Inside Wakefield's abandoned Victorian farm - that was a secret Harry Potter filming location

Situated on land between the River Calder and the Canal, just off Welbeck Lane, lies the crumbling ruins of Old Park Farm.

The exact age of the farm is not known, but it is believed to date back at least to the early Victorian Era.

The site was a working family farm up until the 1990s, after which it was taken over by Wakefield Council.

In 2005, Kenneth Lea bought the farm and opened a falconry centre backed by funding from Wakefield Council, who previously owned the site.

Nine eagle owls kept at the farm, and trained by Lea, were signed up by Warner Brothers and used in the film Harry Potter and The Goblet Of Fire.

The owls were filmed on location at the farm – making it an official Harry Potter filming location.

However, in 2008, Wakefield Council pulled out from their funding and, in June of the same year, an eviction notice was served on Lea.

An inspection stated that some of the birds appeared to be in a poor state, and the RSPCA carried out an investigation.

They discovered a number of birds, including owls, falcons, hawks, buzzards and chickens were injured, emaciated and caked in dirt.

Seven dead birds of prey were also found in Lea’s freezer.

In May 2009, Lea pleaded guilty to 17 charges of neglect involving 51 specialist birds and was jailed for 12 weeks, leading to the property being bought back by the council.

Over a year later, in July 2010, the farm was sold at auction by Wakefield Council for £162,000, selling for almost double the guide price.

Despite this, the buildings have since been abandoned for an unknown reason and the farm has been permanently closed.

Here are 11 photos of the abandoned Old Park Farm ruins, taken by the reknown Yorkshire urban explorer, Lost Places & Forgotten Faces. (https://www.facebook.com/Lostplacesandforgottenfaces)