Comments

Ok, since i am going by what they look like, and Lynne is going on what her co-workers say, i would have to go with Lynne on them being matress dryers.

F****** Awsome shot Motts.
That's what I love about your site, your eye for capturing stunning bits of architecture that may soon be lost, and sharing them with all of us.

Thank you.

i would just like to say that i agree with lynne post.......i hate goth-fags.......it really isnt a laughing matter

now for me its a different story, i have grown up around death and morgues...my aunt is a trauma nurse and my dad is still a mortition.....i have seen some very interesting and some very horrific things concerning death.....i dont drool over death..... i embrace it and set out to learn everything about it...... which is why i am following in my fathers footsteps.....

thank you lynne for making that valid point evident!

~mary~

Wow, my hat of to you Mr. Motts. Norwich state is no joke. big time high tech ninja in the house!

Thanks Arasine, some people have walked into shots which end up looking like ghosts, but I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary.

AutumnTwin I've been trying to get to places I haven't visited yet, or others in immediate danger of being demolished, but hopefully I will return to Gravesend soon.

If you'd like more: http://www.opacity.us/search/results/photos/hydrotherapy/

Already done just need to post it ;-)

Lynne, you must have posted that while i was typing my comment.

Looking at the construction of these units, i feel you can rule out any type of oven or cremation device, as they appear to be constructed of galvanized sheet metal. There appears to be some ductwork above the lower right unit.
looking closely at there construction i would say they are part of the buildings fresh air circulation system. The material on the floor is from the building deteriorating, ( as seen in other photos of this building ) and the size and shape would make them impractical for raising livestock.

Cindy, let me get you some stuff, but I'll need several days. I have some great old posters for medications from that time period. As far as side effects, I also have a bunch of stuff on that too, since I used to in-service medication side effects for my staff.

I forgot to mention that when these buildings get real old the ceilings disintegrate and "rain down junk" all over the place. Motts, correct me if I am wrong, but I believe what you are seeing on the floor is the ceiling. :-)

OK, I called a staff person I used to work with where I saw devices like this, and she said that back 20 to 30 years ago, the place we worked at (another state than where I am now) didn't have a real mattress sterilizer, so they used to scrub any mattresses that had to be re-used with heavy duty disinfectant and then they had to dry out, so they used a device like this to do it. It was just some metal shelving they used after they rinsed down the mattresses, cleaned them with bleach plus something else that was quite harsh to the skin, rinsed them with water to get rid of whatever it was, and then put them in a thing like this to let them air dry.

=8-o

The stuff you find out 20 years later. I am still laughing. 8`-)

I did ask the older gentleman at work who has lived there for many years about this being something for birds and he said it definitely wasn't. And to repeat what he said, he was appalled that anyone would think they cremated people in these. Guess people who live in institutions have a slightly more civilized idea about how things are handled than much of the public does. ;-)

a thought..many large "hospitals" had an on site farm..can,t see from the crud on the floor but they may have wheels food could be placed in them and sent out to the serving areas.after all this is a big place and with 3 meals a day you would need something large to move food and or trays drinking cups silverware to differnt places ...what the hell is this thing anyways!!!!!!

they look too small to put a mattress in to.they would clean the matterss in the laundery..and with no pipes or heating eliments,any that we can see in the photo.no dials or controls,they are open to the air so what ever was inside was not afected by being in the open air.they wouldn't keep animals in the kitchen area,chickens would be in a outside coop. eggs and such would more likely come from local farmers in the early years.i don,t think the head cook would let them have dead bodies to be in his kitchen lol..this just might be for dishes.