Exploring Littlewoods Art Deco Building - Didn't Deserve To End Up Like This

[00:00:01]Hi, everyone. Welcome back to RV Media and FX. Today is an unplanned exploration for the very very famous Littlewoods building.

[00:00:12]They used to print off your football coupons back in the day. So, they used to use it as a headquarters, a Second World War headquarters, I believe.

[00:00:21]And they made like parachutes for bombs and stuff, so it may just be an empty shell, but a lot of history to this building.

[00:00:30]The Littlewoods building The Littlewoods building in Liverpool.

[00:00:36]So, when you enter, I'm working on my own today. I wasn't even planning to do any abandon stuff at all today, but I noticed security car that's always parked there wasn't there.

[00:00:49]So, I just thought, why not?

[00:00:51]Let's go and enter. Let's go exploring this vast, historic empty shell of a building, fortunately.

[00:01:15]And welcome back, everyone. Just going down these little stairs here.

[00:01:19]Now, this building's been abandoned for a long time, and there's not a lot left to it, like I said.

[00:01:26]Uh we're just going to have a quick walk through here.

[00:01:33]Now, this place is like situated on Edge Lane.

[00:01:36]And there was a fire here back in the day, so there's not a lot left, either.

[00:01:42]Most recognizable landmark in Liverpool.

[00:01:44]Built in 1938.

[00:01:46]Um striking art deco complex was designed as a headquarters and production center of the Littlewoods football pools business, founded by Sir John Moores. Millions of football pools coupons were printed, sorted and posted from the site every week. It was scaffolded, making it one of the most largest administrative buildings of its kind in Britain.

[00:02:15]During the Second World War, the government took over much of this building and turned it into a wartime facility.

[00:02:29]International mail was examined by postal censorship department. So, around 17 million registration and conscription forms were printed. Parts of the Parts of the Parts of the Halifax bombers parachutes or other military equipment manufactured here.

[00:02:49]This is the same. It's been totally destroyed.

[00:02:55]After the war, the building was returned to Littlewoods operations and it was employed thousands people with over like 30,000 in numbers across the lifetime. The company was known for relatively good wages, extensive staff welfare welfare programs, and however, the decline of the football pools largely due to the national lottery pretty much put this place under.

[00:03:27]The building ceased operations in 1994 and has stood largely empty ever since.

[00:03:36]A mixed um scheme including offices, shops, hotel was approved in 2013.

[00:03:43]As you can see, it didn't really progress.

[00:03:46]And there was actually talks of making this like a Hollywood of the North, but that's kind of like falling through as They're going to turn this into a massive like studios to um to do filming and all this and again absolutely I got I got all so Knowle words is also famous for the tower that since been taken [music] down. I will put pictures on the screen for you to show the tower being demolished cuz I did cover that on the channel and I'll put the whole video at the end of this one. So, let's go and have a look around even though it's just an empty shell now but you can feel the history of the place.

[00:04:37]I don't know if the seagulls have made homes around here somewhere but they don't seem too happy with me being here.

[00:04:43]So it's just a shame really.

[00:04:53]The place has got absolutely destroyed with fires and everything else.

[00:05:01]I'll just go through here.

[00:05:05]>> [sighs] >> I don't know what that building is over there.

[00:05:14]That looks cool, isn't it?

[00:05:18]Okay then.

[00:05:21]I like the um the arch kind of effect.

[00:05:26]And if you hear the my voice like echo through the building so it's really cool.

[00:05:38]There's absolutely nothing left of what it what this place used to be.

[00:05:43]Not even any clues. Even though we all know what I've just told what it used to be?

[00:05:47]Absolutely nothing.

[00:05:56]To remind the manager So I have tried to explore this place so many times even though I knew it was just an empty shell.

[00:06:08]But there's always one security car parked at the front and today it's been Sunday.

[00:06:13]Nobody's there.

[00:06:15]But it's just incredible. They might have scaffolding around this place.

[00:06:19]But I can't see it ever being put in use again to be honest.

[00:06:24]I really can't.

[00:06:26]This is too destroyed.

[00:06:31]So absolutely stunning this old place even though it's a shell.

[00:06:43]So look up there. There's a There's a camera up there.

[00:06:47]I haven't heard nothing.

[00:06:48]So I believe that's where that tower was.

[00:06:57]It got demolished.

[00:06:59]Famous Littlewoods tower.

[00:07:02]There's a picture on the screen.

[00:07:06]Let's go and stand where that tower once stood.

[00:07:09]And the reason why they um they took the tower down.

[00:07:17]There was slight movement. It was slight movement.

[00:07:20]So it was a It was an unstr- unsafe structure.

[00:07:23]And that pretty much gave the building its identity.

[00:07:26]I think there's a car there.

[00:07:29]There's a car.

[00:07:32]Uh I think security is on site.

[00:07:42]I'm not sure if he's spotted me.

[00:07:49]Should I walk?

[00:07:51]Walk on this way.

[00:07:56]Should I walk around to make the way clear?

[00:08:05][ __ ] They actually parked the car inside of the fence. This is the time I go inside of the gate.

[00:08:12]Just very sneakily.

[00:08:16]So, this place is closed to the public.

[00:08:18]To the wall.

[00:08:20]I'm second. [ __ ] You can make it out, I think.

[00:08:53]Had me thinking they took a day off.

[00:08:55]Obviously, they haven't.

[00:09:02]Well, I haven't heard anybody shout after me yet, so.

[00:09:26]There's a camera tower there, too.

[00:09:28]It is cameras.

[00:09:35]There's a camera tower there.

[00:09:47]I don't think that guy saw me.

[00:09:50]Or he saw the car.

[00:10:08]Should I [ __ ] cross here and get spotted, I think?

[00:10:30]Yeah, guy's still down there.

[00:10:33]It's a bit dark in here anyway. [ __ ] he seeing me?

[00:10:48]Nobody's going to run into the security guard inside.

[00:10:52]There's a car.

[00:11:01][ __ ] I am going to get spotted here.

[00:11:19]I will get spotted, but there's no way around it.

[00:11:23]This is like literally the last part of the building.

[00:11:36]>> I think that car wasn't there before.

[00:11:39]It must have turned up when I was in here.

[00:11:45]That's where the tower was, just over there.

[00:11:50]Shame, isn't it, about this place?

[00:11:58]Do I go over?

[00:12:00]Make it more interesting.

[00:12:26]It's getting really dark outside.

[00:12:44]So, have you got the laugh here over there, or I don't know.

[00:12:57]And also, there's a field just over there, over the fence over there.

[00:13:02]You've got all the air raid shelters as well.

[00:13:05]I've already done a video on that.

[00:13:07]So, I'll put that at the end of the video, as well.

[00:13:11]Cuz we explored all the air raid shelters underneath the park that was used, also, during the Second World War, I believe.

[00:13:20]I just want to see what that car is.

[00:13:36]>> Right.

[00:13:38]I don't really want to be running around in this kind of weather.

[00:13:41]We have pretty much seen everything to be fair.

[00:13:44]What's left of the old building? I want to try and get out the way I came in.

[00:13:48]Small gap in the fence.

[00:13:57]Um Yeah.

[00:14:00]Yeah, that tower is the other side of that, isn't it? So, we need to avoid that.

[00:14:07]Oh, yeah.

[00:14:13]I don't know what really annoys the security today.

[00:14:18]No chance in hell.

[00:14:25]But, I haven't got um to be honest, I haven't looked at the camera tower set up too smart, to be honest.

[00:14:32]I got in and out without getting spotted.

[00:14:35]I didn't see anything down there.

[00:14:38]I got cars where I got in. I am [ __ ] cuz he's going to see me.

[00:14:48]Huh.

[00:14:51]That's security tower.

[00:14:53]Is it there? You can just make it out.

[00:14:56]Yeah, that's Let him keep walking away, I think.

[00:15:06]He's up to something now.

[00:15:14]Okay.

[00:15:16]I will call and see where he's at. Red car's there.

[00:15:19]See, he must have turned up.

[00:15:21]I thought he was already in here.

[00:15:22]>> Yeah.

[00:15:23]I shall be showing you the MP.

[00:15:50]There it is.

[00:15:56]Whatever class.

[00:16:06]So, you see me there.

[00:16:08]Turn off.

[00:16:09]Don't believe.

[00:16:13]This is going to help us grow this.

[00:16:16]Beautiful.

[00:16:19]Famous landmark.

[00:16:21]I don't know what you just did with the camera.

[00:16:25]See you on the next one. Hit the like, share, subscribe. Have a good one.