Tales of the Urban Explorer: United Flags and Flagstaffs

It did not look particularly inviting. I had expected nothing as is generally the case when noticing something suspect while trawling through Google maps in ‘earth’ view. It had looked overgrown, and that was enough.

We had ambled down a cobbled back street in full view of some old bloke who was sitting outside a coffee shop looking quite suspicious. He was watching, we were sure.

36_IMG_1824_36.jpg

"If this was not full of grease paint I still wouldn't be vaulting over it", I mentioned to @anidiotexplores who was already climbing the grassy bank looking for an alternative entrance.

That was some spiky gate and not caring to look behind to see what coffee-drinker was doing I followed my comrade up the bank and scouted around. It did not take long to notice a very convenient hole cut in in the fence.

1_IMG_1786_1.jpg

2_IMG_1787_2.jpg

Whatever this was, it looked like a shit-hole, and there was no way in through the 'dangerous building' large door or via the windows due to iron bars being in the way.

United Flags And Flagstaffs’ are still trading from a different office in another nearby town. It appears they got tired of this one, uprooted, and moved eight or nine miles east.

3_IMG_1788_3.jpg

We made our way under this makeshift bridge marvelling at the sights entering our vision. Talk about a photography fest, I couldn’t wait to get started.

4_IMG_1789_4.jpg

It used to be some kind of office but was now very open to the elements. A few more years of the UK’s bad weather and it would look very different.

5_IMG_1790_5.jpg

6_IMG_1791_6.jpg

I did look through the cupboards but guessed we were not the first uninvited guests.

7_IMG_1792_7_censored.jpg

It was not long before I saw this and the former company was revealed. It’s not tough to find but I am not blatantly giving the location away.

8_IMG_1793_8.jpg

I get the impression they moved out just before Christmas, or after and could not be arsed to remove the decorations.

9_IMG_1794_9.jpg

How long it has been empty is unanswered, I suspect several years but not a decade.

10_IMG_1795_10.jpg

The Land Rover does not give much away. It is dated 2009 but that means little.

11_IMG_1797_11.jpg

As this visit was made in January, it was freezing and everything I touched was either sodden or damp.

12_IMG_1798_12.jpg

Amongst the collapsed ceiling and abandoned belongings, I spotted some flags.

13_IMG_1799_13.jpg

Always focus on the centre; the rest can be blurred for all I care.

14_IMG_1801_14.jpg

At first glance, it seems there might be a decent amount of junk to trawl though, but most was buried beneath the collapsed roof, or disgustingly soggy to the touch.

15_IMG_1802_15.jpg

The whiteboard shows what was happening before 'United Flags And Flagstaffs' vacated for pastures new.

'Green Flag Stock' it says, with reference to many international countries below. Could it be they were making lots of flags of the world? There’s a market I suppose but it doesn’t strike me as a large one.

16_IMG_1803_16.jpg

Did the ghetto blaster still work? If there was a power socket close by, I would have tried it.

17_IMG_1805_17.jpg

No protection is required anymore, except for perhaps my shoes which were a little wet.

18_IMG_1806_18.jpg

The shelving that used to house flags; it’s now sharing the area with walled ivy.

19_IMG_1807_19.jpg

Tyres, they get everywhere. If there is none, some generate from thin air.

20_IMG_1808_20.jpg

21_IMG_1809_21.jpg

From this end of the building, we gained access to the other side of the 'dangerous building' door. It was a large warehouse type of room. One has to expect flags in some form.

22_IMG_1810_22.jpg

There could have been valuables if you like to rummage. I’m not here for that.

23_IMG_1811_23.jpg

Looking out from the warehouse to the outside; thankfully we saw no cop cars, or armed officers ready to arrest us.

One room was so collapsed, @anidiotexplores decided to veto it. I didn’t and struggled to get through loose timbers and unstable flooring to access the office containing the bars.

…'there's always something good in offices..., isn't there?'…

25_IMG_1813_25.jpg

Scrambling up and over beams, this was my prize, the big boss's office. Was it worth it?

I can surmise that the boss man liked watching videos while his staff was hard at work. It sounds about right.

27_IMG_1815_27.jpg

The Muppet Show, Harry Potter, and Blind Terror, that's quite a mix.

29_IMG_1817_29.jpg

If that was once a picture on the wall, it’s a little undecipherable now.

28_IMG_1816_28.jpg

A jealous @anidiotexplores snaps me while I am having all the fun. The boss's office was something to behold.

30_IMG_1818_30.jpg

It felt like being in jail, what if there was a fire? Bossman would surely fry alive like some middle age witch on a stake.

31_IMG_1819_31.jpg

Backtracking and not looking forward to it at all, I made my way out.

How do you get past things like this? You twist your body around the beams like a lap dancer and try to not touch them.

26_IMG_1814_26.jpg

What you see is the ceiling. One heavy touch and you're going to get crushed under all that wood. Nails sticking out and in you, are yet another hazard.

33_IMG_1821_33.jpg

'Danger Fragile Roof'. I love the warning signs, danger little roof left might be more apt.

32_IMG_1820_32.jpg

We left ‘United Flags And Flagstaffs' thinking that was not bad for a maybe. @anidiotexplores is still regretting not making it into Boss Mans's office.

RedLine.png

Do you like posting your Urbex content and photography for FREE on Facebook and YouTube? I like to get some form of reward for my work and every time I create I do just that. Take a look at The Urbex Community on HIVE.

If you want to keep creating for FREE then ignore what you are reading. If you want to be like me and gain something other than BUGGER ALL for your work then click here and learn about posting on the HIVE blockchain.

RedLine.png

TalesLogo.JPG

RedLine.png


CurieCurator.jpg

RedLine.png

Drooling Maniac.JPG

If you found this article so invigorating that you are now a positively googly-eyed, drooling lunatic with dripping saliva or even if you liked it just a bit, then please upvote, comment, rehive, engage me or all of these things.

Sort:  

I'm a bit surprised you didn't uncover your bad British porn on VHS in the boss office. Perhaps I'm a bit too cynical when it comes to corporate types though.

If it would have been a summer explore I would have dug through the VHS tapes, there were a lot in there. I touched one or two.., ugh slimy and left them. You are not wrong in your assumptions.

They did make flags for the world and are still in business. Why would you still be in business and leave so much stuff behind? Don't they make you clean out before you vacate?

It is such a colorful mess! I have to say the pictures really are showoffs! Sodden messes aren't usually so good.

Muppets? blind Terror and Harry Potter? Maybe he babysat his kid on occasion? Unless he used those for coverup?

Good thing you have the moves like a lap dancer, yes? :)

Not bad for a maybe! Indeed!

The boss could have been busted by the owners, who in turn were so embarrassed the boss was watching the Muppet Show while supposed to be working couldn't bear to clear out the office knowing more 'controversial tapes' were buried underneath the mainstream ones.

Complete hypothesis of course!

It was very colourful!

Everything cold and damp because it's winter. That's Scotland all year round.

Your right about Blind Terror, is doors really uneasily with the others!! Boss man be crazy!

That's Scotland all year round.

I saw some pictures of Outer Hebrides beaches today, it looks like The Maldives (only freezing). Ever been?

I have been to Lewis which is up that way, it has some beaches like that. At the right time in summer they can be amazing. Any other time, mince!

If it wasn't so tough to get there. The ferries take hours, may as well be rowing boats!

It isn't the easiest to get there that's true. If you leave from Glasgow you can get a small plane to lots of the islands. It's quite the ride!

Beneath the ceiling, before the floorboards, tangled mess awaits you, boss gave little of the game away!

Till next time !BEER

The Boss' office was a tip. He watched videos all day, the TV is there and the VCR if you dig enough. Why else would they be there? Lazy arse!

It always surprises me what people leave behind when they move!

@anidiotexplores is still regretting not making it into Boss Mans's office.

He can always go back, but it probably looks a little different now 😂

Did the ghetto blaster still work? If there was a power socket close by, I would have tried it.

And have Coffee Drinker hear you?

This post has been manually curated by the VYB curation project

A lot here, but all ruined by the British weather. Why was it left, they are still in business. There are some strange people about I say.

You did have Fun with Flags.

untitled.gif

Good to hear they are still trading, but I wonder how business is these days. Must be a lot of competition from cheaper places.

but I wonder how business is these days.

Someone has to make them I suppose, seems a thin market.

There's probably not a lot of such companies in the UK. Other countries have national flags everywhere, but we don't. We noticed in Norway that a lot of houses had a flagpole with their flag flying. I think @dickturpin has a flagpole, but then we know he's 'special' ;)

There's all sorts of industries out there that we don't really think about.

Too right.

untitled.gif

Where did I put my surprised face?

Hiya, @choogirl here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Top 3 in Daily Travel Digest #1633.

Your post has been manually curated by the @pinmapple team. If you like what we're doing, please drop by to check out all the rest of today's great posts and consider supporting other authors like yourself and us so we can keep the project going!

Become part of our travel community:

The place is impressive and I really like your photos. Thanks for sharing.

Why woulld there be cops or armed officers? Is it forbidden to enter such places? I wonder whether anyone gives a fuck for them.

Why woulld there be cops or armed officers?

There wouldn't be, that's just my humour coming out (that doesn't work at times).

What a mess ! Thats the only words
!ALIVE

@slobberchops! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @hoosie. (1/10)

The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.

LOL, yeah.., but better than some of the derps I visit!

Love urban exploration. I want to see more! 👍

Congratulations, your post has been added to Pinmapple! 🎉🥳🍍

Did you know you have your own profile map?
And every post has their own map too!

Want to have your post on the map too?

  • Go to Pinmapple
  • Click the get code button
  • Click on the map where your post should be (zoom in if needed)
  • Copy and paste the generated code in your post (Hive only)
  • Congrats, your post is now on the map!

Your content has been voted as a part of Encouragement program. Keep up the good work!

Use Ecency daily to boost your growth on platform!

Support Ecency
Vote for new Proposal
Delegate HP and earn more


The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the people( @claudio83 ) sharing the post on Twitter as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.


Hey @slobberchops, here is a little bit of BEER from @joanstewart for you. Enjoy it!

Learn how to earn FREE BEER each day by staking your BEER.

!PGM
!LUV
!LOLZ

Sent 0.1 PGM - 0.1 LVL- 1 STARBITS - 0.05 DEC - 15 SBT tokens to @slobberchops

remaining commands 0

BUY AND STAKE THE PGM TO SEND A LOT OF TOKENS!

The tokens that the command sends are: 0.1 PGM-0.1 LVL-2.5 BUDS-0.01 MOTA-0.05 DEC-15 SBT-1 STARBITS-[0.00000001 BTC (SWAP.BTC) only if you have 2500 PGM in stake or more ]

5000 PGM IN STAKE = 2x rewards!

image.png
Discord image.png

Support the curation account @ pgm-curator with a delegation 10 HP - 50 HP - 100 HP - 500 HP - 1000 HP

Get potential votes from @ pgm-curator by paying in PGM, here is a guide

I'm a bot, if you want a hand ask @ zottone444


@rocinanteprimo, sorry! You need more $LUV to use this command.

The minimum requirement is 10.0 LUV in your liquid wallet.

More LUV is available from Hive-Engine or Tribaldex

Congratulations @slobberchops! Your post has been a top performer on the Hive blockchain and you have been rewarded with the following badge:

Post with the highest payout of the day.

You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:

Hive Power Up Day - August 1st 2022