One of my first explores many many moons ago. I’d had 3 fails in the day and it was only 10am ish. I pulled up in the car park and after a quick walk round wasn’t expecting much luck here either; so I buggered off to a nearby greasey spoon for some TLC.
There is something about a dingy corner caff that warms the cockles of the heart, yeah you can go somewhere posh and pay £15 for a breakfast, just because the fuckers always plonk a branch of watercress on the egg or some other shaved green stuff over the tomato. Why?
Ffs just shove bacon, sausage, tomato ( preferably tinned), a well done fried egg, two pieces of fried bread slathered in baked beans on the table for £4.75p,yes,and two rounds of toast for an extra 50p and who the fuck cares about foraged green stuff or whether everything else has been sourced locally or whether the toast has marg. on it, not butter. Just make sure there is some HP sauce available.
Suitably relaxed I thought I’d have one more wander round,
“Awright mate, can ya spare us a ciggie”
I guess this was addressed to me as I was the only person in close proximity to one of the locals sitting on the wall enjoying an early morning white lightning.
Ciderman; “Ave yuse just been in Kaffys?”
“Well yes I have actually” ( I guess he meant the greasey spoon, it was hard to get what he was saying, it was like trying to have a conversation with the love child of Bez and Shaun Ryder).
Ciderman; “Sound mate sound fort so coz yuse got sauce all down ya top”
“Agh! Cheers for that! I don’t smoke fella, but any chance you know how to get in that place”. Pointing over his shoulder.
Ciderman; “That’s fooking dead eeeeeeeezy mate, it’s sound” he offered “what yuse wanna get in there for?”
I didn’t try to explain the concept of UE, as his eyes were already glazed over, so just told him I wanted to take some photos.
Ciderman “ I could do wiv somethink to eat mate I’m starvin, sound mate”
Hmmmm ok, I thought, I always carry a few bob in my pocket to cover all eventualities.
“Here’s £5.25, you can get two rounds of toast too”
Ciderman; “I know, I go there regular sound mate, sound” as he proceeded to pull some undergrowth away to reveal a gap in the railings just about big enough to slide through. “The green door round the corner mate, it’s sound, it’s never locked” as he trotted off no doubt to enjoy another 6pack with his ill gotten gains!
True to his word I was in, just hoping I don’t bump into the rest of his mates, I was low on spondooleys.
Pendleton House was built circa in 1936 as a Public Assistance Office, when the adjacent Pendleton Town Hall was demolished around 1970, the City of Salford Coroner's Court relocated here, where it remained until 2005.
Following the closure of the coroner's court the building was used as offices for Salford City Council and Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust until around 2009.
It was purchased In 2017 for £790k, the building is set to be converted into apartments.
Most of the corridors were dark and gloomy rubbish strewn everywhere, strange no tagging though.
Guess something medical went on here at some point, perhaps child examinations for sexual abuse,
Came across a couple of oversized safes, no idea why they would be here other than they were to heavy to shift from the days when the place handed out the dole money
Quite a grand staircase took me upstairs to mainly empty offices and what I guess was the old coroner’s court
After a lifetime in the field of H&S I was disinclined to read the literature I found.
I just enjoyed the pictures
And so my time here was done and I made my way out through the green door and undergrowth. As I was walking back to my car I came across my new BFF sitting on the wall once again imbibing white lightning
‘How was your breakfast?” I enquired
Ciderman; “it was pretty decent mate, bit pissed off though I didn’t get any watercress on my egg, sound mate sound”
Onwards and upwards
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£5.25 entrance fee? Not bad if it's OK inside and exclusive to you and 'Ciderman'. Those toilets inside look quite usable, that's very rare sight. A good place to unload the Bacon and Eggs I suppose.
Rather you than me, I have a thing about public toilets,
Hiya, @ItchyfeetDonica here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest #896.
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OOoohahaha now that's some storytelling! The dialogue made vivid some experiences I've had while living in the UK. Been close, cycled all the way to Peak District and back down to Brecon Beacons. The best part, camping on the way and chatting with such locals.
You have travelled through some stunning countryside on that journey, and I agree meeting the locals can enhance the experience