Tesco in Chatham Urban Exploring

[@markh5210]

Why did Tesco build such a large car park for their store? It tells of Tesco's bad planning that they converted their lifts to GEN-2 shortly before closing their store. I doubt the Tesco staff would care that much (looking at the old footage of the upper car park levels when they were open they stopped caring some some time ago). A pending P45 is not a good motivator.

[@357account]

no it has a normal size because on floors 5 to 7 they barley have any spaces

[@357account]

just very small abandoned levels

[@benolifts]

+Dylan Fox +Shibehunter ZunKai The staff hadn't noticed that the lift was taken out of service (there was only one lift left in service, as the other wasn't working). But I was caught in the process of lift surfing 4 times!!! But not by staff, but just by people using the car park. The first time I was messing with the drop key and an old lady came along, but luckily she didn't know what I was doing and said "has the doors got stuck again". I replied, "yeah, these lifts never work properly, I'm taking the stairs", then I quickly walked away. Later on when when I tried again at opening the doors, while was checking the safety of the car top before getting on top, I suddenly noticed there was somebody behind me. I was certain that he was about to shout at me, but he just looked at me and walked away. Also once I was on top of the lift when I was closing the shaft doors some people came around the corner. They were kind of looking my way, but I don't think they noticed me. Finally, When I got back to the second floor on top of the lift. When I opened the doors, there was an old lady standing there. This was a scary moment, as when surfing a lift, the most at risk moment is opening the doors to get off (you don't know whos going to be out there). The old lady just looked at me with a horrified expression on her face. I really didn't know what to do at this point. I expected her to shout or something, but she just stood there. I quickly got of the lift, turned of the light, put it back to automatic, closed the door and left as quick as possible. This was ever so scary. I'm amazed that I managed to do this.

[@TheEnglishTrainSpotter2021]

Beno do you realise all tesco shops have the same floor

[@newmsioworld7979]

ACTIVISION!!!!!! IT'S THE ACTIVISION TESCO SUPERMARKET!!!!!!

[@williamscoufaras7045]

Beno Lifts did they demolish this place or just close it?

[@liftsinireland]

William Scoufaras they closed it, then converted it into a Go Outdoors shop.

[@WillDoesTransport]

@@williamscoufaras7045 it is still open and still grotty but it is a go outdoors

[@amberplays1232]

I’m 16 and I remember shopping for clothes with my sister, dad, brother and my mum in that Tesco so many memories in 2013-2014 until it closed down its so sad😢😢

[@mrmattandmrchay]

6:30 "we all know there is a way" - you had me thinking how you were going to do it, but OMG Ben that's amazing!!! You are officially more daring than I am LOL. Can't believe you did that but what a great video! Motor room would have been wicked if it was unlocked :) Great vid 10/10 for suspense and action!

[@liftsinireland]

Me too :D

[@muhammedibrahimsarfraz8770]

@@liftsinireland Im irish too!

[@TiptoeThroughTheTwoLips]

My dad helped build this place. I haven't been there since the early 90s and it was grotty then. At 2:02 in the carpark, on the far wall in front of the three tower blocks, there's another old stairwell that (I assume) went down on to street level somewhere? (it's the only thing I can assume because it's facing away from the store). I was waiting in the carpark for my mum once and decided to explore down that stairwell because I never saw anyone using it. Except it was terrifying! It was super clean, which was weird because everywhere else was so gross, and I got part the way down and there was some really strange sounds and an odd looking light being cast. I ran out of there so fast! I wish I'd had more guts but I was a teenage girl, alone, and everything about the place screamed Free Rape And Torture. It was great seeing this place again, awesome video! And you sure do have guts :D

[@benolifts]

+Flappy Mappy That is really interesting. I didn't know about this staircase. It must have been long since blocked off as I didn't see it. There must be lots more hidden away lifts in this place which I wasn't able to get to. I was thinking about leaving a lift out of serive in position so that I could surf it into the shop after it closed, but even if I had I wouldn't have been able to get down as the lifts are now completely switched off. Since Tesco closed the car park is now very empty. I feel rather nervous last time I walked around it. There is nobody about, and nobody parks their car there.

[@TiptoeThroughTheTwoLips]

That staircase has played on my mind all these years lol. I'll never know where it went, it had a really bad vibe. Yeah there's probably loads of service lifts and corridors. Do you have access to any hidden areas in the pentagon centre? There has to be loads in there too, as they've changed the interior layout quite a lot from when it was built. I remember a long ramp with a brown bubble-wrap kind of flooring that went from lower to upper level, which I think now is only usable by staff. And I think they moved around some of the lifts too. Also I'm just watching some of your other videos, interesting stuff!

[@tanchoonnee]

@@benolifts Can you eat poison and 4 or not?

[@AlabamaElevators]

Replying to this late, just curious, are you referring to the double doors in the right corner closer to the taller part of the deck? If it's the part at the end away from the taller part of the deck, according to another video, it appears to have been a fire exit at one point

[@speniedogclaws5034]

It's reopened now and it's not Tesco BUT ITS STILL GROTTY

[@vincentdeguard4726]

it Chatham...what is to be expected. ...another left behind town ...nigh on never hear anything about the place

[@blockvidsmore5316]

It's now Go outdoors which sells outdoor stuff tents etc. It's already open.

[@Newtownabbeyist208]

And Go Outdoors is also now closed.

[@michaelgadsby]

This brings back so many memories for me... especially the ramp. My parents and me would do the 'running bit' after alighting on the top floor ready for some ... joyous shopping around the then still huge complex. I would often try to spot them Where's Waldo style from the restaurant window too. Cheers Beno x

[@benolifts]

In a few days I am going to upload a video of looking around the abandoned Tesco shop and restaurant level.

[@Bowdery2007]

@@benolifts Did this ever happen? I have so many memories of that restaurant from childhood.

[@Rewighjwbfwcgx]

2:02 Why were the top 3 floors of the car park closed down? Was it to cut costs or was it just getting nasty?

[@europa2000man]

In Cork City, there is a small shopping centre called Paul Street Shopping Centre which has a Tesco (it originally opened as Quinnsworth which were taken over by Tesco in 1997). Its a busy place, but it looks similar to this Tesco in Chatham. It has a 5 storey multi storey car park with three lifts and looks similar to this car park. The building still has that 1980s feel to it. Even the lifts are nice and grotty (there is a video of them on my channel). I'm not sure what they are but they are original apart from the indicators. The motors in them lifts sound like Lutz motors like the lift on the P&O Pride of Dover ferry before it got scrapped. The car park is fully open, but it still has the original signage and looks nice and grotty. Its probably a couple of years younger than Tesco in Chatham here, the shopping centre was built in 1985, but it looks and feels similar to this place

[@niceypricey]

Ahh memories. Cashier here 88-90. Restaurant stairs to your left at entrance. First to experience the barcode changes, before that, would manually enter prices at checkout. Good days! (If you knew me)

[@LiftyGamez]

Your vids are getting better,Ben.Keep the good work up!

[@intercity24]

Certainly a great video there ! i always love a bit of urban exploring. I found it rather interesting how that shopping basket was up there at 11:16, i wonder how long its been there ?

[@taygadesign]

21 years ago,omg thats a long time ago.

[@liftrailphotographyinnz3992]

Yes I agree. It is quite a long time ago.

[@WillDoesTransport]

i saw it in a morthren video a few years later and he used it to prop the door open lol

[@blue.light.fazbear]

I think this has been changed into a Go Outdoors store but I certainly do like the look of the car park! Have you got another urbex coming of This place?

[@airtranlover]

THIS IS THE VIDEO IVE BEEN WAITING FOR!!! THANK YOU BEN

[@benolifts]

***** Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@stratosgp4]

+benobve So did I

[@liquid_oxygen4409]

+Beno ALL OF THE LIFTS HAVE BEEN MODDED BY OTIS!

[@tanchoonnee]

@@benolifts VF from OTIS 2000

[@Happytylermovieproducction]

Tesco lotus was also in Asia such as China , Thailand or more

[@procksomaterman]

Shit, this was already two years ago. fuck time flies.

[@SpeedSetSims]

Yeah that staircase was just spooky at 1:45

[@dxmedia9258]

In our town we have an abandoned kiwik save and that also has a car park and me and my friends try to get into it

[@danielfranklin3062]

Beno Lifts - Do you have the full video of market hall and Tesco restaurant and or Tesco shop floor ?

[@farronward5565]

I haven’t been there since 1989 but it was very good back then sad why they blocked of the areas

[@dsd310580]

I fucking miss that Tesco, though! Every Friday, in the 1980s, as a child, we did our family shopping in there. Then I did my own shopping as an adult in there.

[@beluga32r1]

This is the most grotty building back then!

[@itzalsonathyy1963]

+Beno can you make Tesco in Chatham on Skyscrapersim?

[@SRBAnimate]

He should make it in BenoBVE

[@ThatSchindler5400]

7:13 on the right lift that’s the pigeon poo indicator lol!

[@sheel1972]

The upper car park levels and the restaurant probably closed due to a planning dispute with Medway Council, which is the case with a lot of buildings around Medway.

[@liftrailphotographyinnz3992]

Beno this is such an amazing video. You should do another urbex on this place.

[@99fruitbat]

I went there for it's ' Grand Opening Day ' that's showing my age ! It always had a horrible lay out inside , loads of unused space and staff constantly being told to move displays around . You never knew where anything was half the time . Smallest fish counter in the world , one tiny cabinet .

[@liftrailphotographyinnz3992]

Have you been here since it re-opened as Go Outdoors?

[@BLAZEXBOY]

It's a shame but like the bus station Tesco here was just left to rot, Back in the 90s they had roof leaks and to this day they still have - How the roof is still in one piece I'll never know! Ihave a feeling the entire building's gonna be demolished! Anyway well done 10/10 :)

[@Andrewjg_89]

Is it still there or is it completely gone and replaced by new flats.

[@MandelbrotSetStudios69420lol]

It's still there rotting away..

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

This channel is the best! I have learned lots about lifts from it. You must have balls of steel to ride it cartop on inspection to the abandoned floors!

[@airtranlover]

Balls of steel? Idk if we should be talking about THAT, Knucklehead. What would Rouge or Tikal say?!

[@villagernumber77]

Has Amy rose chased you lol sonic gag

[@villagernumber77]

Has Amy rose chased you lol sonic gag

[@benc9815]

One thing I always wondered - if restaurant level is where the customer toilets are, why are the lifts locked off to that floor?

[@NiceABCD]

The restaurant level also catered to Tesco's actual restaurant which closed down many years ago. I presume they wanted to stop people coming up to Restaurant Level because the restaurant hasn't been open and locked and possibly severely unsafe to enter.

[@dazz1566]

Well done Ben. End of an era that tesco going after all these years. And at a primo part of town (my cuz still lives there) Any ideas whats going to replace it? Actually got worried for you when you was traversing the bits with the pidgons. Best take a mask with you next time. Saw this prog once of this house which had pidgeons coming into the loft and them dying. There was herds. Rank as.

[@benolifts]

Darren Richardson The building is likely to be demolished. If it goes there will almost certainly be flats built in its place. Medway council is obsessed with building houses. They don't care about anything else, such as what they destroy in the process. The council were so angry after the old chattenden barracks was made a protected site (as it is a rare wildlife habitat). They were planning on filling the place with houses.

[@dazz1566]

Thats kent councils all over ben. Love to give planning permissions to monstrosity behemouth generic shopping centres of suburban cloning houses. Very much liked your Romney marsh stuff. I didnt get to explore lydd, ronmey etc when I lived in kent. Even ashfords changed. You probably would have made a vid at stanhope estate, with its 60s/70s flats. Have you tried the main estate at cheriton? That was, if I remember like some old south london estates like nightingale vale in my old hometown woolwich. Now that is an estate worth filming. Google streetview it. There were quite a few lifts in the flats. Probably modernised now since I was a teen. Theres an estate nearby called Barnfield which is classed as plumstead. Keep the vids coming. Very informative, funny and vastly entertaining.

[@dazz1566]

What I meant was the woolwich one was worth filming. Sorry, trying to learn sony vegas. Headmash lol.

[@benolifts]

Darren Richardson I have been around the Woolwich area. I didn't find anything that was particularly run down or grotty. I did find one tower with an original lift, but that was about it. A lot of the estates around Woolwich have been very cleaned up.

[@iainbruce3376]

I remember going here week on week as a kid in the 80s. It was grotty even then.

[@SpeedSetSims]

It's sad that now I have to go to the gillingham tesco now :-( even though it was a good shop

[@Vortex5Australia]

That was quite fascinating - I think I'll start doing some urban adventures in this part of the world too.. Please can you do some new videos around Gillingham as I used to live there many many moons ago...

[@benolifts]

Enigma 27.240 What in Gillingham would you like my to film?

[@Vortex5Australia]

***** Hi Benobve, I'll leave that up to you, anywhere or place that takes your interest would be great.

[@jaidensgarage565]

dang when the power goes out it would be super spooky cause the emergency lights are on

[@vincentdeguard4726]

if they work...if not it be really super spooky

[@twistedwhiskers8776]

what would you have done if got stuck

[@CrosswalkerOfficial]

We have a grotty Tesco in Lon- nevermind

[@stuartmcconnachie]

3:25 That’s just asking for a nasty accident. Get out of the lift, stand in the gap, and let doors close behind you. No way out, and no way to call the lift back either!

[@kerenchadwick6535]

you did a very amusing video haaaaaa until you got to the ' lets climb on top of the lifts' bit.....i was like "aaagghh nooo you'll fall down...."..... but glad you made it.....and the old car parks were just as amusing but interesting too....very good vid...👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@haz05-06]

Why did level 5, 6, 7 close

[@haz05-06]

Why?

[@haz05-06]

battytec videos Wow! thanks battytec videoes!

[@liftsinireland]

There were a lot of Drug dealers there and lots of bird poo.

[@vickymitchell5463]

Why would they lock the motor room ?

[@MandelbrotSetStudios69420lol]

They Are always locked idiot

[@atomstarfireproductions8695]

Why did floors 5, 6, and 7 close? Is it also due to pigeon droppings?

[@RandomPerson00998]

Did you get a look at floors 3 and 4 too? Is it the same as when they closed them?

[@sambaker3754]

Hey Beno The new shop in that building have reopened all 3 lifts! They now open on market instead of store level!

[@benolifts]

And added a stupid camera on floor 2 to stop me surfing them.

[@sambaker3754]

O&K = Creepy Voice

[@PostTower]

I got some of those OTIS keys to get up to the abandoned upper level. But I dont have all of them. Now I've seen in your video: These keys probably wouldn't help anyways since the floors are blocked. Good idea to ride on top of the cab! U did it finally! Have you ever been on the top floors 5 and 6 before, Ben? I wonder if they've been accessible in the 1990's...

[@benolifts]

Uplifting PostTower I have never been to the top floors before. I never went here in the 90s before they closed the upper levels. On this occasion I am very glad that I hadn't used a key to get up there as the lift would have sodded of back down and I would have been trapped up there.

[@PostTower]

I don't know about it but maybe the callbutton didnt respond because the lift was in maintenance mode. Maybe only this lift which you used to go up is programmed to reach the upper floors. If not, the key would probably be useless and the elevator may decline to go up there and delete the call immediately also on the inside. I've seen that in a railwy station lift, it had a secret floor which was locked off. I activated it, but the call has been taken back immediately.

[@benolifts]

***** If I had used a key to get up there, then when I get out the lift, the lift will go back down to serve other calls. The call buttons on 5 and 6 are locked off so I couldn't get the lift to come back and I would be stuck up there.

[@benolifts]

Uplifting PostTower One of the lifts was still working, so the buttons would have still worked if they were not locked off. The lifts never go up to 5 or 6. There is a good chance that the key switches in the lifts were locked off. Also the door I opened on floor 5 was missing its rollers for connecting with the inner door. There was a sign stuck on the inside of the shaft door saying that the car park was closed, do not alight here. So even if somehow a lift did go up to floor 5 or 6, the shaft door would not open, and the people inside the lift would just be greeted with a closed door and a sign telling then to not get out. When I manually made the lift go up here, I was half expecting it to get stuck from never normally going up there. On the way down I though about putting it on automatic and going full speed back down, but I was worried that the logic might mess up (the upper floors might be totally disabled or something), although Otis logic should be fairly reliable, but I would definitely not have trusted the logic in the old O&K lifts. These almost certainly would have messed up their logic if driven up to the upper floors (the original logic had been modded very badly in the 90s). One thing that I am annoyed with myself for not doing is that I forgot to take some full speed rides once I had taken the lift back down. By this time, I was getting a bit freaked out by the whole thing and I just wanted to get out of there.

[@PostTower]

After all, you did a good job. Wasting more time up there would be rather unwise since you never know if they see one lift not working. Pretty interesting the shaft doors on the upper floors can not attach. Lifts usually have a circuit breaker installed on the bottom and top of the shaft so it can't ride off the shaft and crash this way. A circuit breaker being placed between floor 4 and 5 or a circuit-breaking "virtual restriction" on the floor selector would be the worst thing that can actually happen when you ride the lift being manually controlled. Apart from a possible virtual restriction based on floor controllers, I wonder how important logic and controllers are during a manually controlled ride because usually most safety systems are inactive or can be overriden this way.

[@railfanssm8672]

6:30 i love this part

[@chayevans160]

You should really do an exploration of the 60s/70s apartments at Butlins in Minehead, they are really grotty and they look beautiful! I just came back from a break there and they were replacing the original windows with shitty upvc ones! Sadly these apartments are staff apartments so you can't stay in them but you can still have a nose around the flatlets area behind Oyster Bay! You could get into Minehead on a day ticket for £40

[@jenwilson9469]

It's a grootty bit of Chatham been there my aunt lived at the top of Chatham hill just about the lutton bridge

[@trainmaniacstudios8216]

I did this one as well. The restaurant level was *so* creepy! :D

[@Abdur-Rehman]

When we chat in Tesco's close down what day

[@youngterry1117]

when I was ten I wrote a story in school about a woman getting raped in those lifts. my parents got called to the school and they thought there was somthing wrong with me. I think I was just inspired by the grottyness of the place, especially that staircase. this was in 1990, it was well run down in those days, it just had a dark feeling about the place.

[@aaronthefunnyboi5656]

to get to the locked off floor take on top of the lift

[@yourlocalKFCemployee]

I never seen a Tesco with multi storey car park

[@cameronsrailwayuniversestu9520]

do you know the exact date its closing? because id quite like to get a shot before it closes

[@benolifts]

Cru Cpf 4th April

[@cameronsrailwayuniversestu9520]

ok thanks

[@Folboi]

i wonder why carparks 5-7 were closed

[@wisteela]

Great stuff. I too have a thing for grotty old places like this. I'd say a lot of the old stuff is 80s.

[@IAmKye]

That's actually so cool

[@Hertfordshire247]

Those are not 70's, but 80's. It was kept in from the 1980's all the way to the year 2000 (1997 being when the logo changed). You missed a major thing that made it Tesco, the Tesco red which they moved away from.

[@villagernumber77]

Is this abandoned

[@kriskolo2013]

Why u didn`t show us how pooed are levels 3 & 4?

[@benolifts]

kriskolo2013 Because I needed to get back down fast before anyone noticed that the lift was out of service.

[@kriskolo2013]

Ok

[@Retrobeemer]

I remember some biker shooting out a window there in the 80's. I did know his name but it's been years since I ever thought about it.

[@taygadesign]

If your using computer, try changing the speed to x2 and enjoy Beno speaking gibberish. -lol- P.S. 200th comment yey

[@KyleHartley_crazybangles]

It would be nice if after this closed, we took it over and allowed the lifts to go to all floors. Also, we would not give a crap about how grotty it is, we would leave it how it was.

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

Kyle Hartley like real life Skyscraper sim XD

[@merrytrek]

70s decor? Looks more like early eighties to me. Fun video though.

[@vincentdeguard4726]

agreed

[@WillDoesTransport]

it was dew to open in the 70s but it opened in 1982

[@vincentdeguard4726]

...didn't last long

[@GN10Gaming]

TESCOs and the car park were actually opened in 1982.

[@waynegray2284]

When I was living on the streets way before Tesco closed I was sleeping on floor six just around the corner be the lifts

[@BertiePendergast]

Fantastic video Ben!!! Keep up the good work, and ignore the haters!

[@bedrock2069]

Hey, I know why 3 and 4 was closed, but why was 5, 6 and 7 was closed?

[@atomstarfireproductions8695]

Deathbot Playz I am wondering the same thing

[@MandelbrotSetStudios69420lol]

I think Those floors are just adbaonded.

[@williamscoufaras7045]

The upper levels of that garage can be a great place to ride a bike since it’s empty.

[@williamscoufaras7045]

Can you actually make a video of riding your bike on them upper levels? That would be very cool

[@Joemerry1603]

Well done!

[@taygadesign]

If Go Outdoors closed their outlet there in future,I would probably be the next one to buy it. If it turns out to be not so popular

[@joaquinfernandesferreira2593]

5:36 Level 2 is in blue color

[@MandelbrotSetStudios69420lol]

WHO ASKED

[@realfrowz]

U know it reopened they reopen as go outdoors

[@taygadesign]

I wish I had enough money to buy this building....

[@CypherSonic]

Ive been past there plenty times

[@Looiiss37]

1:56 Might actually be worth something, should have got the toolbox out!

[@berthacarballido4249]

es bonito todo el documetal , que en mexico hubiera asi no hay nda. vendedores ambulante me agusta mas asi gracias exito

[@cameronsrailwayuniversestu9520]

this Tesco's must have been an extra in its day compared with the ones at Gravesend and Sevenoaks (which are now metros) this one is bigger

[@geoffreyacquaah272]

2:14 Disgusting!!!! Who on earth is going to clean that up???

[@vincentdeguard4726]

Tesco seem to have a habit of building large stores/distribution centres then doing a "runner"...leaving behind a decaying/empty/out-dated legacy. of course when first planned it be put forward as providing much wanted/needed jobs etc...and local council would bend over backwards to approve planning/counter any opposition. who knows maybe "back-handers" also...

[@dancehahah9905]

I hated it inside the car park it was so smelling Tesco didn't give damn about it , it been like that for years and years damn.

[@villagernumber77]

Do another urbex on this building

[@vickymitchell5463]

The motor room was locked because the otis mod in 2010

[@jovangaming2651]

Beno its all carpack and market resturant are closed

[@tobidekker1116]

Is it demolished yet? It's sad that they've closed tescos 😡

[@benolifts]

Tobias Dekker It is still there. Nobody parks there now. It is very creepy in there.

[@tobidekker1116]

+benobve could you do another video of it?

[@procksomaterman]

+benobve do the lifts still operate?

[@tobidekker1116]

+Critter no

[@realfrowz]

Do lift tour here

[@annamcarthur6648]

IT IS CLOSEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

[@TomPatelGaming]

It’s still open but it’s now a Go Outdoors but are you BFDI fan because I am too

[@kerritaylor8384]

Benobve great video to be fair I would like to see you and ride some lifts after all I LOVE lifts #lol

[@SharonSimLee]

1,2 Cannot to get Tesco 3,4,5,6 and 7.

[@joaquinfernandesferreira2593]

7:52 DO THIS QUICKLY!!!!!!!

[@aaronthefunnyboi5656]

they should reopen it Chatham needs a big Tesco to buy food!

[@TomPatelGaming]

They made it a Go outdoors store but the market level lifts don’t have shutters down in front of the lift doors now and the restaurant level has no power. The 3rd lift in market level lifts still is and O&K but the buttons are replaced with a generic brand as seen in Beno’s video of lift adventure with Battytec. This is still open but you can still get into the abandoned levels 3-4-5-6 and 7.

[@elevatorsinrussia2597]

LOL! Good video! XD

[@hartiageescalatorsandlifts6397]

What the fuck the staff didn't know the lift was out of service?!.

[@extremeneils]

car park level 1 2 3 4

[@tonyanderson1759]

Well you can go back now because it's now a go outdoors

[@minecraftelevatorsltd4552]

the way is to surf the lift

[@pikakai]

haha awesome

[@jackythurston986]

Its turned into fucking go outdoors

[@SharonSimLee]

LeveL 5 6 7 are Locked