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Lancashire Times
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10:28 AM 16th October 2024
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Whitby Abbey Named The Most Popular Abandoned Building In The UK


Situated in North Yorkshire, Whitby Abbey is the most popular abandoned building in the UK, with 120K posts on Instagram!

Whitby Abbey
Whitby Abbey
From boarded-up psychiatric hospitals to decaying abandoned power stations - welcome to the rise of 'urbex'. Urban exploration, known as ‘urbex’, has exploded over social media in recent years, with many documenting their adventure and garnering millions of views.

As we approach this years’ spooky season, the unoccupied property insurance provider Alan Boswell Group set out to reveal the most famous and creepiest abandoned buildings in the UK.

Top 10 most famous abandoned buildings in the UK:
RankAbandoned BuildingLocationInstagram #
1 Whitby Abbey Whitby 120,000
2 Dunstanburgh Castle Dunstan 27,300
3 Rievaulx Abbey Helmsley 13,400
4 Slains Castle Aberdeenshire 12,100
5 Crumlin Road Gaol Belfast 10,400
=6 Goodrich Castle Ross-on-Wye 5,000+
=6 Asylum Chapel London 5,000+
=8 Dolbadarn Castle Llanberis 1,000+
=8 Newsham Park Hospital Liverpool 1,000+
=8 St Peter's Seminary Cardross 1,000+

1. Whitby Abbey (Whitby) - 120k

Ranking as the most popular and creepiest abandoned building in the UK is Whitby Abbey, situated in North Yorkshire with 120k tags on Instagram. Owned and maintained by English Heritage, the ruins of Whitby Abbey is prominent in the history of Whitby and has ties to Bram Stoker’s Dracula - interestingly, in the 2020 Netflix Dracula series, there are several shots of the abbey which has certainly increased its bucket list status for lovers of spooky sites!

Dunstanburgh Castle
Dunstanburgh Castle
2. Dunstanburgh Castle (Dunstan) - 27.3k

Dating as far back to the 12th century - with 27.3k tags on Instagram, Dunstanburgh Castle in Dunstan places fourth. Widely considered as the largest castle in Northumberland, this spot has witnessed many battles and was fortified against the scots, enduring two sieges during the Wars of the Roses, before falling to ruin.

Rievaulx Abbey
Rievaulx Abbey
3. Rievaulx Abbey (Helmsley) - 13.4k

Another Abbey nestled in North Yorkshire is the Rievaulx Abbey, ranking as the fifth most popular abandon building in the UK with 13.4k Instagram tags. Established in 1132 and once known as the most powerful Cistercian monastery in England, Rievaulx was closed down in 1538 as part of the Suppression of the Monasteries.


Research carried out by Alan Boswell Group