@djashley2002]

I think that what closed this was probably a combination of problems. Stores like Peacocks were already in trouble well before the pandemic. Others like Argos were looking for an out because they had too many stores. And yet others just couldn't survive the pandemic. However, it's also interesting to note that some of the shopping centres themselves were in trouble due to too many shops and not enough clients to rent them (mainly because of rents being too high). Here in Norwich Castle Quarter has survived by a combination of rebranding, and refocusing on a combination of leisure and shopping, although its dining areas - both restaurant and fast food - are failing miserably.

[@brandpartnersuk]

But in fairness Norwich is completely different scenario. Jarrolds for one is a sparkling example of what can be done with vision and positive thinking. There's also a more positive mental attitude there and it's a much better place to live