Tales of the Urban Explorer: Salford Police Station

Salford Police Station has been a bogey explore for me. After three unsuccessful attempts, I got a tip-off from my usual informant (@anidiotexplores) that it was currently open again.

...“It won’t be like this for long, no arsing around.. we need to go”..., he was telling me over a chat session.

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It was not the first time for him but there had been a sizable delay of getting on two years. Things can change over time and he was up for it.

Parking is a royal pain in the arse around this area, and if we were going in, it may take some time to explore this one. It's kind of big in there.

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After dumping the car on Asda free park, we walked the half-mile or so to one of my nemesis explores. Was it going to happen today?

The station has been boarded up from at least 2007. This image (below) shows the local cops from 1960 and this link describes a break-in by explorers in 2011 and 2013 and contains some older imagery. It was still boarded up then.


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A couple of college kids were mooching around a gaping entrance looking decidedly seedy and suspicious.

What are they up to?

Not giving them a thought we marched past them, through a big hole that used to be a window and disappeared into the gloom.

"Excuse me, hello..."

Oh… for fuck sake…

“Do you live here”, said collegeboy in a nervous voice.

Do I look like a homeless fucking bum..., jeez

Was he looking at @anidiotexplores and not me? Who was that comment directed at?

Without giving us chance to answer, collegeboy continued, 'I heard there's a violent homeless man in there'

We are used to all manner of violent, crazy, maniacal bastards, some wielding machetes’, I responded as nonchalantly as I could muster.

Oh… can we join you?", said collegegirl with a small shriek, somehow guessing our intent was not eating fried pigeon-shit around a campfire while injecting A-Class drugs into our veins.

We shrugged and they climbed into what is only secondary to a lunatic asylum in stature and tailed along.

To their credit, the college kids went off and did their own thing. We didn’t particularly want them hanging around and getting free Urbex lessons.

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We started to make our way around what was a rectangular-shaped building, with several floors and an inner outdoor courtyard.

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As with all huge old government buildings that have been closed for years, the inside was that familiar picture of peeling paint, extreme damp corridors, and natural lights at the ends of many corridors.

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We saw ‘BNG’ several times. If it’s some kind of gang marker, it’s quite shit.

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Does it look creepy? To be honest, I have got past all that. I cannot deny it would make for a great horror venue.

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I was more interested in looking for things a little more unusual, like this sign that makes little sense to me.

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@anidiotexplores rarely gets in my shots. For the most part, he was nowhere to be seen and I was quite alone.

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Finding windows with complete glass panes was proving challenging.

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I could have used a Pepsi, but the fridge had been pre-raided.

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All ready to strap someone down and perform some ghastly horrific deeds.

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I would have been surprised if no part of Salford Police Station has escaped the fire.

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I took far too many photographs while in here, but tend to use nearly all in my posts.

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If the wind was howling outside and a storm was approaching, the atmosphere may have been radically different.

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I climbed and climbed and climbed. If only the stairs were a little more elaborate and photogenic.

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The top floor at least looked a little different.

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...with some flavoursome words added.

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Nothing in the drawers, I did look.

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This is where the junkies hang out. I bet that bent needle kind of hurt.

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Taken from high up, the inner courtyard where the cops would go and have a fag. That’s a cigarette in English.

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Fuck Da Police’ indeed!

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Again, nothing left in the cupboards. Surely some shit has been left for me to look over?

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This part of the upper floor was in a worse state than usual. More arson attacks.

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You just need a young girl to appear at the far end in a night-gown with a chewed-up zombie face to make this one complete.

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Enjoy it while you can Gordon. He didn’t last long as the Prime Minister.

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Now, this looks more interesting, what's that in the corner?

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I’ll be damned if I know what it is.

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Let's look a little closer...., still no wiser.

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Custody records; now this is more like it. Are they confidential, well it's not really my problem, is it? If only they were a little more detailed.

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I can’t even wash my hands, sheesh…

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This was the old front desk. We had descended and were heading for the jails. Those are in the dungeons where criminals are left unfed for months.

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Lots of metal jail doors were on view, and it could be the criminals were given marker pens to pass the time while locked away.

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A whiteboard from 2002, with a mention of DNA.

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It was a bit grim walking along this corridor which was getting more water saturated with every step.

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According to @anidiotexplores, this used to be a bar. We came upon the college kids here again who jumped out of their skin.

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Finding anything interesting was proving quite the challenge.

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I can barely read this; it was all that was left on the metal shelving.

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Why would there be explosives in the prison cells?

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Drug Smugglers at Manchester Airport; it should be expected.

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That's a major old safe. Not to be moved, ever.

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It almost looks like a new station sign, complete with intact glass.

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Some stairs were quite blocked…

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… while most were quite amenable to us using them.

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We spent a good hour in there and might have missed a few things. I am now no longer a Police Station Virgin (unless I count the dire Manningham Police Station) and it feels damned good.

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43 comments
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well done, it looks like it has really gone down hill over the years.and not a spare fag required this time 🤣

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Was tough finding something interesting, I am not a fan of overly massive places. They takes ages to get around, and the sealers may come while your inside and doom you forever!

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now that would be fun, calling the cops to release you

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The crumbly wall photos are super cool but the used syringes not so much. Those seriously gross me out.

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You get used to seeing them, best to keep your body parts well away.

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One messy old police station. If these walls could speak !LOL

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They always looks great from the outside.., then when you get in.., yeuch.

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Explosives in prison cells, the ultimate deterrent.

I like those creepy stair shots, the up and down ones. Quite photogenic. I am glad you didn't have to eat fried pigeon shit :OD That phrase cracked me up

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I am glad you didn't have to eat fried pigeon shit :OD That phrase cracked me up

Now you know why I like to get in and out quickly. If those sealer dudes come while we are inside, then... fried pigeon shit may well become quite appealing!

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You would become the violent cannibal homeless man that they feared!

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How I was looking forward to this 'violent homeless man'. They are generally scared shitless you are gonna evict 'em!

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I can imagine. They must really hate Urbexers, in the old days they were rarely disturbed!

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Fried pigeon with a nice tartare sauce might be quite delightful. For the sophisticated, we'll just say it's squab.

Great shots. This was one of my favourite explores.

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Most places you could up the cuisine by cooking actual pigeon itself, there's generally at least one dead knocking around. The do like these places, but tend to find little to eat.

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This exploration has the most photos among your other exploration I have read. The police station is somehow so damp.

You just need a young girl to appear at the far end in a night-gown with a chewed-up zombie face to make this one complete.

Yea, I imagine the scene. A young girl is at the far end, probably devil has got into her and the eye colour of whose went white :)

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I did omit a few images from this one, I counted 75 which was a little much. It takes a lot longer to author an image heavy post.

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(Edited)

The box of tricks with the meter and switches, which were actually relays, is BT line tester which were installed to help the engineers diagnose faults at communication critical sites. You were in the 'frame' room where all the BT kit was housed.

Probably dates back to the 70s. In the telephone exchanges there would be rows of these where the testing clerks would work when You used to ring 150 to report a fault on your line.

Great explore this one :-)

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Ah.. I remember 150 and that other number you could call that would immediately make your phone ring.. and then there was nobody there when answered.

Great for winding other people up in your house, or whatever house you were in.

BT must have left their gear behind then. I wish the cops had left more. It was slim pickings for such a large place.

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(Edited)

I wouldn't be surprised if the building were used for a film or television set after the cops moved out, which would explain the odd "dressed set" sign.

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That is a valid point. It seemed very much out of place.

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I can imagine how scary it is at night)
I recently visited such a place on the island of Khortytsya in Ukraine. But I dared not go inside. Maybe I'll also go to see and take a photo inside. It was the old building of the institute. There are many local and scary stories on the island of Khortytsya that it was enough for me to just go there)
Horror movies can be filmed in such buildings)

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Take someone with you, it sounds like a great theme for a post on here. Add a little history and it will take off.

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(Edited)

A police station without a Doughnut Room? Very sad lol

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Our cops constantly visit McDonalds, its like that have some cheap deal with them. They are always hanging around this fast food place.

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Probably no Doughnuts in here?

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They would need a whole rack lol. I think they serve doughnuts at McDonalds too? I haven't been in one for at least a year, I can't remember. I just know that one gets fat after eating there too much and too often🤣

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Police station? Hmm, I'm sure the walls of his basements remember a lot of chilling stories!
Wondering where the locked stairs lead to? What secrets are they hiding?

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was it safe to be there? BTW nice place wanna try and check some abandoned places too if I have the chance.

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It was safe, but this is the UK. No guns here. Most place have them. I can't speak for other countries.

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Nice one! I really like that attic. Keep away from that Madchester airport!

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Except for that one room this one was kind of a bust huh? Not many artifacts to look at and stuff like that. The radio was pretty cool and you got some good shots of the interior. At least you didn't stumble upon the college kids having a abandoned police station shag!

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It wasn't exactly a bust, I should have taken more notice of the crap on the floor as there was more. When a place is this big.. and you have limited time it can be a rush.

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"Excuse me, hello..."

Oh… for fuck sake…

“Do you live here”, said collegeboy in a nervous voice.

Do I look like a homeless fucking bum..., jeez

Was he looking at @anidiotexplores and not me? Who was that comment directed at?

Without giving us chance to answer, collegeboy continued, 'I heard there's a violent homeless man in there'

“We are used to all manner of violent, crazy, maniacal bastards, some wielding machetes’, I responded as nonchalantly as I could muster.

“Oh… can we join you?", said collegegirl with a small shriek, somehow guessing our intent was not eating fried pigeon-shit around a campfire while injecting A-Class drugs into our veins.<

This part absolutely sent me, I could not stop laughing at this event and the wordplay you used. Please let me know if you ever write a story book with that wording, I'll be your #1 fan. 10/10

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(Edited)

🤣🤣 -thanks man. I try to make them interesting. It did happen, and they followed us in. I don't try to create this kind of wordplay, it just comes from my fingertips.

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Explosives? I wonder if they keep all the ammo there? I read down there about the movie set and that makes perfect sense. That new-looking sign for the muniment room, like a records room? Or what? And was the new sign part of the movie set?

The cells were the best part. Aren't the dungeons always? Those needles were pretty horrific. The syringes were pretty big, I'm glad you didn't come upon some crazy man in there. Haha. Scaring the college kids. :)

I guess I'm not too surprised you didn't find much, it is a police station and I would expect them to sanitize the place. Maybe? Although, they don't do their own moving.

How many times are they going to take your virginity? 😮

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If it was used a some kind of set, I can't find any info about it. Syringes are part of all this, I see them regularly and once caught a couple of blokes in the middle of a session. They got all panicky until we told them what we were doing.

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I am amazed that you were only in there for an hour and photographed all of that/running between floors.

Your comments on the post give it even more life. :)

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Well from the outside it doesn't look so horrible, I think the top floor is the only quiet place haha, it would be a great horror movie if they recorded in it, good post!

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