A broken window close to the ground - easy access for any vandal.

From an article by Colin Lewis:
Any action to save Burnley Weavers' Institute in Charlotte Street from total ruin will have to be taken swiftly - very swiftly. This was the unavoidable conclusion I reached, after taking a look inside the 76-year-old building, which has stood empty for more than two years. Along with a delegation from the working party who are setting up the new Burnley District Arts Council, I picked my way through the rubble and assorted debris, which now litters every floor of the once-proud old building.

It was soon recalled by one member of the party that only two years ago, while on a similar visit to the empty building, it would have been quite feasible then for anyone to move in without any big alterations. Not so now. With every conceivable piece of metal bannisters torn off, and windows smashed, the vandals have worked very hard in those two years. To revive the building now would mean working even faster than the vandals, and that action would have to be taken now. The basic structure of the building seems sound, and the dimensions of the old ballroom on the top floor would be ideal for a theatre or concert room in an arts centre. But the building is deteriorating rapidly. If nothing is done soon, it may not even be worth saving.

After the visit the chairman of the working party, Miss Doris Chew, commented: "Although in its present state it is rather depressing, the building has great possibilities. If anything is to be done, it will have to be done quickly, but we would need a professional opinion to know just how much it would cost to renovate."