33 Comments Posted by tenbobo

these are the rear stairs from the ward dormitories, usually used only as a fire escape. They simply lead down to the ground floor and are mirrored on the other side of the building. This is the west side.

This photo must have been taken around 10AM. The roof arches are similar in style to those in the Great Hall at the Palace of Westminster.

its a shame to see it like it is now, it makes me sad when I remember how it looked and sounded

I heard the organ play a couple of times, smetimes a patient played, other times a visiting participant in the service would play. I can't recall that the chaplain played. anyway, it had a nice sound to it, especially when it echoed through the chapel.

the painting was not done after closure, it was there when I worked there in the late 70's. I think it was done during the 60's, which fits with someone else's cubist theory. It may have been done by a patient, certainly in the 60's LSD was used at the hospital though don't think this is relevant to the artist here!

I think this is Laurels West 4, a female ward. The door leads leads to either an exit corridor or to a dormitory, but my memory is a bit dim on this one.

this is a pic of Laurels West 2 the female distrubed ward. The difference is doors is due to the fact that some rooms with panel doors are office or storage, but the thicker planked doors would have been used as patients side rooms. they were lockable (but not used) and the handle was on one side only on some doors on rooms that were used for close observation

most of the side windows have gone now, so the wind whistles straight htrough. Originally, the chapel, which was non denominational, had long rows of pews from back to front, (if you look carefully at the photo you can see where they were located on the floor). Male patients sat on the left, female patients sat on the right. They entered and left by the left or right hand side doors.

Madnic is quite right, this was the male disturbed ward. I did night shift on here for a while, there was only ever two of us on duty and it could get quite hairy sometimes, but I have lots of affectionate memories for the place.

the shot is of either Laurel East 1 Ward, which was a male ward, or Laurels West 1 Ward, which was a female ward. I can't quite recall from memory which it is, but it can only be one of either.

decor colours were usually chosen by the charge nurse or ward sister. their word was law!

some of these rooms were used as padded cells in years gone by, hence the deeply recessed window (it would also have had a wooden internal shutter that was locked when in use). They were phased out after the inception of psychotropic drugs in the 50's and 60's, but were still in use in the state hospitals until mid 90's

I hear the place is going to be bulldozed in 2008. If Mr Motts intends to revisit, he better be quick, and if you want the personal touch from someone who lived and worked there, drop me a line at tenbobo@fsmail.net

I worked there from ' 78-87 and went back 2007 for a recce. Brought back many happy memories, but sad to see the place so derelict and forlorn, I felt like I was a ghost wandering around....

I remember walking up and down those steps when I was 'on the lamp' on night shift!