Tales of the Urban Explorer: Kenwood Suite

Kenwood Suite, not to be confused with Kenwood Hall which is very close by.

This grand building was used for wedding packages offered by Kenwood Hall and catered for up to 230 guests with two function rooms and multiple bars.

Why couldn’t they use the Hall, and where do those celebrating guests go now?

There’s surprisingly little information about ‘Kenwood Suite’ on the internet, and it was a case of rummaging around inside, that’s if we could get in.

Kenwood Hall is almost next door to the ‘Suite’ which doubled as a Best Western hotel, though sadly it’s been removed from their website. I always try to book a room, just to see what happens.

The formidable-looking gates presented little issue as the wall next to them was quite jumpable, and jump we did, right into the grounds and quickly disappeared to the rear of the property.

It wasn’t long before this hit us square in the face. If you want people to keep out, it’s wise to keep those windows closed. Entering presented little problems as this was so close to the floor.

Inside, we quickly got to work, me noting the ‘Best Western’ stickers and keeping well away from the bottle of Angostura. Someone might have pissed in it, you can never be too careful.

Merry Christmas to you blackboard; was ‘Kenwood Suite’ another casualty of the January slump in business?

The ballroom was oh so grand, and could have been better minus the dampness which had taken its toll as well as the masses of broken glass scattered on the floor.

Several pictures had been dragged off the walls and systematically smashed. I noted the chair holding the door open, a common practice in these places where doors can close and lock you in.

A line of chairs waiting to be cremated? It might look that way, but I don’t think that incinerator is large enough to take even one at a time.

The chandeliers were mostly intact but some had succumbed to mindless violence, the evidence being cast on the floor.

“If you were a little longer then you would be great to swing upon” – not my thoughts, but in the minds of the many wankers who visit for things other than exploring.

It almost looks normal after a rowdy night where the drunken revelers would be returning from their twelve pints to crash.

The Wolstonholn Suite was looking promising; we ascended the stairs in search of great excitement.

… and found great vandalism as well as more Christmas clues. I do know Kenwood Hall was a victim of COVID but recovered. Maybe it took the jabs; maybe they do work; did AstraZeneca have jabs for buildings?

‘Kenwood Suite’ in retrospect didn’t recover but the timing is odd. COVID hit around April 2020, and it temporarily fucked up my exploring with @dizzydiscovery at the time.

So why is all the Christmas décor hanging around?

Source

‘Denzil Watson’ was amazingly easy to find and the Sheffield sticker tells me it’s the right bloke, especially with that LinkedIn backdrop snap. Sex Offender? A dubious claim.

I wasn’t feeling too Christmassy while in the ‘Kenwood Suite’ and looked around in dismay at the wreckage. Someone was taking their anger out on poor Denzil who’s a lecturer at the local University, or maybe he’s guilty and now in jail?

Trying not to trip on the stairs, we left The Wolstonholn Suite in search of more.

In 2018, they had a full agenda of events; that was in the old world when things were a little more normal.

A large storeroom filled with audits and paperwork. I didn’t feel like going through that lot, too much information.

In 2017 it was between £54 and £70 a night, probably depending on demand and weekend. It’s quite normal to adjust the prices and about right for this type of quality.

Are more chairs waiting to die? It's little wonder that the huge ballroom appeared vast and empty. Someone shifted them all here.

With nowhere to throw the darts, we decided against taking a break and exited 'Kenwood Suite'.

I am guessing the hotel is now sealed as I have seen no recent reports, though Google Maps still show it to exist and in a similar state. Inside could be a different story, as we arrived not too late for this one.

FOOTNOTE: I couldn't resist snooping on Denzil a little more. He is an explorer and has written a book about Sheffield's ruins. So why all the hate?

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