Visited with NeilZord.
Shout out to Gantry Steele for pointing me in the right direction after my failed first attempt several months ago when I didn't do my homework properly
So here it is again. I'm sure some of you are sick of the sight of this place. I almost didn't post this as it's been done to death but I haven't posted a report on here for a few months, plus we had a bit of fun getting inside.
After a failed first attempt whilst passing by Newbury, I first visited on my second attempt, swinging by the day after Reading Festival but only took photos on my phone due to a horrific 3 day hangover I was suffering and just being in sheer awe of this place. I vowed to return and explore it again properly. Here's a bit of history for any first timers:
Crookham Court stands on the former site of Crookham manor house, built around the start of 14th century and destroyed in 1543, and subsequently Crookham House which was demolished around 1850. The construction of the current building started around this time and continued in two more phases over the next fifty years.
It’s served several purposes such as a manor house, a junior school and a school for children of people serving at Greenham Common. It was abandoned for some time after the US Air Force left the area and purchased in 1961 when it was used as a boarding school until 1990, after which point it was apparently used as apartments (although this isn’t too obvious from looking at the place) and has been abandoned since 2007.
In 1988 there was a well-publicised case of child abuse by several members of staff which was covered on Esther Rantzen’s show That’s Life. This had apparently been going on for thirty years but it was only when the headmaster Mr. Gold joined the school in 1987 that it was discovered and reported. Three were convicted, including the principal who was the owner of the building. Over twenty years later the teacher who had been set free was also convicted when another victim came forward; he has tried appealing but been denied.
Regarding our entry, without going into too much detail...I can only assume that the owner/caretaker has been by recently as when I first visited, access was almost too easy. On this occasion we had to get a bit creative with how to avoid getting covered in a thick layering of anti-climb paint
Never put off by a challenging entry, we got in and out without a single mark on our clothes 
I also did a bit of digging around for some old photos to make this report a bit different and came across this page of a school reunion in 2008 on Friends Reunited. There's some 180+ photos of Crookham Court when it was first a school and how it looked in 2008 not long after it was no longer used as a bedsit. Not sure if this has been shared on here but I haven't seen it on any report I've looked at. Some really interesting photos on here, photo 33 looks like it might explain the origin of the famous mobility scooter that's left in there....
Crookham Court | Page 1 | Secondary School | Friends Reunited
Shout out to Gantry Steele for pointing me in the right direction after my failed first attempt several months ago when I didn't do my homework properly
So here it is again. I'm sure some of you are sick of the sight of this place. I almost didn't post this as it's been done to death but I haven't posted a report on here for a few months, plus we had a bit of fun getting inside.
After a failed first attempt whilst passing by Newbury, I first visited on my second attempt, swinging by the day after Reading Festival but only took photos on my phone due to a horrific 3 day hangover I was suffering and just being in sheer awe of this place. I vowed to return and explore it again properly. Here's a bit of history for any first timers:
Crookham Court stands on the former site of Crookham manor house, built around the start of 14th century and destroyed in 1543, and subsequently Crookham House which was demolished around 1850. The construction of the current building started around this time and continued in two more phases over the next fifty years.
It’s served several purposes such as a manor house, a junior school and a school for children of people serving at Greenham Common. It was abandoned for some time after the US Air Force left the area and purchased in 1961 when it was used as a boarding school until 1990, after which point it was apparently used as apartments (although this isn’t too obvious from looking at the place) and has been abandoned since 2007.
In 1988 there was a well-publicised case of child abuse by several members of staff which was covered on Esther Rantzen’s show That’s Life. This had apparently been going on for thirty years but it was only when the headmaster Mr. Gold joined the school in 1987 that it was discovered and reported. Three were convicted, including the principal who was the owner of the building. Over twenty years later the teacher who had been set free was also convicted when another victim came forward; he has tried appealing but been denied.
Regarding our entry, without going into too much detail...I can only assume that the owner/caretaker has been by recently as when I first visited, access was almost too easy. On this occasion we had to get a bit creative with how to avoid getting covered in a thick layering of anti-climb paint
Never put off by a challenging entry, we got in and out without a single mark on our clothes I also did a bit of digging around for some old photos to make this report a bit different and came across this page of a school reunion in 2008 on Friends Reunited. There's some 180+ photos of Crookham Court when it was first a school and how it looked in 2008 not long after it was no longer used as a bedsit. Not sure if this has been shared on here but I haven't seen it on any report I've looked at. Some really interesting photos on here, photo 33 looks like it might explain the origin of the famous mobility scooter that's left in there....
Crookham Court | Page 1 | Secondary School | Friends Reunited
A part of me wanted to have a good tidy up in here but it seemed a bit excessive....
Quick game of Urban Tennis before we departed
Last edited:
