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ENDER THE ROAD

Inside EastEnders’ eerie abandoned set left to ruin after soap moves to new £87m location

EASTENDERS’ fans can now look inside the abandoned set after the BBC moved to their brand new £87million location.

Soap bosses upped sticks earlier this year and are now producing the world famous series from the BBC’s Elstree Centre.

The Queen Vic on the old EastEnders set is now abandoned
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The Queen Vic on the old EastEnders set is now abandoned
This is how the iconic boozer really looks
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This is how the iconic boozer really looks
A mucky pint glass is seen on the side
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A mucky pint glass is seen on the side
Here a photograph shows how the Queen Vic was dressed in the show
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Here a photograph shows how the Queen Vic was dressed in the showCredit: BBC
The famous Minute Mart has a perfect frontage
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The famous Minute Mart has a perfect frontageCredit: BBC
But inside there is nothing to see
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But inside there is nothing to see

The EastEnders set was deemed no longer fit for purpose back in 2016 and work began on the multi-million pound new location which is suitable for HD filming.

It was originally built when the show launched in 1984.

The set was only intended to be used for two years but the production continued there for decades.

Workmen were photographed taking down parts of the set at the beginning of the year.

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These new photographs reveal the set is now completely empty – aside from equipment boxes and old props.

Fans had not before seen inside the The Queen Vic’s famous bar - as inside scenes took place at another location - and it's not much to write home about.

Inside the room which sit behind the famous boozer's frontage are just a worn old bar and pieces of wood.

Kathy’s Café is also unrecognisable on the inside and fans will not have seen before the empty shell.

Kathy's cafe is almost unrecognisable from fans are used to seeing on TV
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Kathy's cafe is almost unrecognisable from fans are used to seeing on TV
Inside the haunt the same wooden panels and blinds can be seen as those used in the set where filming takes place
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Inside the haunt the same wooden panels and blinds can be seen as those used in the set where filming takes place
This is what fans of the soap know the cafe to look like
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This is what fans of the soap know the cafe to look like
Crunch Time gym has been cleared out
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Crunch Time gym has been cleared out
The room now looks huge without the gym equipment inside of it
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The room now looks huge without the gym equipment inside of it
The police station in Walford is still standing
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The police station in Walford is still standing
Fans have not seen before the empty rooms which sit behind the frontages
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Fans have not seen before the empty rooms which sit behind the frontages

Wires hang down from the ceiling and rubbish litters the floors and window sills.   

Mitchell & Panesar Autos, or as fans know it as The Arches, has hardly changed from the outside.

But after stepping through the doors all the props have been taken away – with just a plastic chair and some old wall insulation left behind.

Elsewhere on the now desolate set, props left behind by the team have been abandoned in crates.

Bottles of milk and cans from the minute mart have been stacked to one side, alongside boxes of wires.

Soap bosses have moved the iconic soap to the new £87million set
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Soap bosses have moved the iconic soap to the new £87million set
The frontages remain - with many of the shops in tact from the outside
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The frontages remain - with many of the shops in tact from the outside
On The Spot Cash Pawnbrokers and Coker & Sons Funeral Directors are still there
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On The Spot Cash Pawnbrokers and Coker & Sons Funeral Directors are still there
The front as seen on the soap before the move
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The front as seen on the soap before the moveCredit: BBC
Posters and graffiti line the walls
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Posters and graffiti line the walls
The area is a ghost town - with no cast or crew remaining
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The area is a ghost town - with no cast or crew remaining
The Arches are closed up but left over tyres still remain
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The Arches are closed up but left over tyres still remain
On the set before the move The Arches was a hive of activity on screen
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On the set before the move The Arches was a hive of activity on screenCredit: BBC
Inside it is now derelict and empty - aside from a plastic chair and some insulation
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Inside it is now derelict and empty - aside from a plastic chair and some insulation

Remnants of old episodes can also be seen, with instructions scrawled onto one of the set walls about not removing props needed for a live episode.

The gym at 9 Turpin Road, known recently as being called Crunch Time, still remain standing.

But rather than running machines inside there are wrapped up props and traffic cones.

On The Spot Cash pawnbrokers has wooden boards lying outside it while Coker & Sons Funeral Directors appears largely untouched.

Walford East Tube Station also appears to have been left almost entirely intact, with the cash machine, newspaper stands and phones still standing.

The police station, the polish delicatessen and the main square are also still in good nick.

EastEnders’ new updated set is an almost identical replica and includes additions like a block of flats and a railway tunnel.

Announcing the move previously, the BBC said in a statement: “The set of EastEnders was built in 1984 and only intended for use for two years

“Over 30 years later, the show remains one of the BBC’s flagship programmes and yet is filming from a set that is no longer fit for purpose.

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“The new set will be suitable for HD filming for the first time and extend Walford to better reflect modern East End London.”

Filming in the new set started at the start in January and fans can expect to see scenes filmed there in the coming weeks.

From above the Square still looks pristine
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From above the Square still looks pristine
Fans of the soap will struggle to see the difference between the old set and the new set thanks to the attention to detail by the Beeb
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Fans of the soap will struggle to see the difference between the old set and the new set thanks to the attention to detail by the Beeb
There are still remnants of the move lying around
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There are still remnants of the move lying around
And props that have been put to one side are still to be moved or recycled
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And props that have been put to one side are still to be moved or recycled
Walford Park looks in mint condition
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Walford Park looks in mint condition
And this chandelier is still going strong
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And this chandelier is still going strong
The Polish Delicatessen and McLunky's takeaway still look perfect from the outside
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The Polish Delicatessen and McLunky's takeaway still look perfect from the outside
The deli has all the prop posters still adorning the walls
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The deli has all the prop posters still adorning the walls
Walford East station still looks pristine
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Walford East station still looks pristine
While other backstage areas have got boxes left behind
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While other backstage areas have got boxes left behind
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