While thousands use the King Alfred swimming pool and gym in Hove, many are unaware of what lies beneath.
A 22-lane bowling alley, laser tag arena, bar and indoor bowls club have been left to rot, abandoned underneath the building.
The laser tag entrance (Image: Chloe Urbex)
Urban explorer Chloe, who did not wish to give her last name, got into the King Alfred through a now-blocked off entrance near the car park.
Once inside, she and a friend explored a labyrinth of rooms left untouched since the 1990s and took photos.
“We spent a couple of hours, trying to work out where everything was,” said Chloe.
The ceiling has started to cave in at the bowling alley (Image: Chloe Urbex)
“It was a bit of a maze in complete darkness. If I did not have a light I wouldn’t have been able to see a thing.”
The King Alfred opened in 1939, known as Hove Marina, and played an important part in training some 22,500 Royal Navy officers during the Second World War.
It turned into a leisure centre after the war and a number of additions followed, including an indoor pool complex and 22 AMF bowling lanes in 1960.
Read more: Two sites earmarked for King Alfred replacement
Underneath what is now a grass patch between the car park and main leisure centre is a cavernous space, once accessible through a small building to the right of the main entrance.
However by 1999, much of this space was abandoned due to financial struggles.
Chloe said: “It was absolutely shocking to see the state of it, despite it being underneath a fully functional leisure centre. It was nostalgic and nice to see what was left behind from the late 90s.”
The centre has been gradually descending into a state of disrepair since and a consultation was launched earlier this month for a centre to replace the King Alfred.
A solitary bowling ball remains (Image: Chloe Urbex)
Residents have been given two options – either to the west of the existing site in the current car park, or on a patch of land near West Hove Sainsbury’s in Portslade.
Explorer Chloe used this as the perfect opportunity – and perhaps the last – to take a look behind closed doors.
She had been looking at the location since 2016, but could not find an entrance until recently when a clue was posted online.
She got in through a broken window and used a torch and camera to capture the scenes of yesteryear inside.
Check out the full gallery at the top of this article.
The Argus understands that since Chloe explored the building, two entry points have been permanently sealed off.
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