The boarded-up building seen from Bolehill Lane in April 2019.The boarded-up building seen from Bolehill Lane in April 2019.
The boarded-up building seen from Bolehill Lane in April 2019.

Stunning photos show inside of long-closed north Derbyshire business

Urban explorers have ventured inside a long-closed North Derbyshire business – and taken some amazing images.

An explorer ventured inside Realstone, a former natural stone supplier in Wingerworth, before sharing the images on their Lost Places & Forgotten Faces Facebook page.

They said: “I wasn't expecting too much from this place, as I knew it was pretty much a wreck.

“I did come across some old Realstone signage which was interesting.

“The main office block is very unstable after suffering from the effects of fire damage.

“The rest of the premises has been stripped of anything valuable.

“While the site has been absolutely trashed, smashed and set on fire, there were a couple of unique pieces by local graffiti artists Brayk and Coloquix hidden throughout, which added a little pleasure on the eyes in an otherwise arena of carnage and despair.”

Realstone, Bolehill Lane, Wingerworth, was involved in the cutting, shaping and finishing of ornamental stone.

Set up in 1998, it became one of the largest suppliers of natural stone in the UK, with its headquarters in Wingerworth and works in Glasgow and Penrith.

However, it collapsed into administration in 2016, with its assets sold and 35 staff made redundant.

The site has been empty ever since and, the explorer said, “has suffered at the hands of metal thieves, arsonists and local yobs”.

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