In today’s Urbandoned video, we are inside another vacant Debenhams department store,
this time in Cork, Ireland.
The city-centre property was left abandoned since 2020 during the pandemic, after being
occupied as a retail business for over a century.
It remains untouched with working electricity, which as we found out, means that the alarms
still function today.
Earlier this year, we had been targeting more derelict shopping centres and departments
stores across the UK and Ireland.
The former Debenhams in the city of Cork in the Republic of Ireland was one of those we
were checking, that fortunately paid off.
The premises has a rich history, dating all the way back to 1901 where it opened as Roches
Stores, a business founded in Cork that would develop to have over ten stores around the
country.
When Merchants Quay Shopping Centre was constructed in 1989, Roches would become one of four anchor
stores with a street entrance and an entrance inside the mall.
As time went on, the department store would lose its popularity and would exit the scene
in 2007, ceasing operation at this building a year prior.
Debenhams would take over quickly and continue to be an anchor store at the shopping centre
for another decade.
In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Debenhams stores in Ireland would temporarily close,
only to be permanently closed later that year when the company went into administration.
More than 100 years of department store occupancy would come to an end, leaving the grand complex
in limbo.
Alistair: We’re inside an abandoned Debenhams.
The power is working and you can hear there is an alarm going off - quite a loud one.
We think that was going off before we got inside, but there are sensors that are all
over this place that we’ve just noticed, so I’m not 100% sure.
Can see a staircase here, so we’re definitely going to get down into the main shops.
I think this was all just storage up here.
Alistair: In here.
I think one floor down and we should be there and the door is open for us.
Another sensor.
Oli: Holy sh**.
Wow!
Alistair: This is really cool.
I really hope that alarm wasn’t us.
The ringing alarm, which we would find out later was triggered by us, added an eerie
sense of dread to the exploration, as we were half waiting for the security from the neighbouring
shopping centre to suddenly appear inside.
Alistair: It’s the first time I’ve been in a shopping centre where so much of the
interior decorations have been left.
A lot of the shelves are still here, check out desks and the photographs on the wall
and brand logos.
It all focuses on this huge atrium with a lovely skylight.
Alistair: ‘Levi’s’ - probably the biggest brand I’ve seen that still has its logo.
Oli: Oi, Alistair!
That sounds like voices.
You hear them?
Alistair: That’s the entrance, there.
It’s probably just the high street.
Walking into the department store’s main atrium, there was an apocalyptic scene before
us, because there was hardly any deterioration and the electricity still worked.
Although we didn’t expect this Debenhams to contain anything as old as the last one
we posted, you could still see how it had been modernised over time.
Alistair: It feels like all I can find at the moment is abandoned escalators.
Probably leave that for last, because I imagine that’s where most of the sensors are.
It’s a cool view from here, though, it’s very symmetrical.
Alistair: There’s more natural light over here and another escalator.
Oli: It’s weird how there doesn’t seem to be any alarms in this bit going off.
Alistair: No - all the sensors are on the top floor.
I wonder if this connects to the shopping centre across.
That is cool.
Oh wow!
Oli: Alistair, you can hear the radio.
Alistair: Oh yeah… that’s so cool.
I didn’t expect it to be this big.
All the seating is still there.
Alistair: So, this is where you would pay.
It’s all still here in immaculate condition - even the card reader.
Then, you would go and sit over here.
God, it must have been packed at some point for them to build this much seating.
Can see that some decay is starting to come through the ceiling tiles, and are these here
to collect water?
Alistair: Behind the counter now in the back rooms looking for the light switches.
Look at all the notices still here.
The printer, as well, in this office.
Here they are.
I think that did the job.
Let’s see how this looks now.
Oh, this is so cool, this is awesome!
Wow, well this gives you a way better representation.
I’m glad I didn’t do all my cinematics with my torch just then.
We had come across another surreal environment, the store’s canteen left with all the furniture
still intact and many pieces of equipment, all in perfect working order.
Alistair: Got the hot wells, there, for the food.
Can see some price stickers, too.
Alistair: There’s a baby food warming area and cutlery and condiments, too.
The microwave is still there.
After setting off multiple sensors and with the alarm still blaring, we decided to quicken
our pace as we moved downstairs.
Alistair: Maybe, we go into the left and walk around.
Basically, if you can hear the growing noise…
Oli: There’s a sensor, there.
Alistair: Ignore them now, to be honest.
This was an anchor store for the shopping centre that’s active and this was the entrance.
You can hear shoppers going about their day.
Alistair: A better look at that skylight that’s outside the restaurant.
What’s interesting, here, is that you can see it’s starting to decay right next to
the active shopping centre.
When you are on the roof, it’s not surprising.
There’s so much water that’s sat there - the roof is covered in green.
You can see, here, like in the canteen, they’re collecting the water that’s falling and
there’s obviously working electrics, so it must be pretty dangerous.
Alistair: ‘Fitting rooms.’
Pretty standard.
Totally clean.
If the lights worked in here, it would look active.
Let’s see what’s behind this coded door.
Oh my! Jesus Christ - there’s way more left than I would expect at a huge conglomerate
like Debenhams.
All their PCs.
That’s a CCTV monitor, too - an old one.
Alistair: Heading onto the ground floor, now, where the main entrance is.
There’s even more displays, here.
The alarm adds to the ambience of this place.
It is missing some mannequins, though.
Here’s the front entrance.
They’ve chosen a strange way to block it off.
A mix of displays, white sheets or curtains and cardboard.
So many shoppers would have passed through these doors every day for years.
It must be a strange experience watching our video if you were a familiar shopper with
the Cork Debenhams, seeing a building that perhaps gave you joy over many weekends for
decades and decades, now in a paralysed state neither here or there.
Alistair: The displays are really cool.
Look at this one, here.
All the different makeup holds.
Obviously, no products were left.
They wouldn’t be that stupid.
You would see where they would all be.
Very close to the alarm.
I apologise for the noise - just in there, for some reason.
Different types of mascara, here.
Would have been a neon light, pretty retro.
It would be cool if I could get it on, but I can see there’s a wire cut around the back.
Alistair: Another checkout, everything remaining.
This place is honestly huge for a single department store.
Goes on and on back here, but with no lighting.
This would have been female clothing.
Can see that all the way back there is another entrance.
The only thing that works in here, weirdly, is the fire lights.
Still alone in the vast facility, we figured we should get going before we tested our luck.
It had been another insightful look into the company’s past, present and future through
our brief exploration.
The latest news with the property is that it has been sold for around £12 million.
Thankfully, it is likely that you will see it back in use later this year as a sports
retail chain and maybe next time we are in Cork, we will be able to visit to witness
the structure with it’s life restored.
Here are some of our photographs captured at the abandoned Debenhams.
If you like the look of them, check out our Instagram page in the description where we
share images of places we explore months before they are seen on YouTube.
Thanks for watching!
Tomorrow, we embark on our biggest Urban Exploration road trip to date.
We have some amazing plans and can’t wait to return with some great content to share
with you.
Follow us on our social media to see regular updates.
See you next time!