21:02 That inconspicuous shop was the start of the biggest modern miscarriage of justice in this country. Originally a Sub Post Office it’s where one of the earliest reported bugs in the post offices accounting system “horizon.” The Callander Square Falkirk bug created shortfall discrepancies in the sub post masters cash accounts they were then liable to make good or face prosecution back in the year 2000. (This is also why there’s a post box outside)
Got my hair done in there right up til I moved away after College in 2010. I used to bring in these wild styles and this was the only place that would do them lol At College, I had an asymmetric shoulder length style that was long on one side and came right round including the front, to my ear on the other. I have fond memories of getting my hair done there.
So eerie to watch you go through the old hotel. My parents had the first wedding reception held there when it opened as the Metropolitan Hotel in 1967. A very emotional watch. The shopping centre was always a white elephant but still sad to see the end of a retail era. Well done for showing it.
lived not too far from here as a child in the 2000s and frequented here quite a lot, and from what i remember it was never really a full, bustling shopping centre, there was always loads of empty units, even before the 2008 recession. with the high street and the howgate centre just along the road, there was just far too many units and there was no way the could ever be all filled. it's sad to see it go but it just doesn't have a place anymore. i do have fond memories of going to the sweet shop that used to be by the front entrance next to the escalators.
I remember it opening and thinking it wasn’t a great idea. It wasn’t that long since the Howgate opened and there really wasn’t demand for another shopping centre so it never really took off.
That's just it really, these big shopping malls struggle in the main Scottish city's to stay afloat and to fill all their units with successful businesses, so opening one this size in a town like Falkirk, makes no sense, even back in the 90's.
I had never seen this before. I grew up in nearby Bonnybridge in the 1970s. Although Falkirk didn't have a huge shopping area, it was good with plenty of independent shops as well as large chain stores. It had the best Boots ever, over three stories back in the day when they also sold books and records. As a teenager, when I was able to buy my own clothes, it was straight to Chelsea Girl. Every girl I knew, me included , had their first job at the York Café. I moved away in 1981 and It was many years before I went back into Falkirk itself and the high street seemed pretty dead. As a kid I travelled everywhere by bus of course but driving around the town seemed awkward. My dad was in Falkirk Royal Infirmary, I knew how to get there but there were suddenly so many one way streets, I ended up driving back to Cameron and going in the back way. Falkirk is like so many towns now, everything has moved out of the centre. My dad is now 90 and has lived in Bonnybridge his whole life. His opinion is that Falkirk is aimed at people who can access these out of town places but is pretty useless if you're reliant on public transport as so many older people are. Falkirk had many striking old buildings but shops don't want those anymore. There is a particularly striking building on Bonnybridge toll. It's been boarded up for many years but once it housed the Co-op drapery, it was all polished mahogany and glass with a huge staircase, really quite something. I wonder if any of that is still there? I moved back to Scotland 10 years ago but I don't think I could ever move back to the area I called home until I was 16. I always feel a bit sad when I go "home" knowing it's a pale imitation of the place I once knew.
A bunch of idiots. A mix of SNP, Tory and Labour as you can imagine they make a lot of bad decisions and waste a lot of money on unnecessary vanity projects while all the time Falkirk town centre has been left to go further and further into decline. I live in the local area
There was a gym in there. Pretty much all of the shops had closed by that point and it was a bit eerie walking to the gym at night. It was a pretty good gym too. One of the low budget ones, but lots of equipment.
@ yeah it’s sad , It’s really unfortunate so many local shops are closing down because of the massive shift to online shopping with platforms like Amazon and Temu. The convenience of these apps is hard to compete with, but it’s sad to see unique, physical stores disappear.
I remember the construction of that building. From what I remember, the contractors went bust halfway through construction and was in an unfinished state for a few years. Once finished, it never really had a full tenancy of shops.
Falkirk High Street is quite compact, always felt that the way to save/revive it would be to erect a glass roof from East Bridge Street end to West Bridge Street end, with a mix of shops and bars/cafes/restaurants with outdoor (under cover) seating Falkirk used to be buzzing at the weekends, both shopping during the day, and the pubs at night, it's sad to see what it's become Sadly, pretty much every town in Scotland has gone the same way
I mean, that space is objectively really nice. Imagine the amazing things that could be hosted there. We need to move beyond Clinton Cards and TK Maxx and reclaim our town and city centres for something better.
Thanks Guys for another adventure. Can I highly recommend you magazines to anyone who share our interests, they are so well presented and the photography is superb.
Still being pursued by a debt collector for parking in the car park there were no barriers, no attendants, no ticket machines, no elevator,, no stairwell, no way out without walking down the ramps we drove up! It was a building site and I was surprised my car was undamaged when I returned!
Not everyday you expect to see your local shopping centre in an abandoned video but still cool too see. This whole building is almost already demolished.
Falkirk used to so busy at the weekend too, then again most high streets are like ghost towns now. Are you guys planning more explorations in Scotland?
Antonine Hotel was about a year ago recently raided and busted by the police as a massive illegal weed growing operation, since it had been abandoned for so long. Probably connected to the previous owners of the mall before the council took it over, its a shame too because the mall itself was really cool to walk around in. The carpark should have been free though, Falkirk needs free carparks if they want the town centre to bounce back.
Olá bom dia.. Sou Daiane Galiego eu sou Brasileira (BRASIL), nossa essa exploração desse incrível shopping é extremamente fantástico, eu vendo essas lindas imagens no meu ponto de vista parece que esse enorme centro comercial parece novos com estruturas praticamente novos. Porém que esse local tem muitas histórias legais de pessoas que frequentavam esse local. É triste um lugar de grande porte como esse está com seus dias contatos para ser demolido. Mais tem que seguir o padrão de regras e que infelizmente em poucos dias esse local irá a vir há baixo. Parabéns pela bela explorações e que vocês continuam fazendo mais e mais explorações mega top e forte abraços para vcs Americanos.
First shop they went in with the red along the top was the old Poundstretcher store believe it or not only shut just over two years ago. Moved up the street, worked in there for a couple months before changing store. Was definitely some shop like!!
Built when i was a young boy was decent for a while but sadly it has been dead for over 15 years with most of the good shops inside at the time of opening vacating the premises. I would mainly use this place as a shortcut at times or pitstop to use the toilets. Its sad its getting demolished because its a lovely building. The Howgate Shopping Centre along the High Street will probably soon be heading in the same direction with M&S leaving over the past couple of years.
I remember going the day it opened with a couple of mates when we were like 11 or 12 (don't think we planned it, just saw the crowd and realised it was opening weekend) and there was some sort of ceremony. Never really remember it being busy, I just went in for the big TK Maxx (where the gym was in this video) when I went in as a teen as there wasn't much there for younger folk. Weird seeing it dead here, and torn down in newer pics. Not lived there for 20 years now, been about 10 years since I was last in Falkirk town centre and it looked grim then - shame really.
There was never really a need to build Callendar Square, at least as a retail development. Falkirk FC used to play Football fairly close by, at Brockville, on hope street, in a peak when in the 90’s they were playing in the Scottish Premier League. They were effectively ‘forced’ out of Falkirk town centre due to football ground requirements in 2002 (along with league relegation) but along with that a lot of the Saturday footfall went with it. The new stadium sits very close to a retail estate on the edge of town, so it was the perfect storm. Any combination of travelling fans / retailers could simply visit the retail estate. It was a short sighted construction for a long term environment and should serve as a warning for the type of buildings constructed in town centres and how they can be adapted.
I remember going to Falkirk a good number of times when I was younger. Dad used to park in the neighbouring Callendar Square car park and then we would walk across a bridge into the centre via BHS - one of the two anchor units - so I could go to the old Burger King on the High Street! TK Maxx - who would eventually move to the nearby retail park right in the centre of Falkirk - was the other anchor. I felt that the centre was really bright and inviting but it did feel quiet when we were in here. Other than the anchors, I do remember this was where the main post office was - which was actually mentioned in the recent ITV drama, Mr Bates & The Post Office! In the end, I feel they are doing the right thing because it is important that their High Street has a new purpose in the longer term.
Obviously climate change means more to our government's than people actually out spending CASH. I live in paisley and our paisley centre is still open but it's near enough done . Paisley was pedestrianised on the 1/9/97 . Biggest mistake ever ! The town died that day
There isn't even a McDonalds in Paisley now. That's how fucked up things are now. Charity shops, Pawn shops now rebranded as Cash Generator or Cash Converters, a CEX and the usual Pub/Bookies/Pub configuration.
@@zozajax635Oh wow, climate change and a town pedestianised is responsible for the demise of local shopping, wow, just wow, that brain gymnastics is really impressive 🤪 P.S. I’m actually disappointed you couldn’t also span a bridge to LGBTQ or EVs as additional culprits.
Walked past it 16/11/24 half the building gone so sad people not going to shops now sadly. Would rather sit on their backsides at home and get stuff delivered !
@ I don’t know if you know Partick but Asda wanted to build off Beith Street and were denied planning permission presumably because it would have killed most of the shops along Dumbarton Road.
@@alexbowman7582 not well, but do work in Glasgow a fair bit, isn't there a Morrisons on Beith Street? People are to blame I guess is my point, Falkirk was brilliant when I was growing up, High Street was mobbed at weekends, and pubs were too on Fri/Sat nights. Most towns are quiet now, everywhere is same, Glasgow is going same way, people need to change their behaviour or we'll lose our town centres forever. My daftie idea would be to build a glass roof from East Bridge Street end to West Bridge Street end of Falkirk High Street, fill shop fronts with shops, bars, cafe's and restaurants, outdoor seating, make High streets useable 24/7/365
Mid 2000s it looked amazing at christmas. Have some amazing memories taking my son and mum there. Kiddo had his 3rd or 4th birthday party in the kids creche on the top floor. He loved the bob the builder toy ride in BHS too
Really nice shopping centre and quite new still to be getting demolished. It’s shopping centres that always brought people to our towns and cities. I would rather go to physical shops and shopping centres if it was easier for me to do so, which it isn’t unfortunately and obviously this has become the problem. That along with the internet. Although going to shopping centres is safer. I am so sick of having my passwords compromised online. It doesn’t happen often, but it shouldn’t happen at all.
mental my maw used to take us there to the riggs for the previous iteration in the 80s , and I worked in there at the council for a wee bit in summer between uni in the 2000's . Me and my cousin knew a guy who had a warhammer model shop in the wee stalls area before the bigger shops moved in when it opened in the 90s. I used to skate outside with my mates as well when I was a teenager. Crazy to see it demolished again hopefully something better for falkirk town centre in the next iteration.
Market walk? I remember Peacock place/peacock way, which also closed a while ago. I walked through a few years back for nostalgia and a short cut...the security guard was stunned to see anyone. I reckon he'd been there days without seeing a soul... the look on his face I'll remember for ever 🫤
That gym was actually a really solid gym considering the calibre of some of the other units. Did me a turn when in autumn 2020 Glasgow was put into tier 4 lockdown and Falkirk was the nearest area still with open gyms. The centre did feel eerie and empty but a lovely building. Probably overshadowed by larger retail outlets nearby
@ disagree about it falling to bits but I meant compared to the other businesses (or lack thereof) within callendar square. Even a falling apart gym is better than no gyms like we had in tier 4
I heard from someone who used to have a unit in the howgate, that the council were pricing everyone out years ago. A proper shop in Stirling is cheaper to rent...
This is so sad to see ,I worked in the old Royal Infirmary in the early 1970s ,Falkirk was a thriving market town then with a busy High st..so so sad….❤
Same here. I was born in Falkirk Royal in 1965 and lived in Bonnybridge until I was 16. Falkirk was good for shopping in those days. I remember the thrill of buying the first item of clothing I bought for myself (a ra-ra skirt) in Chelsea Girl. My first Saturday job was in the York Café. My dad has lived in Bonnybridge his whole life and so he could see the slow decline but I didn't go back to Falkirk until the mid '90s and could could see how much the high street had diminished. It's no different from many towns but it's more saddening somehow to see it happen in a place that held such prominence for the first 16 years of my life.
Spent a lot of time here as a kid/teen. Think there was a populwr shop in the 2000s called mark one? Ill miss getting sweets from the wee sweety gem shop. Noseying around in TKmaxx, getting our school clothes in BHS. Tragic to see what has come from my town. 😢
I spent many days and nights here in the summer of 2015, from being chased by the security to chilling under the bridge to the car park, I will cherish those memories and the pictures I have there too forever 🥺❤️
Not watch you guys for a while, lots of catching up to do, your explores are top class! Politicians are always on about revitalising town centres and their answer, make it by moring it more difficult and expensive to get into town to encourage walking and cycling. Yet they are happy to have these places demolished with no regard for environmental damage.
I remember being there as a teen and a security guard telling my friend and I to leave as we were eating our McDonalds inside the shopping centre! "You can't eat that in here" he told us, lol! I don't think I ever bought anything from a shop there, but used to walk through the main entrance / atrium space as a short cut to get from the bus station area nearby, up the escalators, to the back door at first floor level, with access to the main shopping Precinct, where most of the shops were that I did occasionally use. It was never very busy from what I remember, with many empty shops / units, even shortly after it had just opened! It's a place lots of people went to shelter from the rain rather than to actually shop! Sad to see it abandoned however, it was a nice space to walk through when I visited Falkirk!
@@georginaohara42aye, somewhere between £33-50 million found between the couch cushions eh 🙄 Sold the old town half to house developers for another £7 mil as well.
@@Ashethetics they bankrupted this city paying the waspi women off, I don’t understand how historical underpayments are being paid by a generation who had nothing to do with it.
Moved from Glasgow to Falkirk as a kid and can’t get over how derelict the entire place is now. I don’t even go to Falkirk for my messages 😂 if Glasgow was still Glasgow I’d be off 👍. Honestly considering leaving the Uk now
Great video lads, been here a good few times as a kid as there was a great Halloween/fancy dress shop and an old-fashioned sweet shop that had everything. As others have said, this place never really took off, didn't attract any major brands apart from TK Maxx. Falkirk already had an established shopping centre (The Howgate) and this was just a white elephant.
I was a member of that gym, problem with that shopping centre was it never hand full occupancy from new, and the turnover of retailers was frequent. On the lower level was a Post Office which was actually mentioned in the recent ITV drama about the Post Office sub postmaster scandal. The Superhero shop was actually a place for super hero themed children’s parties, normally kids around 6-8, always busy on a Sunday. Shame this place never really thrived with the anchor brand named stores all in the Howgate Shopping Centre along the High Street.
Amazing - yet why oh why are such recently built centres already shut down? It seem like the spirit has gone out of society. Great filming lads. It is just so sad that people's hopes and dreams are curtailed because of a failing economy.
It was always pretty soulless but properly died a death after the BHS closed. Lucky if half the units were occupied after that. Glad it’s been pulled down.
As always Lads another great video. Thanks for this bonus video and all the other Scottish locations you have visited. Know-one can complain that Scotland has not had more than its fair share of explores by the Urbandoned team. Such a shame to see such a modern building just being abandoned and going for demolition. Its know wonder that the country is in such a financial mess when so many buildings are just bulldozed, as at the end of the day, its the public that pays the price either in higher taxes or higher cost of goods to pay for all this capital waste!.
Never knew the place was abandoned. That area is usually busy when Ive driven past there. I do know there was a lasertag place just along the road that was pretty good that shut down before covid and had been abandoned since
This shopping centre (and the old Callendar Riggs shopping centre before it) were built where the Erskine Churchyard graves were, and so I've heard the location is pretty cursed 🫣😅
Hiya Alistair, Its good that you sneak your way into these abandoned buildings, I'm always on edge incase you get caught, this time you and the crew didn't, this is Choppy
Not abandoned! Currently being demolished as part of a major regeneration of the east end of the High Street. Masterplan is on the Falkirk Council Planning Portal. Includes redevelopment of the old bus station too, which in itself relocates to the Falkirk Grahamston train station to centralise public transport. Feel free to report on the Masterplan and tell the good news story. Or do you only deal in despair and misery?
Morton demoltion company have just about completed the demoltion. It did help the footfall when Falkirk District Council allowed First bus to close the Callander rigg bus stance.
The place was a huge white elephant from day 1, it was never fully utilised. I remember it being built when I was a lad. Falkirk was much busier in the 90s and early 2000s but it was never busy enough for two full blown shopping centres and a retail park.
That site was a white elephant long before Callendar Square, Falkirk town centre durning the 70's, 80's and early 90's used to be buzzing, but like everywhere now, it's deid
Always been a white elephant that particular location, I can remember when Venues arcade was there before Callendar Square, hopefully the proposed Town Hall that's to replace it doesn't end up the same way
Sad that the investment in building such a place can't have paid off in such a short time, what a waste. Shopping in our towns has certainly changed, it will become housing rather than retail like it used to be when towns were first built.
I used to work in the Hotel, after being abandoned, Police discovered it was being used as a Marijauna Factory , just as well you didn't turn up then !!
Unfortunately dead now,Stirling always seems to be a lot busier to me now not that I'm there a lot I'm more in Falkirk as I stay around a 20 minute walk away.
21:02 That inconspicuous shop was the start of the biggest modern miscarriage of justice in this country. Originally a Sub Post Office it’s where one of the earliest reported bugs in the post offices accounting system “horizon.” The Callander Square Falkirk bug created shortfall discrepancies in the sub post masters cash accounts they were then liable to make good or face prosecution back in the year 2000. (This is also why there’s a post box outside)
Oh I didn't make the connection. Thank you for this comment 👍
Thats a charity shop LOL
@@zalexie_it used to be a post office.... LOL! (we're laughing at you)
That was my salon 😢 can't believe my clock still works haha
It was my childhood salon.
Got my hair done in there right up til I moved away after College in 2010. I used to bring in these wild styles and this was the only place that would do them lol
At College, I had an asymmetric shoulder length style that was long on one side and came right round including the front, to my ear on the other. I have fond memories of getting my hair done there.
Thanks for getting this done before it was demolished
Shame to demolish such a relatively new building with lots of life left in it. Great explore lads!
I dunno, the roof leaked in tk maxx and then the gym for 20 years. The neglect of the building from various owners seems to have taken its toll
@@Krystallia87 load of shite, used to have a gym on the top floor
It started to die when BHS went bust, slowly other shops started to close, it was mostly empty units
So eerie to watch you go through the old hotel. My parents had the first wedding reception held there when it opened as the Metropolitan Hotel in 1967. A very emotional watch. The shopping centre was always a white elephant but still sad to see the end of a retail era. Well done for showing it.
lived not too far from here as a child in the 2000s and frequented here quite a lot, and from what i remember it was never really a full, bustling shopping centre, there was always loads of empty units, even before the 2008 recession. with the high street and the howgate centre just along the road, there was just far too many units and there was no way the could ever be all filled.
it's sad to see it go but it just doesn't have a place anymore. i do have fond memories of going to the sweet shop that used to be by the front entrance next to the escalators.
It is the same with many places. Usually you find more bemoaning a closure than were using it.
@@johntitor.💯
I remember it opening and thinking it wasn’t a great idea. It wasn’t that long since the Howgate opened and there really wasn’t demand for another shopping centre so it never really took off.
That's just it really, these big shopping malls struggle in the main Scottish city's to stay afloat and to fill all their units with successful businesses, so opening one this size in a town like Falkirk, makes no sense, even back in the 90's.
I had never seen this before. I grew up in nearby Bonnybridge in the 1970s. Although Falkirk didn't have a huge shopping area, it was good with plenty of independent shops as well as large chain stores. It had the best Boots ever, over three stories back in the day when they also sold books and records. As a teenager, when I was able to buy my own clothes, it was straight to Chelsea Girl. Every girl I knew, me included , had their first job at the York Café. I moved away in 1981 and It was many years before I went back into Falkirk itself and the high street seemed pretty dead. As a kid I travelled everywhere by bus of course but driving around the town seemed awkward. My dad was in Falkirk Royal Infirmary, I knew how to get there but there were suddenly so many one way streets, I ended up driving back to Cameron and going in the back way. Falkirk is like so many towns now, everything has moved out of the centre. My dad is now 90 and has lived in Bonnybridge his whole life. His opinion is that Falkirk is aimed at people who can access these out of town places but is pretty useless if you're reliant on public transport as so many older people are. Falkirk had many striking old buildings but shops don't want those anymore. There is a particularly striking building on Bonnybridge toll. It's been boarded up for many years but once it housed the Co-op drapery, it was all polished mahogany and glass with a huge staircase, really quite something. I wonder if any of that is still there? I moved back to Scotland 10 years ago but I don't think I could ever move back to the area I called home until I was 16. I always feel a bit sad when I go "home" knowing it's a pale imitation of the place I once knew.
I remember MKOne in 2000, used to do a whole day trip to this shopping center. Falkirk was great back then
Falkirk town centre looks like Dawn Of The Dead at the best of times, but this adds a whole new level to it
I was thinking the same, expecting zombies around every corner!
😅
Who runs the council?
A bunch of idiots. A mix of SNP, Tory and Labour as you can imagine they make a lot of bad decisions and waste a lot of money on unnecessary vanity projects while all the time Falkirk town centre has been left to go further and further into decline. I live in the local area
My hometown. Grew up shopping in here , about half way demolished now shame really
what a beautiful space for a giant gym fitness with spas and swimming pools !!
There was a gym in there. Pretty much all of the shops had closed by that point and it was a bit eerie walking to the gym at night. It was a pretty good gym too. One of the low budget ones, but lots of equipment.
@ yeah it’s sad , It’s really unfortunate so many local shops are closing down because of the massive shift to online shopping with platforms like Amazon and Temu. The convenience of these apps is hard to compete with, but it’s sad to see unique, physical stores disappear.
I remember the construction of that building. From what I remember, the contractors went bust halfway through construction and was in an unfinished state for a few years.
Once finished, it never really had a full tenancy of shops.
Probably now more famous for the “Callendar square bug” on the post office horizon system
"Wee heroes" was a laser tag for young kids. The area with all the names is where they used to collect their light guns
Falkirk High Street is quite compact, always felt that the way to save/revive it would be to erect a glass roof from East Bridge Street end to West Bridge Street end, with a mix of shops and bars/cafes/restaurants with outdoor (under cover) seating
Falkirk used to be buzzing at the weekends, both shopping during the day, and the pubs at night, it's sad to see what it's become
Sadly, pretty much every town in Scotland has gone the same way
Great bonus. Beautiful shopping centre. In my opinion the big atrium was worth all the travel. Thanks for sharing
I mean, that space is objectively really nice. Imagine the amazing things that could be hosted there. We need to move beyond Clinton Cards and TK Maxx and reclaim our town and city centres for something better.
The shops with DVDs on the floor where more donations places near the end. Was used for second hand school uniform donations too
Was gonna comment this, never been but with dvds you’d think charity shop
Thankyou for a brilliant explore take care always please 🙏 Stay safe always ‼️
Great explore as usual guys
Thanks Guys for another adventure. Can I highly recommend you magazines to anyone who share our interests, they are so well presented and the photography is superb.
My home town this. Worked in a few places in the centre over the years inc the gym. Was a good wee shopping centre years back. Great video guys 😊
Still being pursued by a debt collector for parking in the car park there were no barriers, no attendants, no ticket machines, no elevator,, no stairwell, no way out without walking down the ramps we drove up! It was a building site and I was surprised my car was undamaged when I returned!
I always liked the building, but I never remember it busy, although I am only 22. Shame to see it go, thanks for filming one last look
Not everyday you expect to see your local shopping centre in an abandoned video but still cool too see. This whole building is almost already demolished.
Fantastic explore, sad to see it lying empty though
Falkirk used to so busy at the weekend too, then again most high streets are like ghost towns now. Are you guys planning more explorations in Scotland?
Credit where it’s due though, I didn’t think Falkirk High Street could look more depressing 🤣.
Great vid as always
Antonine Hotel was about a year ago recently raided and busted by the police as a massive illegal weed growing operation, since it had been abandoned for so long. Probably connected to the previous owners of the mall before the council took it over, its a shame too because the mall itself was really cool to walk around in. The carpark should have been free though, Falkirk needs free carparks if they want the town centre to bounce back.
Olá bom dia.. Sou Daiane Galiego eu sou Brasileira (BRASIL), nossa essa exploração desse incrível shopping é extremamente fantástico, eu vendo essas lindas imagens no meu ponto de vista parece que esse enorme centro comercial parece novos com estruturas praticamente novos. Porém que esse local tem muitas histórias legais de pessoas que frequentavam esse local. É triste um lugar de grande porte como esse está com seus dias contatos para ser demolido. Mais tem que seguir o padrão de regras e que infelizmente em poucos dias esse local irá a vir há baixo. Parabéns pela bela explorações e que vocês continuam fazendo mais e mais explorações mega top e forte abraços para vcs Americanos.
Great vid as Normal . Yet another great building gone
First shop they went in with the red along the top was the old Poundstretcher store believe it or not only shut just over two years ago. Moved up the street, worked in there for a couple months before changing store. Was definitely some shop like!!
love it
Built when i was a young boy was decent for a while but sadly it has been dead for over 15 years with most of the good shops inside at the time of opening vacating the premises. I would mainly use this place as a shortcut at times or pitstop to use the toilets. Its sad its getting demolished because its a lovely building. The Howgate Shopping Centre along the High Street will probably soon be heading in the same direction with M&S leaving over the past couple of years.
I remember going the day it opened with a couple of mates when we were like 11 or 12 (don't think we planned it, just saw the crowd and realised it was opening weekend) and there was some sort of ceremony. Never really remember it being busy, I just went in for the big TK Maxx (where the gym was in this video) when I went in as a teen as there wasn't much there for younger folk.
Weird seeing it dead here, and torn down in newer pics. Not lived there for 20 years now, been about 10 years since I was last in Falkirk town centre and it looked grim then - shame really.
I suppose more if these are gonna crop up in time. Thanks for sharing 😊
I fear the day when a video like this exists of the Bull Ring in Birmingham. But I expect it in my lifetime
Falkirk also has The howgate centre in the same high street so wasn’t enough foot traffic for both
There was never really a need to build Callendar Square, at least as a retail development. Falkirk FC used to play Football fairly close by, at Brockville, on hope street, in a peak when in the 90’s they were playing in the Scottish Premier League. They were effectively ‘forced’ out of Falkirk town centre due to football ground requirements in 2002 (along with league relegation) but along with that a lot of the Saturday footfall went with it. The new stadium sits very close to a retail estate on the edge of town, so it was the perfect storm. Any combination of travelling fans / retailers could simply visit the retail estate. It was a short sighted construction for a long term environment and should serve as a warning for the type of buildings constructed in town centres and how they can be adapted.
I remember going to Falkirk a good number of times when I was younger. Dad used to park in the neighbouring Callendar Square car park and then we would walk across a bridge into the centre via BHS - one of the two anchor units - so I could go to the old Burger King on the High Street! TK Maxx - who would eventually move to the nearby retail park right in the centre of Falkirk - was the other anchor.
I felt that the centre was really bright and inviting but it did feel quiet when we were in here. Other than the anchors, I do remember this was where the main post office was - which was actually mentioned in the recent ITV drama, Mr Bates & The Post Office!
In the end, I feel they are doing the right thing because it is important that their High Street has a new purpose in the longer term.
Disgraceful this is happening to our towns & cities 😢
Obviously climate change means more to our government's than people actually out spending CASH. I live in paisley and our paisley centre is still open but it's near enough done . Paisley was pedestrianised on the 1/9/97 . Biggest mistake ever ! The town died that day
There isn't even a McDonalds in Paisley now. That's how fucked up things are now. Charity shops, Pawn shops now rebranded as Cash Generator or Cash Converters, a CEX and the usual Pub/Bookies/Pub configuration.
@@zozajax635Oh wow, climate change and a town pedestianised is responsible for the demise of local shopping, wow, just wow, that brain gymnastics is really impressive 🤪
P.S. I’m actually disappointed you couldn’t also span a bridge to LGBTQ or EVs as additional culprits.
@@Ronno4691Not even a Mcdonalds?!
Now that really is atrocious.
Great explore!
You guys should to a tour of the hotel at the start too
Love those oldskool 1970s/80s Otis escalators with the angular lower and upper landing risers...
Great explore 👍
Walked past it 16/11/24 half the building gone so sad people not going to shops now sadly. Would rather sit on their backsides at home and get stuff delivered !
The big Asda was a boa constrictor for Falkirk’s pedestrian precinct.
Every town in Scotland has gone the same way, can't blame Asda for all of them
@ I don’t know if you know Partick but Asda wanted to build off Beith Street and were denied planning permission presumably because it would have killed most of the shops along Dumbarton Road.
@@alexbowman7582 not well, but do work in Glasgow a fair bit, isn't there a Morrisons on Beith Street?
People are to blame I guess is my point, Falkirk was brilliant when I was growing up, High Street was mobbed at weekends, and pubs were too on Fri/Sat nights. Most towns are quiet now, everywhere is same, Glasgow is going same way, people need to change their behaviour or we'll lose our town centres forever.
My daftie idea would be to build a glass roof from East Bridge Street end to West Bridge Street end of Falkirk High Street, fill shop fronts with shops, bars, cafe's and restaurants, outdoor seating, make High streets useable 24/7/365
Good explore
Beautiful channel great vlogs.Respect from Indian 🇮🇳 Hindu from India
So sad to see it abandoned.
Mid 2000s it looked amazing at christmas. Have some amazing memories taking my son and mum there.
Kiddo had his 3rd or 4th birthday party in the kids creche on the top floor. He loved the bob the builder toy ride in BHS too
Really nice shopping centre and quite new still to be getting demolished. It’s shopping centres that always brought people to our towns and cities. I would rather go to physical shops and shopping centres if it was easier for me to do so, which it isn’t unfortunately and obviously this has become the problem. That along with the internet. Although going to shopping centres is safer. I am so sick of having my passwords compromised online. It doesn’t happen often, but it shouldn’t happen at all.
mental my maw used to take us there to the riggs for the previous iteration in the 80s , and I worked in there at the council for a wee bit in summer between uni in the 2000's . Me and my cousin knew a guy who had a warhammer model shop in the wee stalls area before the bigger shops moved in when it opened in the 90s. I used to skate outside with my mates as well when I was a teenager. Crazy to see it demolished again hopefully something better for falkirk town centre in the next iteration.
somehow in Northampton they have 2 of these shopping centres market walk which is abandoned and grosvenor which is still open with a leaky roof.
Market walk?
I remember Peacock place/peacock way, which also closed a while ago.
I walked through a few years back for nostalgia and a short cut...the security guard was stunned to see anyone. I reckon he'd been there days without seeing a soul... the look on his face I'll remember for ever 🫤
That gym was actually a really solid gym considering the calibre of some of the other units. Did me a turn when in autumn 2020 Glasgow was put into tier 4 lockdown and Falkirk was the nearest area still with open gyms. The centre did feel eerie and empty but a lovely building. Probably overshadowed by larger retail outlets nearby
PS another excellent video lads. You’re becoming one of my go-to channels. Keep it up
The gym was falling to bits, nothing was maintained in it. You got what you paid for at the end of the day.
@ disagree about it falling to bits but I meant compared to the other businesses (or lack thereof) within callendar square. Even a falling apart gym is better than no gyms like we had in tier 4
I heard from someone who used to have a unit in the howgate, that the council were pricing everyone out years ago. A proper shop in Stirling is cheaper to rent...
This is so sad to see ,I worked in the old Royal Infirmary in the early 1970s ,Falkirk was a thriving market town then with a busy High st..so so sad….❤
Same here. I was born in Falkirk Royal in 1965 and lived in Bonnybridge until I was 16. Falkirk was good for shopping in those days. I remember the thrill of buying the first item of clothing I bought for myself (a ra-ra skirt) in Chelsea Girl. My first Saturday job was in the York Café. My dad has lived in Bonnybridge his whole life and so he could see the slow decline but I didn't go back to Falkirk until the mid '90s and could could see how much the high street had diminished. It's no different from many towns but it's more saddening somehow to see it happen in a place that held such prominence for the first 16 years of my life.
Spent a lot of time here as a kid/teen. Think there was a populwr shop in the 2000s called mark one? Ill miss getting sweets from the wee sweety gem shop. Noseying around in TKmaxx, getting our school clothes in BHS. Tragic to see what has come from my town. 😢
Used to pump iron in that gym..seems like yesterday..Bus station just outside the mall was closed also..used to drive my bus through it
I spent many days and nights here in the summer of 2015, from being chased by the security to chilling under the bridge to the car park, I will cherish those memories and the pictures I have there too forever 🥺❤️
Great video m8!
Scales used to be all over public places, pay your 10p or 20p and it tells you your weight.
If you could find one, it'd be £2.50 at least to use it now.
Not watch you guys for a while, lots of catching up to do, your explores are top class!
Politicians are always on about revitalising town centres and their answer, make it by moring it more difficult and expensive to get into town to encourage walking and cycling. Yet they are happy to have these places demolished with no regard for environmental damage.
Nice one 👌
Really fantastic explore guys well done! Such a shame the building wasn't repurposed instead of flattened.
I remember being there as a teen and a security guard telling my friend and I to leave as we were eating our McDonalds inside the shopping centre! "You can't eat that in here" he told us, lol! I don't think I ever bought anything from a shop there, but used to walk through the main entrance / atrium space as a short cut to get from the bus station area nearby, up the escalators, to the back door at first floor level, with access to the main shopping Precinct, where most of the shops were that I did occasionally use. It was never very busy from what I remember, with many empty shops / units, even shortly after it had just opened! It's a place lots of people went to shelter from the rain rather than to actually shop! Sad to see it abandoned however, it was a nice space to walk through when I visited Falkirk!
There isn't much left of that now, its been torn down to make way for the new town hall (I think). It was never that successful even at its peek.
Used to work in BeWise at the bottom of the escalators, was my first job. So sad to see the centre like it is here, pretty much fully demolished now
It’s all pretty much gone now, flattened over the last few weeks.
Love
It’s almost demolished now. Making way for a new town hall and council offices I believe.
Funny how the council found funds for that eh?
30 year life span. Disgusting waste of resources.
@@justluke9166 lots of buildings like it in this city.
@@georginaohara42aye, somewhere between £33-50 million found between the couch cushions eh 🙄
Sold the old town half to house developers for another £7 mil as well.
@@Ashethetics they bankrupted this city paying the waspi women off, I don’t understand how historical underpayments are being paid by a generation who had nothing to do with it.
All anyone went there for was tk maxx and a sweet shop for years then tk maxx moved to the retail park and the gym moved in
So nobody ever went into the other shops within the centre at all?
@ I’m sure some did but those were the main ones
@@Thescottishguyreacts I’m just pulling your leg.
Moved from Glasgow to Falkirk as a kid and can’t get over how derelict the entire place is now. I don’t even go to Falkirk for my messages 😂 if Glasgow was still Glasgow I’d be off 👍. Honestly considering leaving the Uk now
Where are you going to go?
this center reminds me of a tv series with unalive creatures 😳
Great video lads, been here a good few times as a kid as there was a great Halloween/fancy dress shop and an old-fashioned sweet shop that had everything. As others have said, this place never really took off, didn't attract any major brands apart from TK Maxx. Falkirk already had an established shopping centre (The Howgate) and this was just a white elephant.
The wee shopping centre in Ayr is the same.
You might enjoy exploring that boys and other parts of Ayr too that have just been abandoned?
I was a member of that gym, problem with that shopping centre was it never hand full occupancy from new, and the turnover of retailers was frequent. On the lower level was a Post Office which was actually mentioned in the recent ITV drama about the Post Office sub postmaster scandal. The Superhero shop was actually a place for super hero themed children’s parties, normally kids around 6-8, always busy on a Sunday. Shame this place never really thrived with the anchor brand named stores all in the Howgate Shopping Centre along the High Street.
Amazing - yet why oh why are such recently built centres already shut down? It seem like the spirit has gone out of society. Great filming lads. It is just so sad that people's hopes and dreams are curtailed because of a failing economy.
This is what the elitists want to become of towns and cities
Covid and Online shopping have sadly ended many places.
It was always pretty soulless but properly died a death after the BHS closed. Lucky if half the units were occupied after that. Glad it’s been pulled down.
I did that Escape room when it first opened, it was fab
Have lots of memories in this place, saddened to see the demolishing going on.
As always Lads another great video. Thanks for this bonus video and all the other Scottish locations you have visited. Know-one can complain that Scotland has not had more than its fair share of explores by the Urbandoned team. Such a shame to see such a modern building just being abandoned and going for demolition. Its know wonder that the country is in such a financial mess when so many buildings are just bulldozed, as at the end of the day, its the public that pays the price either in higher taxes or higher cost of goods to pay for all this capital waste!.
the orbs around you all are amazing there is loads off spirits there x
It was built upon a disturbed graveyard, so I'm not surprised!
Never knew the place was abandoned. That area is usually busy when Ive driven past there. I do know there was a lasertag place just along the road that was pretty good that shut down before covid and had been abandoned since
There was one down on grahams road that has now become an escape rooms place. Think the company that was in calender square moved into it
It was never abandoned, they shut it down last Xmass so that they could demolish it. I was still using the gym right up until the last day.
This is almost totally demolished now
This shopping centre (and the old Callendar Riggs shopping centre before it) were built where the Erskine Churchyard graves were, and so I've heard the location is pretty cursed 🫣😅
I worked as part of the construction team fitting out the BHS in 1997 when this place was bustling. Shocked and saddened to see the state of it now. 😮
Hiya Alistair, Its good that you sneak your way into these abandoned buildings, I'm always on edge incase you get caught, this time you and the crew didn't, this is Choppy
Not abandoned! Currently being demolished as part of a major regeneration of the east end of the High Street. Masterplan is on the Falkirk Council Planning Portal. Includes redevelopment of the old bus station too, which in itself relocates to the Falkirk Grahamston train station to centralise public transport. Feel free to report on the Masterplan and tell the good news story. Or do you only deal in despair and misery?
It's all negative, perhaps more so when they are in Scotland. Sigh.
It's a dump mate. Years of SNP oversight. Suck it up.
Agree, feels like they didn’t properly research? All the retailers had to leave so it wasn’t really abandoned.
Morton demoltion company have just about completed the demoltion.
It did help the footfall when Falkirk District Council allowed First bus to close the Callander rigg bus stance.
I never knew the Calendar Square Shopping Centre was being demolished until work started. Thanks for letting me see lads, for one last time.
The place was a huge white elephant from day 1, it was never fully utilised. I remember it being built when I was a lad. Falkirk was much busier in the 90s and early 2000s but it was never busy enough for two full blown shopping centres and a retail park.
That site was a white elephant long before Callendar Square, Falkirk town centre durning the 70's, 80's and early 90's used to be buzzing, but like everywhere now, it's deid
What a shame it's beautiful inside
Always been a white elephant that particular location, I can remember when Venues arcade was there before Callendar Square, hopefully the proposed Town Hall that's to replace it doesn't end up the same way
You should visit the Dreadnought Hotel in Bathgate
i remember going in there as a wee one with my mum and getting lost several times coz it was so big
Sad that the investment in building such a place can't have paid off in such a short time, what a waste. Shopping in our towns has certainly changed, it will become housing rather than retail like it used to be when towns were first built.
22:10 that big unit was Iceland
I used to work in the Hotel, after being abandoned, Police discovered it was being used as a Marijauna Factory , just as well you didn't turn up then !!
The wee hero’s was a laser quest kind of thing. Same unit as the escape room.
Falkirk used to be a great shopping centre.
It was named the best shopping town in scotland at one point
Unfortunately dead now,Stirling always seems to be a lot busier to me now not that I'm there a lot I'm more in Falkirk as I stay around a 20 minute walk away.