Urban explorers shared eerie footage from inside an abandoned cinema and said one part of the building "smelled like a dead body".
Standing on the corner of Lime Street is the former ABC cinema which used to attract hundreds of visitors every week. It had initially opened as the Forum in 1931, and was initially an ornate building, which today evokes memories of Hollywood's Golden Age.
Lime Street was once home to three cinemas. The ABC was the largest of them, while the Futurist and the Scala cut smaller figures. It entertained audiences for nearly 70 years but closed its doors in January 1998 with a final showing of Casablanca.
READ MORE: Fury as council set to lose millions on Flanagan's scheme off Smithdown Road
The ABC has stood silent since closing and its future is unclear. Footage recently taken by urban explorer Daniel Sims - known as BeardedReality on YouTube and Instagram - shows how the former cinema has continued to rot as the years have gone by. In the 25 minute video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Daniel takes a tour of the premises with friends.
The vide starts with the group entering the bottom floor of the derelict building. Inside, there are old cinema seats piled up, machines, and old lights used by the projectors. In another section of the building is a crumpled poster of the 1989 film Rain Man, starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise.
The main section of the old cinema shows red velvet seats and stage curtains still intact. However, damage to the roof can be seen but Daniel said in the video that "for the damage it has received, it's still in amazing condition."
The group move further down into the abandoned building and come across some stairs which they go down. Paint has peeled from the walls and Daniel says in the video this "shows how decayed it is".
However, the group discuss how this part of the building smells and cannot quite describe it. Daniel at one point says in the footage said that it smells like "dead fish" and then describes it as the stench of a "dead body."
In the video, the urban explorer said: "It smells like a dead body yeah or what I imagine what a dead body would smell like." Daniel adds that he thinks it smells like "oysters" or "seafood".
The group find out the stairs lead to nowhere and must be one of the exits. Speaking to the ECHO, Daniel said: "Recently I explored the abandoned ABC cinema in Liverpool and was blown away by everything that was left behind here. The theatre itself is amazing and is a super shame that it is being left to decay."
The former cinema still has many of the Art Deco style features still inside, including lights, curtains and floor tiles. In November 2019, the council said a "number of options" were being considered for the future of the building, three years after it gave the green light to plans to turn it into a performance venue.
It talked up as a state-of-the-art music and entertainment venue to host live performances inside the famous auditorium, holding up to 1,500 people, but little more was then heard about the project.
READ MORE:
Everything police know about 'toxic' man who murdered Olivia Pratt-Korbel
Ryanair launches new routes from Liverpool Airport and Manchester Airport
Thug celebrates outside court after smashing neighbour's windows
Mum trapped in chronic pain says her life has turned into 'a car crash'
Historic home transformed with cinema room and makeshift bar
