Exploring an Abandoned Scottish Ghost Town - Clune Park Estate 

The painted murals on the wall within the school were done in 1987 to celebrate the centenary year of the school. I was one of the kids that painted them. It's very sad to see what the school looks like now compared to the memories I have from my time there

This is fascinating, thank you. My parents were born in Port Glasgow, attended (circa 100 years ago) the school you've filmed and married in the church in 1950. Whilst very sad, it's great that you've documented it.

Criminal to see property in this condition when so many people don’t have homes. Shame on the local authorities and landlords.

Very important vid. I'm Edinburgh Scottish, I knew nothing about this sad relic. Certainly main stream Scottish media has never educated us on this. Well done.

I attended Clune Park Primary school back in the mid 90's. There were still plenty of residents back then. The council want to bulldoze the place, but I think the school is a listed building and a lot of the flats are still owned.

I was brought up here. The houses were rented by Lithgows shipyard employees, my father being one. I lived in Bruce street, Glasgow Road ( this was the main A road from Greenock to Glasgow) / Robert street as it became and Wallace street. We moved to Slaemuir when the new High School opened. The church was a Church of Scotland building so is not known as a chapel. I left the town in 1978 and the area in 1990. I am very sad to see the area in such a bad state as even when my daughter was young she went to the thriving Girls Brigade unit held in the church hall.

Was a really nice area until the landlords (we know who they are) bought all the flats and rented them out to junkies for DHSS money. That's the thing about social housing in Scotland there's nothing to stop landlords making an absolute killing off peoples suffering and misery, and the problem only compounded as more of them were let in the buildings, everyone else moved out. Should seize that guys assets towards rebuilding the place, he lives in posh mansion in Kilmacolm.

I live in a small village where exactly the same is happening. The local lawyer and the local pharmacist have teamed up to buy miner's cottages and flats. Between them they own around half of the main street. They've moved in the lowest forms of live to these properties and refuse point blank to do any repairs to the decaying buildings. But their tenants won't complain for fear of being back on the homeless roundabout.

I can tell you first hand coming from Glasgow, the problem we have is that big company's will not invest in small local areas and with less and less local shops being open its had for people to stay in once amazing community's. Its really the council to blame, unless there is a demand they will not help areas like this. Sad to say money goes with money and the people who stay loyal are left

Criminal letting this estate get to this state. The Council and landlords should be held accountable.

The useless Inverclyde Council are to blame for a myriad of reasons. The Councillors also have a habit of agreeing to bulldozing buildings of historical significance, i.e. Bouverie Street in Port Glasgow. Great video.

The residential buildings might not be worth that much, especially the gray one, but the school and the church should really be saved. They have both historic and artistic value in them.

That church was something else. My brain went into over drive, stunning, absolutely stunning.

It’s so sad to see this. My late father was born in one of those streets, and both my parents attended that school. Sadly, the local council don’t have the will to preserve. So many buildings that anywhere else would be updated and lived in. Thank you for filming it.

The cans are probably a left over from school recycling. My secondary school had a 'tuck shop' where you could buy cans of drink and crisps. They had a recycling disposal bin for the metal cans, ready for recycling. That's what that pile of cans looks like to me. Some schools also collected recycling items. I was at school in the 70's and 80's and both the local primary and secondary school encouraged kids to bring in aluminium foil cases, foil bottle tops (from glass milk bottles) used drink cans and also newspapers. The drink cans would be flattened so they took up less room in storage, then the school would have the foil/metal and paper collected by a recycling company who would pay the school for the items. It was a way of raising money for the school. My primary school raised huge amounts of money for a cover for an outdoor pool so we could use it on colder days... amazing what money came from vast amounts of recycled items. Yes... you actually got paid for your recycling... shame they can't do that today, because someone makes money out of all our recycled rubbish.😐

I think it's a mix of everything from local council neglect, poverty, high rents / house prices to send this ghost town into demise. This is a fantastic explore keep up the great work!

I like how you take the time to study the past of your finds. The history and the knowledge, well done guys and thank you for doing all these video's, keep up the good work 🙂👍👍👍

It's sickening to see these beautiful buildings going to waste when so many people need homes. Criminal!

My imagination is running away.Could you imagine how beautiful this area would have looked.

These were homes to incoming shipyard workers way back. Flats bought by private landlords whose only interest was profit,lots of these properties became the refuge for people with chaotic lifestyles.the area gradually went downhill and flats became rundown. It is a shame such solid buildings were not refurbished,the area is an eyesore now,empty flats torched and plundered for copper etc and made uninhabitable. Probably end up bulldozed

Guys this is my first time to your Chanel I’m overwhelmed with your professionalism and what a great explore.Thank you so much.

I lived here in 1977, school was open, shops were open, most apartments were privately owned by young couples, before then in 1960's Scott Lithgow owned most apartments. This was our first apartment amongst decent people but the buildings were becoming dated even then...moved in 1980. Clune Park estate is in Port Glasgow.

Just watched this, seen lots of videos of this place lately, yours is defo the best, no one has managed to get into the school or church, loved it well done lads, I live 14 miles from it, I always thought the lot had been knocked down.

Looking at the area on google earth/ google maps , the pics are from 2011 and the place looks lovely and clean with plenty of cars around and also some people , the church ,school and shops are closed

It’s not Glasgow , it’s port Glasgow about 1/2 an hour away from Glasgow

Excellent vid. As always great to watch guys

Great video 👍🏻 although "near Glasgow" could technically mean anywhere, it's in Inverclyde, if anyone is interested.

Awesome explore, your videos just keep getting better. That school was absolutely stunning!

This place is closer to Greenock than Glasgow, it’s in a place called port Glasgow. Such a shame how it’s changed over the years.

Magnificent interior.Thank you for showing the inside.😃

What an Awesome place - the School was amazing - Great work as always.

okay so I actually grew up here and It's so weird to see the place that you spent your entire childhood feature in a video like this I clearly remember all the shops that used to be on there and riding my bike up and down there with my friends around 9 years ago now, you said you wndered what the difference in population was and honesty it was about the same in the streets even back then, you never really saw anyone around apart from us kids running around. even back then there was problems with the flats, I remember the roof caving in and we got flooded twice by our upstairs neighbor. there actually used to be a decent amount of kids that lived here but we all moved as housig conditions deteriorated. feel free to ask me about what it was like living here if you see this

I'll be going here next Saturday, great explore guys!

All the shite ya see on tv and the crap on the news . This is something ya wownt see ! Well done lads , fantastic . It just shows you though what’s wrong in the uk . So many people can’t get a house and many homeless

The landlords must be hanging on for the council to offer them stupid money,don't bet against it.

Hiya, I just found you guys and you video is really well done. You have a new subscriber xx

Funny how councils will do everything in their power to make compulsory purchase orders on owner/tenants and force them out yet will let private landlords hold the flats ransom until they offer far more than the value

Most of these properties were owner occupied and when landlords got their hands on the properties and undesirables moved in, the value of houses in this estate tumbled. The landlords (one in particular) bought up most of the properties and gave the houses to people you would not want living next door to you. A few years back you could buy a flat in nearly all of these streets for as little as £2000. The council are in the middle of a legal battle with the landlords who are refusing to sell these dumps. The area is earmarked for new modern council housing. The title of your video is a bit wrong though, this isnt a ghost town, its just a small housing estate in a town that is very much alive due to redevelopment of the old shipyard land, Great video though.

Great but strange find guys. Always a pleasure to watch you on your adventures 😀

Great video, with lots of information - well done👍 A lot of Urbex channels, could learn a lot from you.

Brilliant documentation 🖤

It's so sad that we ( as a country) have so many homeless people. Give the houses and flats to these poor people. I'm sure with a government grant they could and willingly would return these properties back to living accommodation. This is disgusting the government allows this to continue. Shame

Great video. I live about 20 miles SW of Glasgow and I've never heard of this place. So sad. So many lovely buildings and all those unoccupied, neglected tenement flats which could be housing the homeless and vulnerable 😥

I really enjoyed watching this,Thankyou

There was a day that children walked out of that school for the last time and no other children would enter. Crazy to see such an estate go to waste

My Dad went to that school, which 'mysteriously' caught fire only 2 weeks ago; my primary school, Highholm, doesn't even exist anymore 'cos they demolished it to put a car park in its place! A disgrace that any of this has been allowed to happen.

I went there about 6 weeks ago, such a shame it’s been left to go to ruin.

A scene from the film Under the Skin was filmed at one of the tenements. Either on Bruce street or Wallace street.

Homelessness is rising in the uk and this place is been left to fall apart. Worse still it will most likely be demolished, there’s a lack of affordable housing and this is part of the problem.

Love watching these videos especially going around the church and school , just a shame it’s all derelict

51 year old Glaswegian here and I've never heard of Clunepark in my puff. Bizarre.

It’s sad to see the school left abandoned, i can imagine schoolchildren going about their school day in there.

You’re in my hometown , I grew up in those abandoned flats. Me and the gang used to play footie outside all the time. It was a rough spot even back then

I know the area and its criminal as the council spent more money squeezing the towns around for money on parking and putting money into making money off those that were trying to live. Beautiful housing that was allowed to rot so it could be moved on. An all to common sight in areas that need regeneration not demolishing. Nuf. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Roo

Regarding the school. If renovated all those stairs would have to be removed and replaced with disabled-access lifts. The place would probably have to be completely rewired, have all asbestos and lead paint removed and meet all current fire, safety and disabled-access regulations. The cost would be massive.

As usual, perfect

I think this is the first time I have seen one of your videos. It is very nicely done and I shall watch more. That school must have been a beautiful building in it's day, there is very high quality work in it's construction, the wood and stonework are glorious. I wonder if it is a listed building.

I'm speechless, great video. Such a crying shame

You did an excellent job guys!I watched a similar video 49 mins long and they hardly mentioned the history and why people left.✌️

Alec never showed inside the church so glad you did.😀

8 tenets still live in there and I'm glad you went into the school not many have I know fighters was there earlier this year

I live in Port Glasgow and this has came about because of the argument between landlords and council.

I loved it!😀😀😀😀❤️

Enjoying the video

Great video 👍

About 35 yrs ago I use to work construction on a Auld castle just up the road from that scheme & use to go to a wee chip-Shop in it 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

You guys are like the British Proper People and I love it 👍

Boys amazing video keep them coming

It broke my heart watching this, such a beautiful place being destroyed by vandalism and totally neglected 😭😭😭 grew up in flats very similar.

Well there's been a multitude of explorers who have explored this place even though most did not get into the school nor the church so you did better than they did. In most cases the key to exploring this place is to come enforce most people that explore here common groups of five six people makes it a little safer. Unfortunately the condition of this place is beyond fixing it back up it's really time to tear it down and build something new . So far you did a better job than most of the other explorers. It is a shame they left this place go and let it deteriorate could have kept it going let people live there kept the buildings up but they didn't they should just tear it down and start over . I would say your explorer was better than most good job guys

The 22nd of December 2019 their were 20 tenants still living in the tenement blocks legally

There is a theory in criminology called "Broken Windows" that suggests when vandalism, damage is visible & not repaired it encourages further vandalism & criminal acts that cause urban decay. The local council, property owners, whoever is tasked with maintenance can shoulder some of the blame.

I would imagine it would be more cost effective to flatten them and start again than to refurbish to meet current fire regs etc.

The flats were originally built by Scott's Shipbuilders for the workers way back. Was a sought after area a long time ago.

What a fantastic explore..loved the natural decay in it's finest..such a travesty seeing this in this state, it's got something that needs preserving..they should be sold for a nominal fee, all you initially pay for is your chosen location and the plans, the actual cost is what it would cost to renovate to your spec..hope that makes sense..there is no need to demolish forever..think coucils could be more involved and more responsible to see projects materialise in to positive outcomes...Great film as always

The area is housing scheme in town of portglasgow,not a town in its own right.the m8 and rail link to Glasgow in 25 to 30 minutes

Fantastic - so thorough & informed!!! Could I ask please, which music tracks you used within the film?

No doubt the same councils that deem these unsuitable to live in even if refurbished will house whole homeless families at great expense in 1 room in a B&B

At 7.17 the class of 1887 it is not a design but a map is of the British empire on the map all that was pink was in the empire then , now know as the British commonwealth I know this dose not sit well with wokes and BLM but it was and still is our country's past

Lovely and interesting film. Such a shame these buildings are not in use though, housing, church and school all wasting away.

Most likely it started with the Council then down the line to the Vandels. It's sad cause there like with all places has problems with homelessness and you can take the able-bodied to clean this town up so they can live in it themselves . It probably was a beautiful town back then I can only imagine though. Excellent video btw

Nice!

Alec did this abandoned housing estate.It was great.

With so many homeless people, it's a shame that a place like this is left to rot. I'm not surprised that the council want to level it. Let's hope they build some housing. That school staircase was beautiful, even it was abandoned.

exelent done

Due to the huge support both rangers and celtic have, shirts of that generation are ten a penny, even shirts 20-30 years old are still really really common so they're not worth much until you get to the 50+ years old shirts. Unless they have signatures of course.

This gets me mad, The amount of people homeless in Scotland an young people who can't afford a deposit for a flat or house, An yet we have places like this, I bet this was a nice place to live until temazepam eggs infected people's veins in Scotland, I blame the Dr's for even starting to prescribe people drugs an then take the drug prescriptions off the people addicted to the very thing the Dr's gave out, Legalisation of cannabis will help drug addiction in so many ways is un-humain not legalising cannabis in my eyes, It's wrong having building like this while young people struggle to get on the housing market, An worse homelessness, Yeah it's wrong man...

Clune park is in Port Glasgow which is part of Inverclyde district council

What a complete and utter waste. Today, we no longer build beautiful buildings like the school and church. There are so many people who are crying out to be housed and this is being allowed to be rot. It is criminal.

I was in a band in early 90s and drummer live up the Clune Brae in the Port, can't remember now exactly where but I remember the row of shops, there was a co-op and also a Chinese takeaway on the approaching corner where the local neds hung out throwing chips at anyone who walked bye....then left then up hill and right somewhere. Used to be 3 nightclubs in Greenock (joined to the Port), and also the Dalrymple Disco. ;-) And the Bay hotel in Gourock next door, few bands played there back in the day including I think Blur, Manics, Birdland....? Not been there in 30 odd yrs...wonder what happened to my m8s parents.... EDIT: it was the shops at Dubbs road..... Any remember PK and his younger brother who's mum owned the farmhouse up the brae that did raves? We played at one and got out alive! ;-)

The light in the gym was probably the only one on because for whatever reason it was on the same circuit as the fire alarms, sprinklers, etc. Which they'd likely leave on to prevent a fire destroying the school building.

All that decay in just 30 or so years..Weather in Scotland is rough

I don't like seeing nice old buildings being demolished. Would rather see them refurbished. Especially the old sandstone ones. Such a shame to see them like that.

What a waste, with all the homelessness and long waiting council lists some of these houses could be useful for reuse

Would be great as a movie set.

Be nice if you could put some sounds of kids playing over the school tour... Great video many thanks.

Unfortunately the school has been gutted by a massive fire a few days ago!

Unfortunately I imagine the condition is down to many reasons. Probably council run with limited income to maintain them to a nice standard to live there. Once standards slip it just becomes a poor sub standard area to live in. Then total decline. Such a shame as such lovely stone buildings.

The Church is a listed building, as is, I think, the school. If I was on the local council (Inverclyde) I'd be looking to see if I could get Holyrood support for a comprehensive programme involving the demolition of the 1950's blocks and the refurbishment of the more solid sandstone tenements - possibly by combining 2 living into 1. I'm not sure how CPO's operate over the border, but based on the English model I'm sure I could make a case for social renewal and creation of new housing. The surrounding wooded environment is pleasant enough, and the main Port Glasgow - Glasgow City road passed hard by the estate.

Surely this area should be renovated , to late when its flattened