Exploring an Abandoned Leisure Centre: Walking down Waterslides!

[@LiftFan]

That's often the way things go unfortunately- building gets closed, owners want to build houses on site. If it's listed or planning permission denied for demolition it conveniently catches fire.

[@reneastle8447]

What if we can change all that for good?

[@jamescollins6085]

I think the owners should be forced to restore the building if they're found to have intentionally set it on fire in an attempt to get around restrictions.

[@reneastle8447]

@@jamescollins6085 It would be good to see this place restored to its former glory.

[@DJx93x]

I went here a few times when I was younger. The slides were awesome. I didn’t realise it had closed down. What a shame. State of this country… Great video. Thank you

[@DJx93x]

York water world was class too. RIP

[@Urbandoned]

You are welcome.

[@Jamesc1299]

Used to love the slides as a kid. What would happen in those round areas is that you would wait for your mates to come down and join up for the next bit. There were no lifeguards in those bits so you could spend ages just messing about. Sometimes you ended up with about 10 people linked up going down the slide. Such a shame it closed. The second stop had a waterfall in it if I remember correctly.

[@caseymadison5337]

Agree to all of this! Plus walking up them stairs with a rubber ring in your hand as a kid was like walking up Everest😂

[@Urbandoned]

Sounds like a lot of fun!

[@caseymadison5337]

Used to go here all the time when I was younger, so upsetting to see it look so dead and desolate. Just watching I was thinking about all the noise and laughter you’d hear. No wonder there are so many kids on the estates getting into trouble when there’s nothing to entertain them anymore. Local youth clubs closed and leisure centres like these, so depressing.

[@Urbandoned]

I totally agree with that. These places should be funded over other things that are opted before them. As well as entertainment, the health benefits of a local leisure centre or gym at a young age is incredible

[@ChristineHerrington-cv1kg]

👏👏 absolutely 💯 agree , they are so needed for the young , as a former police officer dealing with youth offenders through boredom from the total lack of facilities for them .

[@markpeters5584]

I have had some dad time and some good times at RICHARD DUNNE LEISURE CENTRE so farewell to the historic building we will never forget

[@nataliesmith303]

This must have been fabulous when it was open. Thanks for sharing 😊

[@Urbandoned]

I wish I could have gone!

[@louisward6881]

As someone who went there many times when I was younger I can answer your question on how the hut worked. You'd go down the slide on a rubber ring and when you arrived at the hut and the second rest point you'd hang out in them for as long as you pleased and then go down at your own accord

[@nigelhall6714]

I used to go there all the time since the mid-1980s!!! AWESOME!

[@belledarling2365]

Feel sorry for the poor bugger on morning flume checks! Where I worked someone had to feel the inside track to check for scratches and burrs before it opened each morning

[@robbo7189]

An iconic building that could have so many other uses ,use to go there as a kid in 80s and was always loads of fun

[@John_Wood_]

looks like it was amazing.

[@minixtvbox]

Tory Britain after 13 Tory years, poverty stricken dead

[@user-Another-collecter21]

I used to swim there when i was in primary school ☺️ Richard dunns

[@handyman1957]

Would have been a load of fun taking the wheeled roller down those slides : ) Very cool place. Thanks lads.

[@derrenleepoole]

Great explore lads. I managed to get access to Waves in Blackburn pre demolition, but somehow lost all the photos from the explore. Walking down the slides are a back killer!

[@Urbandoned]

I used to go there as a child! Sad we missed it really. Sucks about the pictures, I would have loved to have seen it

[@derrenleepoole]

To this day. have no idea how the photos got lost. So annoying. Keep pushing. Channel is great. @@Urbandoned

[@bobbythomas200420032]

Hi another excellent and really enjoyable video and its so awesome you walked down the water slides.

[@cogboy302]

I was a lifeguard for a few years in a Waterpark in Northern Ireland in the 1990s. We used to have to walk UP the slides every morning before turning the water on and opening up. The reason for that was because some bright spark in Italy put safety razor blades into the joins between sections of the slides and caused some very severe injuries to people using the slides. Makes my skin crawl thinking about that even now.

[@markramsay6399]

Great video and insight into this facility. I really live the use of music in this at various parts, really just perfect. Mark.

[@Urbandoned]

Much appreciated mate, we spend quite a while selecting the music

[@JP_TaVeryMuch]

Looks in reasonable nick. Also looks horribly expensive to run. I've had to pause again. This place is amazing. You can't tell me that the local more recent competition has anything near as good as the brilliant three-part water slides. All it needs is a swim-up bar in the first stop at the 'hut' and they'd be quids in. Last orders would be fun too.

[@frasermathers2287]

Thanks Lads for a very interesting explore and one that appears to have given you at least in part a little bit of fun too. Looks like in its day it would have given great enjoyment to many and was well used, however, once again we see yet another example of local authority miss management, limited income due to a society nowadays that feels that everything should be given to them cheaply or for free. Facilities like these cost immense amounts of money to operate and maintain and just don't have enough income coupled with poor management which then leads to closure. It was great to hear that there had been a campaign to keep the building away from the demolisher's, but unless there is a plan to go with it to put it to use along with the funding, then it just becomes another white elephant and leads to even more government money being wasted. (Fire, Police, Security, Repairs). So the only plus now that I see, is that at least we got to see yet another great explore!

[@Urbandoned]

Appreciate the nice words pal

[@richardsutton6637]

Around about 1990 we used to use the climbing wall there. At the time it was state of the art and people would come from all over to use it.

[@Urbandoned]

It did look quite impressive and different to usual cimbing walls

[@juliepownall1063]

Cool explore sad times

[@zoltar666pz]

We went here lot's of times what a great place it was

[@jeepsthetimebandit]

😄 I love this one! ❤

[@skudlugs]

Sitting at home online leads to this, we evolved into this

[@julzb7165]

Great explore guys!

[@ontrackrailfilms1652]

I was born in Odsal and remember seeing this being built and opening. Went swimming there many times.

[@OLIFAB]

Fantastic explore!

[@Urbandoned]

Thanks man

[@benlambley7171]

Brilliant explore as usual guys hopefully something gets done with it before its to late.

[@katieh9986]

Great video, really enjoyed it! You're doing vital work

[@Urbandoned]

Everything must be documented

[@midnightrunner5864]

Used to come here as a kid alot. Was great, shame it was closed.

[@Marcelo_Alencar]

Just checking how it looks as they just started recording 28 Years later (zombie movie) there. Thanks for the video!

[@sharronridding5851]

Such a shame it’s closed, I spent almost every Sunday evening going down them sides and playing in that pool 😂😂

[@bencharlwood]

Didn't realise this was shut now, used to love the rapids slide

[@michailokeefeMooMoo]

Fantastic video

[@amp1]

Used to go there in the 80s with my son

[@dclxvi.tattoo]

Don’t know why but, you lot having to walk through that long water slide killed me so much 😂😂

[@Urbandoned]

It was scary for us!

[@alisonward3167]

I went to the opening and now drive past it every day on my way to work. So sad that it closed.

[@matthewhalloran5438]

OMG I’ll been To Richard Dunns Swimming pool loads of Times had Some Great Times There. I went will a few of my Groups is such a Shame it Closed down Such a Massive Place

[@ruthbaird1646]

What a sad building! Building this would have been very expensive even in the 1970’s. Now for it to lay empty, set on fire. It will not be long before it’s demolished.

[@peterallen7938]

Hi guys, the video you done at the leisure centre in Maidenhead. If you didn’t know it’s been demolished now

[@Urbandoned]

Terrible, but expected

[@SylviaGraydon]

It's so 🧓

[@stephaniemcquillan1930]

I know you were walking down those slides but they did seem very claustrophobic. Terrible that people have to vandalise a place. Especially a place that had to close due to the pandemic which otherwise might still be open

[@Urbandoned]

It was a strange experience. The pandemic sadly affected to many of these sorts of places

[@jasperbarlow2582]

Large empty spaces like this always terrified me since childhood, some unpronounceable phobia no doubt, complete opposite of claustrophobia, even watching them here gives me the jitters but i think i,m starting to control it, thanks lads, keep them coming, maybe a huge empty warehouse at some point may finally sort me out.

[@alanmctavish4802]

@jasperbarlow it looks worse becouse you know there used to be something there, or in it. Like a big empty swimming pool

[@jasperbarlow2582]

Agreed, i,m only watching on a 15 inch laptop but can still imagine the scale in real time.@@alanmctavish4802

[@Ashethetics]

There’s a whole aesthetic and game genre built around that fear called “liminal space”.

[@jasperbarlow2582]

Not sure it,s anything as deep and meaningful as that, but any input is digested, although there may be more psychology involved than i first realised.@@Ashethetics

[@j.w2000]

I used to go there alot as a kid and it's ashame it's closed! I nearley drowned as a kid once going down the cobra for the very first time! It would of been quite funny if the pool alarm activated after he punched the activation button! As you never hear the same sirens nowadays as you heared at richard dunns when the pool alarm was activated! They activated it as I was drowning! Around 2007 if my memory is correct.

[@dragonheatgaming5005]

aan empty building in bradford been torched that's a surprise

[@Villanellexvibess]

your poor legs must hurt great video alistair 😁

[@Thats_him_with_the_daft_hat]

11:40 "Will....look out!!! POO!"

[@johorrocks8927]

Can't abide mindless vandalism, hope this building is able to be preserved and the culprits are prosecuted. Such a waste of a good recreation centre.

[@Tomas-ml9nv]

Every time these lads upload a new location ensures the property will be vandalised beyond repair

[@johorrocks8927]

every time!@@Tomas-ml9nv

[@Srevelation]

If you take recommendations for places to explore there is a leisure centre which closed down just down the road from my work because of “Covid” the bridge leisure centre Sydenham.

[@matthewhalloran5438]

I can’t believe They actually Went Into the Slides

[@higginstv2460]

My favourite place when I was young, I used to sit under the Hippos mouth letting the water just pour over my head

[@geordieurbex2200]

Looks like a nice fun relaxed explore, nothing like when I did wet n wild in the North east, a massive censor picked up light and movement, didn't get long inside before armed police, a dog squad, security nd normal police turned up 😂😂😂😂

[@Urbandoned]

At least you got inside!

[@WatchingYou20241]

Would be awesome if you would re-visit this site and see how much different it may have changed since 2019! #Fascinating

[@Abandoned-Places124]

Hi Urbandoned. Hope you're well and okay. I'm an urban explorer aswell, and I'm looking into exploring this leisure centre. Was it quite easy to get into?

[@Ev_box]

im guessing this video was made at least a year ago considering the place is basically completely sealed up now

[@paulashepherd7223]

From what I read this building as a listed status so can't be demolished

[@JP_TaVeryMuch]

Hence the world wise / world weary comments about accidents like fires taking place some time in the future.

[@tonykingston1968]

in bradford where demolition is required and some permission is saught a convienient fire usually sorts these problems out. all i can say iss wwatch this space because we know it happenss a lot in bradford

[@JP_TaVeryMuch]

5:03 Another clue : loadsa holes in the floor especially for pipe ducting and grease stains. The number of times that we'd resort to the grease test when me and my mates would terrorise the rat population of a former factory, to see what that room was/what the last meal made before shut down was. Apart from hanging up a string of plastic bags tied together and setting light to them, scraping off a lump of ancient greasy gunk and getting that fizzing and popping away to itself is a good second and created the most amazing smells. Really got the juices flowing. Unless it was axle grease by mistake. None of this to be recommended natch.

[@ocsrc]

Where is the power vault and pump rooms? There must be a sub basement

[@Car_man_2]

My sister did gymnastics here no joke

[@toomanyopinions8353]

I didn't see any fire damage?

[@mba392]

Broken Britain continues 😡

[@ExploreWithEthan]

Is this still open now?

[@danielledewitt1]

Did you not read the title of the video?

[@alanmctavish4802]

Its always sad to see a pool like this empty with no water in it and the whole place just forgotten about as councils get tighter with the purse strings. This could have easily been saved and restored, the damage wasnt that bad infact i wouldnt have known about it if he didnt mention it. Did you notice i said "pool" instead of "the swimming pool" becouse in 1975 this would have been amazing and fairley knew for that time. This was when councils started to build fun pools with big great flumes taking you into a small seperate bit that was about 16 feet wide and 14 feet long and about 3 to 4 feet deep, just deep enough for that long great bending shoot ride, most fun pools had 2 shoots and 3 to 4 feet deep so kids could go down them even if they couldnt swim. At the top of the shoots there was 2 staff members there as you had to be a certain age to go down it yourself, it was age over 7 or 8 and if you were big enough, you had to be at least 4 and a half feet to go down yourself plus the speed of it pushed you right up almost against the steps to climb out. But this fun pool didnt look that big, and it was when councils started to do away with the long swimming pools that you could swim a length in, and alot had of the old victorian baths had swimming pools that were 7 or 8 feet deep as the whole pool was used for races and the full pool was 8ft deep. And the baths had 2 or 3 pools in them, in paisley the old baths had 3 pools in it, there was the womans pool that was 6ft deep at the deep end and 3ft deep at the shallow end, then there was the small pool wich no one knew why it was called that as it was just the exact same as the womans pool. Then they had the mens pool wich i never got to use as it was out of order for years, it was something to do with the system in it that didnt work right to keep the water clean i just missesd that great big pool by 5 years a think? We had never seen it and one day me and two friends walked past it as you had too to get to the other pools as that was the closest to the entrance you paid in at and 1 day i said "look they never lock the door at the mens pool as they couldnt as it was like two big swing doors, but they put these 3 chairs across it. So we said "lets go in and see what its like for a minute at least" so we did and we were shocked at what we seen, the pool looked alot deeper as we looked strait down the bottom plus there was chairs all around it like an arena that went up at least 25 to 30 feet high, plus the water had ropes in it just like lanes you see in an olympic pool, this was like another world compared to the other two pools. With small steps all around the pool but the water looked like cold tea with no milk as if it needed to be emptied then fixed and full up again with water. My dad told me it was 8 feet deep as he used it, a believe they didnt fix it becouse they could only fill the two other pools on a busy day. Its amazing when your kid and you think that at 8ft deep just 2 feet deeper than all the other pools that you think its 5 feet deeper? We said wow check how deep this pool is its about 12 feet deep lol. When i got pushed into the deep end at the other pool at 6ft deep to learn to swim at age 7 it felt as if it was 10ft deep, and i swam, i must have been a natural.

[@leavemyrightsalone]

I know, lets build a leisure centre than abandon it.

[@Twizzforsberg]

Would be perfect to make a clown movie there

[@martinevans7090]

20:09 Apostrophe not needed! Whoever made that sign needs to be educated, lol! And why use an apostrophe for "OIL'S" and not for "COALS" too? Surely if the guy was being consistent they would have written it as "COAL'S" - I don't know which is worse, the apostrophe or the inconsistency!

[@pablomontoya8303]

second

[@henrym2140]

😇 *promo sm*

[@JacobEvans2]

It's an eyesore. It will never be repurposed because it's an ugly and impractical building. Listen building status does not but feed the ego or some busy body group who probably rarely when there when open. I wouldn't be surprised if they hoped the arson would lead to the whole thing being demolished for safety reasons.

[@minixtvbox]

Tory scum

[@Translucent6000]

“Funner with water” please speak properly. “More fun with water”

[@user-rs1990]

As a result of the recent arson, just reminding you that you're not to trespass disused buildings like this. Full Stop. You could face steep charges for such actions. Please ignore them and leave them be. Heed my message.

[@katieh9986]

"Steep charges" 😂 lol I don't think so.