In today’s Urbandoned video, we take a look
inside the abandoned Chesterfield Hotel, located in the centre of the Derbyshire town. The building has been shuttered since 2015
when it’s owner’s went bust. Having lasted since the 19th century, the
vacant complex boasts many old features and leisure facilities, making it an interesting
walkthrough as we search it’s large interior. Join us as we explore the property to see
what remains. In our last episode, we asked the question,
‘Would you like to see more underground sites, such as drains and mines?’ We had various responses but selected this
one from Peter who would like to see these sorts of locations featured on the channel,
but advises us to be careful when going underground. This is very important to us and we’d be
sure to take the necessary precautions to be safe and we will get some more below street
level documentaries out soon. This week we are asking to hear some of your
experiences at the former Chesterfield hotel? We are interested to learn about the building
more as there is limited information online. Let us know to possibly feature in our next
video. With it’s former title still positioned
in various places across the building, it wasn’t difficult to locate Chesterfield
Hotel as we drove around the town centre. Previously known as the Station Hotel, the
property was built in 1877 and was one of the town’s longest running businesses before
closure a few years ago. It’s prominent stature with roads surrounding
it made us pay close attention to onlooking passerby’s as we darted to the open access
point. Making it inside unseen, we began scouting
through the massive site to see what we could find. With many newer sections added to the hotel
during it’s century and a half in use, it was very confusing to wander through without
aid. Many spaces were extremely repetitive in the
upper floors due to their being only bedrooms for guests. Currently, it is marketed as a 73-bedroomed
property with extensive function and leisure facilities, such as a swimming pool, gym and
a large car park prime for development for a sum of around £1.25 million. We hoped we would discover some of the promised
leisure regions soon. We were surprised not to see any squatters
residing in some of the clean rooms we checked. However, earlier in our visit, we spotted
a man walking down the corridor from us so we left that area of the hotel, as we weren’t
sure what his purposes were. When the hotel’s owning company went bust
in 2015, it closed its doors after more than 130 years in business. Two years later, a developer bought the space
for £900,000 spending up to £300,000 on repair work, probably some of which we just
saw. As the structure continually declined in condition,
the refurbishment prices reached a total too high for the new owner, hence the abandonment
of the renovation prospects. Since then, locals have had the freedom to
steal anything expensive like items or copper wiring and vandalise the respected building
to a poor state. Progressing to the ground level of the hotel,
we found that much more was left with each reception and bar stocked up with equipment. There was a lot to look through and the architecture
seemed to vary from modern to old in every room we entered. The monetary waste due to the property’s demise
is very apparent here, with so many belongings and electronics intact, and limited damage
due to regular sealing of the complex. One of the oldest rooms across the whole site,
the ballroom contained grand design with intricate coves and huge, decorated chandeliers that
would have overlooked guests dancing in time that is now forgotten. It is such a shame that a space as ornate
as this is neglected in complete darkness, hiding the work that was put into it’s construction. This segment of the hotel was another bar,
but arguably the best of the bunch. Again, the boarded windows failed to allow
much light inside, ruining the colourful carpet and polished Greek styles that would have
been admired in the past. Following a look at the leisure side of the
structure, we then headed downwards to attempt to seek out the pool. Although at first, we only discovered this
creepy statue, soon we sighted something very telling of it's location. Back upstairs, we ended up in the fitness
region of the building, with signage pointing us in the right direction of the baths. Despite being a relatively straightforward
swimming pool, it was impressive to see how the hotel squashed it in to it’s old building. Looking at it’s empty pit now, you could
imagine visitors enjoying themselves in the family welcoming setting. After hearing some kids entering the hotel
above us, we quickly headed towards the gym that apparently neighboured the baths. On route, we caught glimpse of the male and
female changing rooms. We decided to conclude our visit to Chesterfield
Hotel after spending a few hours within. There was a slight unease in the air with
the simplicity of access and the fact we had noticed two groups of people lurking about
internally, so we figured it would be smart to leave. There are no plans to convert the property
again, but it would more than likely result in student accommodation or flats. Whether the historic structure would be maintained
or flattened is up to the council, as it isn’t listed. Maybe the expansive site will find use in
the future, but as for now, daily police checks and upped security are the only changes we
have heard about since visiting last year. The hotel remains out of ownership. Here are some of our photographs taken at
the abandoned hotel. If you like the look of them, check out our
Instagram page in the description where we post images from our explores months before
they are seen on YouTube. Thanks for watching! Remember to comment in regards to the question
asked earlier in the video. See you next time!
