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View Full Version : Archived: Friars Walk Shopping Centre, Reading, Berks - 21/03/2010



GhostXplorer
18-03-2011, 01:22 AM
So our journey takes us to the abandoned Friar's Walk shopping centre in Reading. It's situated between Friar St and Garrard St and was closed in 2009. It is currently being used by an Airsoft group for close quarter battles.

This is the sealed entrance from the walkway above Garrard St.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5135/5535578743_a73904fd7b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5535578743/)

Our first port of call was the basement corridors.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5138/5535528053_a5a180077c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5535528053/)
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5259/5535526505_700283d15b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5535526505/)

Some doors open, some sealed shut.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5216/5535530203_18473abf00_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5535530203/) http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5017/5536137984_1cc85d1d62_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5536137984/) http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5298/5536140228_3d2e197032_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5536140228/)

Up some stairs, and out on to the main shopping level.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5132/5536121342_8fccd7af49_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5536121342/) http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5055/5535540715_742d3fb569_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5535540715/) http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5213/5536116782_5d3263a9b8_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5536116782/) http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/5535535895_355dbb401e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5535535895/)

Man made barricades positioned in the corridor. I decided to go for a look in what used to be "C&A".
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5293/5536110552_c16976e733_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5536110552/) http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5251/5536112350_f1df86a68d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5536112350/)

The main shop floor area was too dark for me to shoot since I didn't have my tripod, so I proceeded down to the lower floor. Scorch marks from Airsoft smoke grenades on the stairs.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5097/5535545385_3f972b02f2_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5535545385/) http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5295/5535547901_b6c3942b58_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5535547901/)

I can imagine this place was probably once packed with shoppers on a Saturday afternoon. Nobody here this Saturday except me.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5300/5535550965_d142046dd3_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5535550965/) http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5054/5535553199_75e2394d3b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5535553199/)

Into some kind of warehouse/loading bay. The hessian sheeting had been put up by the Airsoft organisers to create cover.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5057/5536136266_5391312d00_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5536136266/) http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5097/5536134258_cccaa06e4d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14010494@N05/5536134258/)

I did try to get to the Friar Street end. It's possible to see through the whited-out glass from inside onto the street. People walk past with their shopping bags oblivious to the carnage going on inside!

Hope that's acceptable for a first post.

Cheers!