An urban explorer who entered the derelict main house at Alton Towers made a spooky discovery: a coffin hidden among dusty props. The stately home, which has stood empty for a century, is not currently accessible to the public and serves as a storehouse for spare props from older attractions.
Explorer's eerie finds inside the mansion
Colin, from the Bearded Explorer YouTube channel, found his way into the property via the conservatory, adhering to the strict urban explorer rule of not forcing locks or causing damage. His first discovery was an innocuous child's toy—a little rocking horse in the middle of a pitch-black room—which felt like something out of a horror film.
Wandering from room to room, Colin marvelled at relics of the park's past, including a grandfather clock, a suit of armour, and portrait paintings used in an older "haunted house" attraction. "This place is incredible," he said. "I cannot believe it. This stuff must be worth an absolute fortune."
A coffin and a race against time
Things took a tense turn when Colin came across a coffin and asked: "Why is there a coffin in here?" The clock was ticking as Alton Towers staff prepared to close the park for the night, and Colin struggled to find his way back out before eventually making it into the open air in the nick of time.
The building, created by Gothic Revival architect Augustus Pugin, was opened for guided walking tours in 2024, with £10-per-person tours available on Wednesdays and Saturdays between June and mid-September. Colin expressed hope that development work might reopen the house to visitors.
