Zoology Department, England

This abandoned Zoology Department lies on the edges of a busy University campus. While this department is currently disused and falling into disrepair, the rest of the university is very much thriving. From the outside the building has the telltale signs of abandonment; a few broken windows, boarded doors, plants growing out of guttering and a generally rundown appearance.

This university was originally founded as a college, before gaining its royal charter in the early 1900s. After gaining recognition as an independent university, it was then enabled to award degrees to students in its own right. Today the university is a prestigious institution, world renowned as a leader in science and engineering.

These buildings were constructed in the early 1900s and housed several departments over the years; initially being home to the zoology, botany, geology and the applied electricity departments. The exterior of the main building is typical Victorian red brick, a style very common in the universities constructed around the turn of the 20th Century. Stone animals are carved into the doorway, guarding the entrance. The original Zoology Department name is also inscribed above the main entrance. An additional annex was added in the mid-1980’s, as the university continued to expand. Most recently the buildings housed the archaeology, classics and egyptology departments, as well as part of the biology and engineering departments.

When departments relocated in the latter part of 2000s, these buildings were left to decay. Despite being disused for a decade, the power is still on to these buildings. Lights can be turned on, and projectors output a blue screen in the lecture theatres. The smell of damp emanates from everything, paint peels and plaster crumbles. There are two large lecture theatres which were quite photogenic, and numerous laboratories and wooden-benched classrooms.

The lower floors used to store excess furniture, preparations being made to refurbish the site. We visited the site when workers had gone home for the day, making this a trouble free and relax evening explores.