Tales of the Urban Explorer: The Margaret Beaven School

I was only speaking to @anidiotexplores yesterday about how much more confidence we both seemed to have acquired regarding climbing.

Not only that, but our daring and bravery levels seemed to have both increased. It's like a role-playing game but in real life unfortunately without the accumulation of gold.

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The Margaret Beaven School was closed permanently in 2004 and bought by some 'wealthy owners' in 2016 who have so far done fuck all besides let it rot further. It has been subjected to several arson attacks over the years.

It was my second attempt at ‘The Margaret Beaven School’. The first time I was placed in similar circumstances but felt the climb was a little too much.

Was it the gloves? I feel super-empowered with these things on and if anything now look forward to a climb.

Spotting a chunky power box around 5ft in height next to the spiky fence, I clambered up, placed my leg over the spikes uttering a few OWWWW's and jumped far-side into a wooded area that was now not so wooded.

...Someone has been chopping down the trees...

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I ought to have been thankful as now we could not only see the old Victorian school, we could approach the second level of Pallaside fencing without being cut to ribbons with thick brambles.

@anidiotexplores who is way more dexterous than me had this one in the bag already and knew about a sneaky fencing part that slides to one side.

Talk about inside information. Pallaside fencing is not to be messed with, is 8 feet tall with serious spikes atop enough to ensure you can never produce baby juice.

My heart was racing after breaching the second layer of protection via devious means. We stopped, listened, and heard no Karen's screeching and screaming from the outside zone.

All was good so far. 'The Margaret Beaven School' surrounding area I hear is quite 'Karen infested'.

"The main school is sealed up tight, but this section is..., was accessible", my comrade whispered in hushed tones.

The tension was palpable and in the air. We were trying to access a derelict school not an active army base but those tingles were in my fingers.

Once again his intelligence was current and we scrambled through a ground-level window into a broken mess.

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It was a classroom once; the blackboard kind of gives things away.

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These things were scattered all over the floor and I didn't make the connection immediately. Phillip Bretherton is an English Actor.

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Exiting our entrance room we wandered down this corridor entering the ‘Science Room’.

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It looked more like a Kindergarten to me.

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The tables contain those gas outlets for Bunsen burners. I remember a little about school but it's mostly lousy memories.

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Some sinks had been ripped out, presumably for the copper piping.

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This room had been burnt; the sofas looked like they were in love.

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There are reports that ‘The Margaret Beaven School’ has been subject to arson, but I was not sure if it was this or the main building.

Memories came flooding back to me when entering the Gym. P.E. was a subject I loathed, the teacher was a monster, ritually yelling at all the boys during lessons and then leering at our cocks in the communal showers later.

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I was oblivious to the latter detail at the time of course; a lot of perverse behaviour went on in schools decades ago.

The rope swing was usable but I refrained from having a go. @anidiotexplores did and managed to swing himself into the gym wall with a heavy crunch.

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How the bicycle got in here is a mystery. It could well have been a lot more accessible once.

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I don't know what the attraction of lighting campfires indoors is. The smoke can't escape and then you asphyxiate while cooking your sausages.

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A rare piece of graffiti, I was surprised there wasn’t an abundance of it. I suppose it’s not the easiest of derps to access.

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I spotted some machinery and had a closer look.

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I am still none the wiser as to what this is or does.

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It looks like leaves, but I can't honestly remember what this chunk of gunk is either.

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Inside were no bits of chisels. All lies.

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Instructions for use in every conceivable language, besides English.

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That stuff looks very scientific on the blackboard. When was that written? The school has been closed since 2004, so a long time ago.

I then noticed this partial script on a table. Young Dracula?

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@anidiotexplores then piped up that the series had been filmed at 'The Margaret Beaven School'. I haven't watched it and still haven't since this visit.

This series was filmed in Liverpool during 2011, in various locations including the disused Margaret Bevan School, Croxteth Hall, and Stanley Docks.

Transylvania or our mental impression of it seems a far cry from ‘The Margaret Beaven School’, but still I was intrigued to see they had left scripts hanging around since 2013.

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The long corridor shot. It was dark but I have been in much creepier corridors than this one.

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I left the toilet shots alone. No need to subject you all to shit-encrusted bowls.. again.

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I could see this archway could have been used in Young Dracula.

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Is that yet another prop?

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It always looks like nighttime inside these places. All those boards make it appear so.

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The rope that everyone swings from (except me).

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We found more script parts in a corner; a whole sheaf of them, musty and covered in spores. Watching the series could be preferable to breathing too close to this.

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Exiting via the same route, we spotted a burnt-out, possible classroom.

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Were they tables and chairs once? The room hosts a radiator, so it’s not a greenhouse.

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Sections of the grounds were off-limits due to severe thick vegetation. We made our way around to the front and scoured it for weaknesses.

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Not a chance, someone has managed to seal it well. I do believe @grindle penetrated this part long ago, but did he see the fabled BBC Micro - 'lost in time!?'

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We made our way back to the spiky fence which was tougher to climb due to the larger drop on the roadside.

“The police have been called”, yelled a screaming angry woman from a nearby upper window.

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We waved back happily knowing the Police would likely be arriving in around 20 minutes or so, enough time for us to safely vanish.

She appeared less than impressed, banging the window shut in a hissy fit.

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With all this climbing soon it will be parkour posts!!!

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I'm quite a way from that but getting seemingly better. Yesterday was over a 8 foot gate, up a ladder on to the second floor and through a dodgy window not quite aligned to the roof. What a buzz!

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I can see it now. The go pro strapped to the head. The daring jumps!!

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It will be a while before that one pops up, I am getting further adrift with this content. A jump I could have done, the consequences of misjudging would have been dire.

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Ball snagging is never something to be taken lightly with those fences

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Another lovely building - looks like a nice explore that one, again a pity about the arsonists !

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Shame about the main part, could be a re-visit if we hear things have changed.

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The gloves making you feel emboldened to climb is pretty funny but I totally get it.

Your gym experience as a kid sounds awful. Your teacher sounds super pervy. Sounds like a very uncomfortable situation and place to be, to say the least

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Your gym experience as a kid sounds awful. Your teacher sounds super pervy.

There was nothing good about that school. Always at the bottom of the schools list, I felt zero motivation to do anything. I was a whisker away from passing the test to go to a much better school. Things could have been different.

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You have to take a test to change schools?

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I didn't have the ambition then, I was a bad kid.., very bad!

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I see. And now you're breaking into abandoned buildings haha 😂 maybe you still have some "bad" in you 😉🤣

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you're breaking into abandoned buildings

Breaking.. never! I don't do that.

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Haha true. Okay just entering then with some mild trespassing haha

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This is an excellent exploration, thank goodness you did it in the daytime because it would seem terrifying to do it at night in an abandoned place, imagine. Very nice shots by the way, it was nice to see the details.

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Some explorers do night sessions, if only to avoid people. Inside is generally OK, but the outside shots are terrible. You can't see nothing!

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You would have to use some kind of flashlight to illuminate certain places and take the shots at night. But you are right, for that you would need excellent equipment to do night scouting.

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The machine is a grinding wheel for sharpening tools. Your pics brought back some memories of school. It seems newer schools have whiteboards instead of blackboards. We had to get by with chalk and all the dust. I didn't like school sports much either.

I think these are the episodes for the script you found. I've not watched it. Seems those were the last ones ever. Not sure my kids watched it.

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That episode looks very dark and gloomy. I am sure there's some external shots somewhere in it. The series didn't appeal to me in context.

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I guess vampires are not much good in daylight. I wonder if there are fans who would actually seek out the locations. Seems it got fairly good viewing figures of over half a million. That may be good for a kids show.

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It's a staple explore in Liverpool, shame the main bit is sealed (for the moment).

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(Edited)

"unfortunately without the accumulation of gold." Lol, well you do find a lot of stuff, perhaps one day gold will be in the mix.

Your explorations are getting exciting. I was wondering if you'd encounter someone on the way out if there are loads of Karens around there.

Have to wonder why the film crew thought it would be OK to simply leave scripts hanging around, but they probably looked at the place and just couldn't be bothered to have to clean up.

Gosh I hated the physical exercise part of school, detested it infact. There was a lot of weird shit that happened in schools back then that people didn't ask questions about, so at least you're not alone there.

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I hope to never find valuable, I would rather not have the temptation!

I find many sellable items, but have not been tempted to grab anything. @anidiotexplores is also a stickler for this. We would keep each other in check.

Karen's are a pain the arse, and people to avoid. I get people staring from distances when I'm trying to get in and out of places and know what they are thinking...

That's a burglar.

Of course.. they are wrong.

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You and @anidiotexplores have good ethics about it which is great. Karens are full of shite and nobody likes a busybody. If they are so "concerned" they should go and fix the fucking place up themselves. Sorry, I just get annoyed when people are happy to bitch but won't actually do anything in real life. Like wtf are the police going to do anyway? It's ridiculous.

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I have yet to have a Police encounter, but they might ask you for your details (which you are not at liberty to give unless they think you have committed a crime), and ask you to leave.

I did hear one bought up the 1824 Vagrancy Act to an explorer, which is quite the joke.

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1824 Vagrancy Act

Seriously? That's a little outdated it's really laughable lol. I think I'd piss myself laughing which probably wouldn't go down too well. It's good that you haven't had to deal with that. I would imagine they have better things to take care of than a couple people looking at a derelict building.

Looking forward to your next adventure. Be safe and have fun 🙂

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Indeed the sofas looks like they have hugged each other :)

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It looks like leaves, but I can't honestly remember what this chunk of gunk is either.

Zooming in, it looks like shoelaces.

Sounds like your school would have been abandoned had the kids been given the opportunity. And rightfully so.

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Sounds like your school would have been abandoned had the kids been given the opportunity. And rightfully so.

It's still going, the headteachers keep resigning!

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Another awesome building, it is sad that they are not better cared for. It makes me wonder why someone would call the law, then tell you that they are coming, giving you time to get away. It is good they did but I find it funny. BTW the machine is a grinder we have one but it is much smaller. I can't wait to see where you go next.

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It makes me wonder why someone would call the law, then tell you that they are coming, giving you time to get away.

LOL, to get rid of us quicker. They may have figured we were on the way in.

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OH, I did not think of it like that.

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I don't know how you find those buildings, but with your photos you always make them look great.

Thanks for sharing.

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I don't know how you find those buildings

Closely guarded information, but there's always some you can find by scouring the internet.

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Glad you could enter this time @slobberchops and climb up.
Great captures…
This machineries are cool.
I remember those burners from school many moons ago.
The junk out of leaves could have been a nest.
Thanks for sharing your exploration with us. 😊👋🏻

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If it gets my pulse racing, I consider it good. Anything interesting inside is always a bonus.

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Yep… I know the feeling when I explore buildings hehehe 🤭
Have a great new week 👋🏻☀️😎

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That tells a lot of story going on. A bit creepy though but that definitely triggered the thrills. We have couple of places here to explore but I haven't got the courage yet maybe not until someone courageous enough to lose his life to explore such kind of places with me😆😂

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Always explore with a partner, it makes for a lot more fun.

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Terrible that vandals just can't leave stuff alone. Awesome photos, they make me feel like with a sprinkle of imagination, I am there. Thanks for the vacation from the mundane.

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For something left since 2004, you have to expect some vandalism.

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Even for something freshly built here in the U.S. you have to expect vandalism. Sad, but true.

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Arson attacks.... Place does look like it could get some renovations but I like the old time structure

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That one was not even that bad. Usually your findings are way more trashy.

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Next one is terrible and trashy, you won't be disappointed 😀

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Kudos for having the chops to do this. I'd be too scared of ghosts to enter an abandoned building. If I hear a noise, I'd just be thinking, "please don't let it be a creepy little girl or a clown." 🤡

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I used to hear more than now, perhaps my senses have switched off. A Hospital Solo is the ultimate, and I have done one.

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😳

Medical institutions are my least favorite settings in the movies and shows. There is no way I would step into an abandoned one. Man, now I'm getting all stressed just writing about it. :D

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I was oblivious to the latter detail at the time of course; a lot of perverse behaviour went on in schools decades ago.

I am of an age when the beaks would quite often get us to bend over for the cane, for even the slightest misdemeanour in some cases. I remember one time, I was in the 4th form, about 15yrs old, Jimmy Johnson, the art master, and a scratch golfer, gave me two strokes ( fuck that hurt) for the crime of chatting to some girls at the next door girls school, one stroke for being out of school at lunchtime, one stroke for actually fraternising with girls!!!!!! Twat.

About 20 years ago, I was on a Baltic Cruise with my ex wife, when I actually spotted him. All dressed up in his penguin suit, wife in a posh frock, on his arm, drink in hand, queuing to have his photo with the captain on "formal night", in a flash I didn't even think about it, I accidentally stumbled, casually bashing into him, yes boom, his wife ended up wearing his fucking G&T or whatever it was. I was so apologetic, ( I should have been an actor), she was distraught, he was trying to put on a brave face. "Sorry sorry sorry" Sayeth I, "Aren't you Mr J, my old art master from Grovey?". he muttered something like yes I am but forgive me, I don't remember you.

I walked on smiling.Fuck you! Vengeance is a dish best served cold.

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would quite often get us to bend over for the cane

Hopefully, not bare arsed with the caner stroking his member. The cane was still about when I was at school, but I was never quite bad enough to get it.

casually bashing into him, yes boom, his wife ended up wearing his fucking G&T or whatever it was.

Now you could have made it worse and mentioned the caning, especially if he pulled your jocks down. Wifey might have thrown him over the side.

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No we were allowed to keep our clothing in tact! Ah!!! I see a teachers pet sitting in the front row @slobberchops 😂

I was once roughed up coming out the showers by the PE master first week at the school, only took me 4 years to fuck him over! Ah the wonderful life of an all boys school

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I remember who the cane teacher was, the deputy head.., a strict looking bloke but probably not a boy pervert. It was more a case of despising school so much, I didn't want to learn. That flooded over to Kwiksave later.., and I need to continue with that. I might finish it in a few years 😀

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lol come back Mort all is forgiven

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That's such a beautiful building. It's a shame it's being left to rot. It looks like the school Matilda (90's kids movie) went to.

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Looks like an old school that greates in old era

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While reading I am the one felt scared like I was anticipating you will see something unusual like in horror movies,😂. Yet I don't want to scroll down as I don't want to spoil especially when you mentioned about the "young dracula".

Ah, I don't think so I would have the courage to visit abandon places like you

I checked the youtube link,now I was thinking why didn't search for youtube tutorials before

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Ah, I don't think so I would have the courage to visit abandon places like you

It is best not done alone, your bravery levels increase massively.

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Oh I agree with that😆

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I know this may sound weird or strange but I've always looked at climbers as extraordinary human beings because tell how can one stand that huge amount of fear gotten from standing in a very high place? Or even worse, when you look down. That can be very SCARY!!!!!!

I remember my first experience of climbing when I went on a school field trip to a museum and I climb a very mountain but not too high just to get a better view of the site. I can literally tell you, I cried cats and dogs. Since then, I knew I was acrophobic.

So this is why I look at you as an extraordinary human being because of your love for climbing.

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So this is why I look at you as an extraordinary human being because of your love for climbing.

Please don't, I am just a writer extending my stories here. I am not a great climber and also suffer from vertigo. There's a big difference from 15 feet up to 200 feet.

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