The former Roches Stores and Debenhams on Patrick Street in Cork has been unoccupied for six years and has attracted the attention of urban explorers from across the Irish Sea
Urban explorers gained entry to the site and said it felt ‘apocalyptic'(Image: YouTube/ Urbandoned)
One of the most iconic department stores in Ireland has been unoccupied for the past six years — and during that time it has mirrored something you may see in a zombie film.
This is at least according to some urban explorers who have documented the “eerie apocalyptic scene” inside the former Roches Stores and Debenhams on Patrick Street in Cork City.
The historic building dates back to 1922 and served as a Roches Stores before Debenhams took on a lease of the building in 2006.
However, Debenhams went into administration in 2020, forcing the site to close down. Although new plans have recently been greenlit, the huge derelict site has been hidden by hoarding and has been an attraction for urban explorers in Ireland and the UK.
‘Apocalyptic scenes’
It was a place familiar to many in Cork(Image: YouTube/ Urbandoned)
This includes Alistair, Alex and Theo who run a page called Urbandoned. They visited the once busting department store a few years back.
Speaking on the video, Alistair said: “The ringing alarm, which we would find out later was triggered by us, added an eerie sense of dread to the exploration, we were half waiting for the security from the neighbouring shopping centre to suddenly appear inside.”
He added: “Walking into the department store’s main atrium, there was an apocalyptic scene before us, because there was hardly any deterioration and the electricity still worked.”
It is a hugely historic building(Image: YouTube/ Urbandoned)
The boys remarked that it was the first shopping centre they had visited with so much of the interior decorations having been left behind. A lot of the shelves remained along with photographs and brand logos on walls.
They added: “It must be a strange experience watching our video if you were a familiar shopper with the Cork Debenhams, seeing a building that perhaps gave you joy over many weekends for decades and decades, now in a paralysed state neither here nor there.”
After posting the video, which you can watch in full here, one person replied: “I never thought I’d see a video of an abandoned place that I was inside of when it was still open. It gives such a weird feeling.”
Another said: “It’s crazy to think that this place is gone now… I have many fond memories of being dragged to go clothes shopping there during my childhood.”
What the urban explorers encountered(Image: YouTube/ Urbandoned)
A third wrote: “Oh man, I’ve been dragged through this store so many times as a small boy by my mom, so I remember it vividly. Quite surreal to see it like this.”
Transformation
Despite not being used since 2020, Irish sports chain Intersports Elverys, along with a group of private investors, bought it three years later for €12m, despite it originally being listed at €20m. Renovations began shortly afterwards with major structural work being completed on the inside.
Last July, plans were submitted by Tricondale Ltd about dividing the building into four separate retail units.
The old Roches Stores building
And in December, Cork City Council approved plans for the site to be split into units, meaning it hopefully won’t be long until the old Roches Stores is back welcoming shoppers.
The main front of the building will be home to three ground-level units — with a fourth being accessed from the other side on Mayor Street.
It has been reported that a second application may be submitted for residential accommodation, a hotel and further retail may be made for the rear section of the building.
The approved project meanwhile also outlines “the refurbishment and upgrade of the existing facades” and preview graphics show more windows being added to the front of the building.
A graphic of the planned revamp of the old Roches Stores building
It is believed that one side of the building will be occupied by a beauty and cosmetics shop, while the central area will likely be an Intersport Elverys.
Zara and Rituals have also been named as possible tenants on the site, although similar to Elverys, no official announcements have been made. However, Rituals did post a listing on its site indicating that a boutique would open at 12-17 Patrick Street.
Despite the ambitious project, and City Hall planners approving plans to revive it, an opening date has yet to be announced.
