Derelict Dealership Demolished, near Crownhill

I was in a taxi last night, a last-minute decision to go and take some research photos for a post I’m working on at the moment – my evening plans had fallen through, the light was beautiful, I’d been at my desk all day and I knew it would be a good long walk home. We went past this familiar old spot – I’ve photographed it and written about it before – and I saw that the demolition crew had moved in.

I knew I’d have to be quick to get some pictures before work started again on Monday, so first thing this morning, I headed over and took these.

Wow. I know, I find a strange beauty in sites like this, where there’s smashed glass and twisted metal everywhere, and occasional strange and eerie things to find, but this one really does look amazing. I love that even with the walls taken down, the back door’s still standing as if you could just stroll in at any minute. The metal beams at the front have crashed in through the old showroom windows, and although all I could hear were crows and traffic, I couldn’t help imagining the deafening crash that must have made.

The broken, abandoned safety goggles were eerie, and I love the traffic cone that looks as though a tree has grown up through the middle.

This is right next to one of the grid roads, and although traffic wasn’t heavy at 6am, I did get a honk and a thumbs-up from a driver going by! I’m careful when I take pictures like this – always from outside any security fences, I never try to climb in or take anything from the site, but even so, I was there for a good half an hour and was expecting security or even the police to turn up any minute. It’s never happened – but I guess it might.

I’m not sure what’s going to be built here now – another industrial unit, probably. MK seems to delight in squeezing new homes into the tiniest of spaces, but surely there wouldn’t be room for many on this plot.

This was a weirdly nostalgic visit – it was only April 24 when I was here last, but it already feels like a lifetime ago – so much has changed, and although they’re massive changes for the better, it’s still a reminder of time passing. Old places get torn down, new ones will appears, and hopefully I’ll still be here, walking the Redways and capturing these strange, eerie moments.

Thanks for reading this unscheduled wander! There will be a new original witness story coming very soon, and if you have a story of your own to share, I’d love to read it.