Tales of the Urban Explorer: The Hellfire Club
When I first spotted some posts on The Hellfire Club, the name kind of stuck out. It is quite dramatic and looking at the exterior of the building which is unique, fits the description well.
Could we get inside? I knew the interior was sparse but it’s the challenge sometimes; that and some luck on your timing.
The building has been the site of several spooky incidents over the years and attracted visitors from all over the globe
Boasting Manchester’s deepest cellar, branded the ‘dungeon’, where bodies are believed to have been buried in the past.
The Hellfire Club was a themed restaurant for ghoulish antics before it closed. It was said that people from all over the globe visited to breathe in a slice of history (and dress up like vampires at the same time).
Source
...'The Hellfire Club, circa 2013'...
Before it's closure and adding itself to the property market in 2014 for £300,000 (promoted as a haunted house), the ex-owner stated he had heard footsteps on the roof, the sound of dripping taps and ghostly horses were seen in the basement.
I tend to take all this with a pinch of salt as my conduit to the spirit world appears to be non-existent.
After years of being for sale and no buyers, there was a fire in 2019, but having been inside there was little damage to be seen.
More recently, in fact, a week after I visited there was yet another large fire which appears to have gutted the place.
Are my images the last know ones left before it was totally destroyed?
The front door and gate was not very welcoming and the sign quite threatening to the owners who probably don't know it's been labelled this way.
There's always the back door which proved much more accommodating. No doubts it has been sealed by now, but if it has been torched there will be even less to see than during my visit.
Much of the lush interior had been pulled away though some 'leather walls' remained if that's what they are!
There appeared to be some building materials inside and not recent additions. How long had they been there, or is this just the woodwork that has been pulled apart?
Red walls are appropriate for vampire guests, and so we headed up the first of many stairs as the famed dungeon could not be found, though we did search for it.
Getting past the first floor was interesting to say the least. The door was jammed and we had to 'improvise' to gain access which meant a little climbing through some loose carpets.
Much of The Hellfire Club was made up of bare walls without plasterboard. The further we climbed, the barer it became.
If the windows were not all smashed then it could make a decent home for those without one. Someone has tried to sleep here.
The floors were getting dodgier by the floor with large gaping holes now to be avoided. That drop may look shallow, but it's not!
Just look at the style of this. It would make for great apartments. Maybe the price was too steep to attract developers?
The staircases were getting skinnier by the staircase, with @dizzydiscovery refusing to climb the final one that led to the roof.
I was cautious about sticking my head too far out as there is a busy road next to The Hellfire Club, and it would be my bad luck for some cops to be driving past at that moment.
Clambering down the stairs we left The Hellfire Club a little disappointed about its bareness, and I remember feeling shocked to hear it was a burned ruin just a week later from another explorer.
For some reason, the fire of August 2020 news is not to be found on the internet. I find that strange.
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Another great explore mate, I'd have loved to have seen this. Sadly, empty buildings after so long, seemed to get set on fire, must be those pesky ghosts lol.
Pesky arsonists more like! I wonder what the inside is like now?
What a beautiful old building! That top room with the curved wall and sash windows would absolutely make an amazing home.
But....
What the fuck would ghost horses be doing in the basement??? lol
One of those links mentioned stables used to be attached to it, those old horses get restless as well as us!
https://twitter.com/BrynRogers/status/1331250935599919104
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Wait, you weren't even able to find the cellar? What is up with that? Do you think they blocked it in or were there actual doors that you weren't able to get open that might have led to it? What was the original purpose of this building that they think there are bodies down there?
@dizzydiscovery might remember something. Either we couldn't find it, or it was blocked and sealed. This was months ago and I can't remember. The bodies...? well it was used when open as a dungeon.., what it was used for 150+ years ago I don't know. It is very unique looking and striking. Would have cost a fortune then.
It is a pretty cool looking building.
WOW! So how much is rent and when can I move in?!?
Just £50 a week including no windows as standard 😀
I have plenty of tape and a few trash bags. I'll just make my own windows.
You could tape that old large mattress to the window if you don't mind living in continual darkness.
I'm fine with darkness. Always have a lighter with me. So I could just start a fire on the floor.
Looks like it could have been a nice building and I'm surprised it hasn't been developed. Shame it's so bare inside. There must have been some juicy goings-on in there over the years. It's doubtful anyone would build anything like that now, so it's sad to see it rot.
It's not very central to the city else I guess it would be. How cool to live in that, if it was done up!
What an attractive, quirky building. I can hardly believe that no one bought the place before it was a wreck. To me it'd be a great place to live...
Obviously by the electrical panel Manchester doesn't have the problem with copper removal that Arizona does. I think it's a pretty meth junkie thing to do. That might explain some of the floor disruption...
It's a good explore. Even if it was very stripped. Maybe the building materials were placed in the room to facilitate the fire to come?
They were on the bottom floor, so it is a possibility.
I've only known about one arson case in my life. It's been 50 years, so the statute of limitations is met and the principals are mostly dead.
A farmer neighbor had taken over a neighbors farm as a sharecrop. There was a farmstead on the place and it was really hard to farm around and tumbled down early. The farmer was contractually obligated to keep the farmstead neat. He hired two brothers (good friends) to trim the unwatered trees around the house. He instructed them to leave the chainsaw he provided in some very dry grass and light it before they went to the Tavern 10 miles away for lunch. The house and barn both burned to the ground before it was even reported. The fire department didn't even respond. The brothers made $100 each for trimming the trees, a pretty good weeks pay back in the day...
I think about the place every time I drive by the spot.
Blimey, Arson is widespread here, just read my stuff and you will see it. I don't understand the hit these guys get for burning.
It was strange to see a holy water dispenser from Eden in a Vampire club. A pretty unique shaped building, and it was nice of the City Council to let everyone know how easy it was to enter the property from either a ground floor broken window, or that they could just use the door, so no real surprise it got burned down by either vandals, or an insurance recovery act.
Looking at the date, it has been placed very recently. I wonder if the council have sealed it now. Likely the upper floors will never be walked on again, due to the burning.
Thanks for continuing to make Hive awesome.
I'm not the worlds' most renowned Vampyr specialist however I can confirm this as a vampyrish shoe. A rare find.
I wonder, clearly you're climbing through these old buildings...Have you ever had a floor or staircase collapse under your weight? I mean, they don't look like they are a picture of health and probably wouldn't meet code. Just wondering.
Great dilapidated photos though, as always.
Not yet, I guess you could call it luck. I feel my way around if the floor looks dodgy, and that is very often. Other explorers I know have had some near misses and there are stories of deaths I have heard.
It is a risky hobby I partake in, but it's exciting.
Makes sense to be cautious; Falling through a floor would be problematic. It's a good hobby though I'd expect you not to have any real shortage of properties to explore in the UK.
I am having to travel farther, but have connections with some guys on Facebook who I share locations with. The best ones (time capsules) are closely guarded secrets, and if I visit one, and share it HERE, I have to be careful to remove addresses, and any clues to where it is.
Else the dickheads will find it, go in and steal, vandalise or burn it down. Connecting to the right people is important. There are many who are looking to gain from it. I can honestly say I have never taken a thing out of any of mine. It's not my stuff to take.
It sounds like you're a pro and know what you're about. I'm not sure if this sort of thing is possible here, mainly through lack of suitable options and farmers that shoot first then ask questions if they find people on their lands. :) It would be cool though I think. We have ruins and I love to visit those when I get the chance but I've not come across any of these dilapidated sites I've felt comfortable enough to explore on. Getting shot is overrated. Lol.
This is why the American's won't do this, they will get shot or every place has a wide-eyed crack addict with a knife and will attack on sight! Sounds that same in Oz to me.
Lol, yeah I think crack heads are the same the world over.
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So that’s where I left my shoe !
A classic ain't it!
Yeah I bet it was ace when it was open,
Very atmospheric snaps!
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What an awesome looking building. Always makes me kind of sad to see them go to ruin :<