Farnworth's The Shakespeare pub documented by urban explorer

The Shakespeare in Farnworth served the people of the town for almost a century.

It was built for Magee Marshall, Brewer, of Bolton. 

Now the Grade II listed building stands closed and empty, having been put up for auction last summer.

It is currently up for rent for £500 a week on property website Tanzys Properties.

The Shakespeare (Image: Exploring With Lewis)

Urban explorer Exploring With Lewis visited the pub and was  surprised by what he saw.

Lewis said: “When I walked in I was pretty stunned to see the bannisters and the windows not smashed or anything damaged.

“I was with my friend, An Idiot Explores. It was mad to see the picture of William Shakespeare in the glass, it was pretty stunning.

“I do pictures and videos, I’m going to put one up on my YouTube channel.

The interior of the pub, which is available to rent (Image: Exploring With Lewis)

“It was awesome going around, it felt like someone was still living there when I walk into rooms one room had been painted.”

Lewis, who is from Stockport, said: “I don’t take anything, I just take pictures. If you take something, that’s theft and burglary.

“There was some stuff left behind like pictures of the owners, glasses were still there, it was just mad to see inside. It’s a pretty stunning place to go and explore.

An old payphone in the pub (Image: The Shakespeare)

“I just love to explore abandoned places, it’s my hobby, it keeps me happy and keeps me busy. I like to bring history back to life when it’s been left behind to rot.”

The pub was made a listed buidling in 2004.

Historic England describes it as: "An exceptionally well-preserved public house of 1926 in which the original hierarchy of rooms leading from a central drinking lobby survives, together which many contemporary fittings and fixtures.

"The Neo-Tudor detailing is applied consistently throughout the design, externally and internally, using a varied palette of carefully-chosen materials to a consistently high standard.

"Public house interiors of this quality and degree of completeness from the inter-war period are now extremely rare in a national context."

To keep up with Lewis, he can be followed on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/Lewisexploring or on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJdh_IL1vRVUPtNen_-LmQ

Urban exploring, if done without permission, is considered trespassing.

The practice can be dangerous, with property owners warning of safety risks for those who enter abandoned property.

While trespass is not usually a criminal offence in English law, it is a civil wrong, meaning those doing it could be subject to court action.

However, committing burglary is a criminal offence, so breaking anything to enter could see you subject to criminal action.