1,162 Comments for Cherry Knowle Hospital

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!

it is a clock and in all the time i worked there (79-87), it never worked!

the white lines painted on the floor were used for badminton. On Friday afternoons, there was usually a movie shown, other times during the day it was used for dances and patient socialising/occupational therapy, mainly for long stay patients.

The exit lights were 240v main power, the other light was emergency lighting backup. the hospital had its own generator on site for power failures. i know this cos I used to work there!

Wow.This reminds me of an old swimming hall that I visited in Leipzig Germany about 10 years ago befor it was demolished. It had not been in use for many years and looked like this. The best thing was that it hade two floors with swimming pools.Very rare. Hope to find some old building were I live.

it looks a bit like the front of the house in amytville horror the film

omg this picture is best i love it