Urban explorers have ventured into a former college site — and what they’ve found offers a striking glimpse into its recent past.
The group, known as ‘Abandoned Explore Wales’ with 25K followers on Facebook and 9,299 on TikTok, explored the former Coleg Gwent Pontypool Campus site, which has now been permanently closed ahead of its planned demolition and redevelopment into residential housing.
Once a busy centre for vocational, academic and construction-related courses, the campus closed in 2020 when operations moved to the new Torfaen Learning Zone in Cwmbran.
It was later repurposed as an NHS COVID-19 vaccination centre and temporarily reopened to house construction apprentices before shutting for good.
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Inside, the explorers documented empty classrooms and silent corridors, with social distancing arrows still clearly visible on the floors as reminders of its pandemic-era use.
In some areas, rows of tables appear to have been left in place, believed to have been used either as exam stations or later as vaccination points during its time as a healthcare facility.
The site, now largely frozen in time, is set to be cleared as part of future residential redevelopment plans.
Reacting to the condition of the former college, many online users expressed a mix of nostalgia and sadness after seeing the video, with some reflecting on their time at the campus and others upset at its current state.
Callum-John Swain commented: “The college is used for police dog training I went there 3 years ago.”
k.matt93 said: “Gutting to see my old college closed and like this.”
nerdyrhian98 added: “Seems sad to see it like this, was only 7 years ago I was studying there. The Art room looks so weird being empty.”
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