‘Viscum Water Gardens & Aquatics' are an enigma. They appear to have moved to a new location while keeping the details hushed. The fact that they left all their stock behind seems immaterial.
I thought for a second I had found them. A ‘Viscum Ltd’ declared themselves insolvent in 2022 after just three years in business, but this Viscum were far from South Yorkshire.
...'Viscum's new hideout. A little nicer than the old and not in the sticks. Was this a factor?'...
It didn't take me long to figure out that they were still in business and in a nicer place than previously.
...'the old place is still there and probably still a decent explore. Surprising as most places get demolished these days if unused'...
The old site is still there, according to the maps with a January 2025 timestamp, and it looks worse for wear than it did when we visited a year and a half beforehand.
Why did they not take their stuff with them, fucking wierdos? Business must be booming in the fish trade, that's my take, and they can afford it.
So let’s get down to the explore. ‘Viscum Water Gardens & Aquatics’ was one of the last visits in our South Yorkshire trip and one to remember.
It was situated next to some concrete company or similar on a long stretch of rural road with just the odd car passing by, usually at 90mph.
No interfering busybodies, the concrete workers were all at home as this was a weekend, leaving us with the minor problem of crossing the road without getting killed by speeding motorists.
This fence caused little issues to either of us, and even geriatric me can hop over that in a few seconds. We were in, and great promise lay ahead.
What were we going to find? The inside was a mass of buildings, some in better shape than others.
The front door seemed like a great place to start; it's to the right in this image. I was expecting a warm welcome from the owners after climbing over their large, underwhelming security gate.
That’s just plain rude. Not open when we have come all this way from the other side of the Pennines?
I don't know what a 'Animal Planter' is, but from the look of those prices, you don't get a real live cow for £45.
This one was hot off the Tour Bus, so I expected the usual levels of vandalism and was not disappointed. Access was easy, being in the middle of nowhere with just about every building missing windows, along with ubiquitous smashed-in doors.
This was the first sign of products being left. One or two I can understand, but what you will see later is mind-boggling.
They look like they have been here for some time. How long had this place been deserted?
I could see it was going to be one of those explorations where there's too much to take in. We don't tend to stick around long, as unwanted company can arrive.
Small fish tanks, all wrapped up in cellophane. These things don't come cheap, and yet they were not worth taking to the new premises?
Would it work on my outdoor fish pond? A few tadpoles live in it, as well as a lot of slime.
Sadly, there are no giveaway dates on the notice board. The amount of damp on the paper told another story.
There were many larger fish tanks in this room, all of the glass variety.
Make your choice, pick one and leave. No fish included.
The tank far side looks mighty large. Again, no fish; they must have suffered a terrible fate when the company moved.
Would you like to live there?
The building seemed to go on and on, like a large rectangle with the length being twenty times longer than the width. In some areas, it had seen more decay and was getting structurally dodgy.
Items were starting to slip off the shelves, and that roof is looking unstable.
If you want to make a purchase, then you have arrived at the right place.
Here's a wonderful selection of books, all very fishy in context as well as being a little on the damp, mouldy, slimy side.
An interesting composition; I thought we were in a fish shop, not an artist's studio?
Now I wonder what this was used for; the fish aspect was fading from my memory fast.
The green cover resembles a guitar. Things were turning a little strange.
Was it a greenhouse?
…or an area for the employees to work out?
After that short interlude, it was back to the regular fishy business. Some fish had a better death than others.
Would it be worth struggling to get down there? The side was starting to cave in with broken glass everywhere and a floor full of snaking cables. Nah.. probably not.
They are a little mucky but probably still usable.
Male Guppy, Cory Mix, 'DO NOT TAP ON TANK'. Of course..., I tapped.
Whiptail Cats are pricey. There was something in there, ah yes… dead fish, and not the type used for Fish & Chips.
I hope they took the Sabao Goldfish at least. At fifteen quid each, they are not cheap.
What a fantastic spread of goods! Why were we the only shoppers?
You can’t deny there are many things to buy, or take if you are that way inclined.
All the paperwork is gone; don't leave any evidence of accounts if you are considering making a run for it after midnight.
Someone had taken the time to hurl a rock through the pretend streetlight. Fucking idiots.
I did look but couldn't find any reference to the moving of 'Viscum Water Gardens & Aquatics'. They are still trading in the Doncaster area. It has to be the same company.
Why leave all this behind?
Do you like posting your Urbex content and photography for FREE on Facebook and YouTube? I like to get some form of reward for my work and every time I create I do just that. Take a look at The Urbex Community on HIVE.
If you want to keep creating for FREE then ignore what you are reading. If you want to be like me and gain something other than BUGGER ALL for your work then click here and learn about posting on the HIVE blockchain.
My Urban Exploration Tales can be found directly on the internet via my
Website: 'Tales of the Urban Explorer'.
If you found this article so invigorating that you are now a positively googly-eyed, drooling lunatic with dripping saliva or even if you liked it just a bit, then please upvote, comment, rehive, engage me or all of these things.