PICTURES: Frozen in time - eerie glimpse inside Sheffield's abandoned courthouse and old town hall

These amazing pictures show Sheffield's Old Town Hall and courthouse as they look today - crumbling, abandoned and frozen in time.
The benches are still intact.The benches are still intact.
The benches are still intact.

The imposing building in Waingate has been left to rot for two decades - but these eerie pictures show that the public gallery, benches and dock are still intact.

Cell blocks, waiting rooms and walls etched with graffiti - some of it written by defendants awaiting trial - is still clearly visible in the haunting collection of pictures.

Frozen in time - the court as it looks today.Frozen in time - the court as it looks today.
Frozen in time - the court as it looks today.
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Built in 1807, the imposing building, with its distinctive clock tower, was abandoned for new premises in 1997 - and has since become a magnet for "urbex" fans - people who love to explore old buildings.

Signs for court rooms and solicitors offices are still intact - and while some of the building has been vandalised by squatters, much of the building is still easily recognisable.

Once a grand and imposing law court, the building was commissioned to replace Sheffield's first town hall, which opened in 1700 - but is now littered with dust and dirt.

The Grade II listed building housed the city's Crown and High Court up until the 1990s and saw thousands of defendants pass through its imposing corridors during its time.

The entrance to court 1 is still imposing.The entrance to court 1 is still imposing.
The entrance to court 1 is still imposing.
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Amid the rotting carpets, decaying timbers and peeling walls there are remnants of court paperwork, notices for employees as well as debris and litter left behind.

However, the building retains its sense of grandeur with imposing fireplaces, wood panelling and sweeping staircases.

A campaign group, The Friends of The Old Town Hall, was set up in 2014 to save the building which went on the market last September with an asking price of £2 million but which was later withdrawn from sale.

The pictures have been shared on Facebook in groups devoted to "urbex" - urban exploration, or taking a glimpse inside abandoned buildings, factories, shops and places of entertainment.