Heritage group criticises urban explorer advert for paid tours of abandoned Sheffield buildings
Urban explorer’s plans for paid for guided tours of abandoned buildings criticised
An urban explorer’s plans for paid guided tours of abandoned buildings in Sheffield have been criticised.
An advert publicising the group tours for £42.30-a-head feature a well-known “dangerous” empty building.
A heritage group criticised the advert for the tours, which are described as suitable for children as young as 10.
Facebook page ‘Lost Places & Forgotten Faces’ posted an AI generated advert on April 10 selling “fun urban exploring day around Sheffield” on May 23, 2026, for £42.30 per person.
The poster shows Sheffield’s Old Town Hall, in Waingate, and the former Salvation Army Headquarters, on Cross Burgess Street.
It claims ticketholders will take “a comfy minibus” to 8-10 abandoned buildings and be provided with hi-vis vests and helmets, with “kids as young as 10 welcome to join.”
All tickets sold out on April 12.
However, the offer has been criticised by the Friends of Old Town Hall heritage group in an open letter questioning the legality, safety and ethics of taking money to show groups around abandoned-but-owned properties.
‘Friends’ chair Valerie Bayliss wrote: “I hope no-one will be tempted by this extraordinary offer.
“[These buildings] do have owners, who have rights about who can go inside.
“I would put a large bet on the owners not having given permission for access for this tour, even if they've been approached. Gaining access would thus involve trespass
“Many abandoned heritage buildings are, sadly, unsafe.
“Moreover parts of the Old Town Hall are very dangerous, with collapsed floors [...].
“Is the tour organiser insured? Has there been any risk assessment?... Have the organisers undertaken safeguarding training? Are they DBS checked?”
It comes after The Star recently footage of two teenagers carrying skateboards exiting the Old Town Hall through a window.
The page replied: “The two buildings mentioned are not a part of the tour, they were just used to form part of the poster.
“The tour focuses on historical sites such as cemeteries, plane crash sites and other such publically accessible locations.”
The Star asked why the page had used the images of the Salvation Army building and the Old Town Hall at all if they were not part of the tour, and asked for a list of the sites the tour would visit.
They replied: “We will not be entering either of the two buildings shown on the poster on the tour, but will be discussing them... but we won’t be accessing them as they are definitely too dangerous and safety is paramount.
“The tour combines a mixture of exploring/ walking around "forgotten" historical sites which are safe to visit and open to the public, and also visiting some abandoned factories/ pubs where outside photo opportunities will be suggested and from a safe distance.
“If anyone wishes to access these places in the future, this would be on their own time after the tour has concluded and the event organisers have parted ways with the participants. The dangers of this activity will be thoroughly explained throughout the day.
“As this is a private tour the itinerary and locations we plan to visit will remain known only to the event organisers and the participants on the day.”
Sheffield City Council said: “The council has been made aware of the tours, no permission has been given to access our buildings, and we are liaising with South Yorkshire Police on the matter.”
The Star contacted South Yorkshire Police, which declined to comment.