In today’s Urbandoned video, we enter the
abandoned mental health focusing parts of
a massive hospital site in England.
These sections of the mostly active property
have been shuttered for decades but still
contain many features of old that you wouldn’t
see in modern facilities.
Join us as we head back in time to discover
what remains.
In our last video, we asked our viewers: ‘If
you had lived in a house that became abandoned,
how would you feel about others going inside
and documenting it?’ We had many great and
detailed responses, but this comment from
ProwlingTiger seemed to hit the nail on the
head for us. The comment discussed both perspectives
on the topic, explaining each fairly such
as the interest in historic value for explorers
but the repulsion of the owner if a visit
causes distress through damage.
The writer also keeps mentioning respect which
we think is the main path to follow if documenting
a property like a house.
Our upcoming question is ‘Do you prefer
abandoned hospitals with old architecture,
or new and modern design - and why?’ Be
sure to leave your thoughts in the comments
to possibly be featured in our next upload.
The generators buzzing around the derelict
hospital gave it an unusually live atmosphere,
but clearly with the boards and deterioration,
this building hasn’t been used for years.
Formerly on this land was a different sort
of hospital than the one that is in use today,
which dates back to the mid-1800s. This accommodation block is the last of that era’s kind and
sits crumbling before a very busy site.
Not many abandoned buildings scare us anymore,
but there was something about this one as
we entered a long, shadowed corridor.
You might notice the dated floor polishers
dotted across this room. This hospital seemed
to travel us back to the 1900s with the artefacts
left inside.
The building stands at four storeys so this once
grand staircase was a necessary asset. It
seemed that there had been sections for certain
patients as there were many cordoned off doors
as we moved along each floor.
We were in the mental health department of
the hospital at this point which explains
this workshop, which would have been used
by patients for work as well as leisure.
As mentioned, this is the last vacant structure
from a colossal site, that could house more
than 1500 ‘inmates’ as they were known.
The site offered accommodation and employment
for poor, disabled and sick people in bad
conditions.
Although the majority of the site was constructed
in the middle of the 19th century, this building
was an additional creation from the 1900s
that would allow more inmates to stay on the
grounds.
It seems that since the prison-like facility
closed, the hospital has taken the building
over and instigated it’s mental health section
here, which is what we are exploring now.
This is why you will see asylum like features,
as the style of treatment towards mental illness
was the same as in psychiatric hospitals at the time.
The netting on the staircases is to protect
patients from self harming and is typical
in buildings of this nature.
In many rooms there was a lot of furniture
to see that was totally neglected after this
building’s shutting. It was likely that
today’s hospital decided to cut the fees
of this structure’s upkeep with it being
dated and left it behind in the site’s modernisation.
This incredible hall was not what we expected
coming into this building. With beautiful
grand architecture, it reminded us again of
asylum halls, specifically with the arched
ceiling.
It’s noticeable that it was very stunted
and the wall that seals it off from it’s
other half probably separates abandonment
from activity, so we were sure to keep it
down in the large space.
As usual, this is yet another example of a
building closing off it’s not needed sections,
and letting them decay to the brickwork beneath.
After visiting the basement of the hospital,
we had covered every inch of it’s unused
regions. We hope you enjoyed joining us as
we explored the vast building.
Be sure to leave a like and consider subscribing
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Here are some of our photographs taken at
the abandoned site. If you like the look of
them, feel free to check out our Instagram
page in the description where we post images
from our explores months before they are seen
on YouTube.
Thanks for watching the video. Remember to
answer our question in the comments to be
in with a chance of featuring in our next
upload. See you next time!
