# The Old Liverpool Infirmary - March 2012



## The Lone Ranger (Apr 29, 2012)

*The Old Liverpool Infirmary – Chapel and Quadrant Boiler House*







*HISTORY*

Liverpool Infirmary was founded in 1743, took 6 years to build, and was opened by the Earl of Derby on March 25, 1749. The first Infirmary stood on the site of the present day St George's Hall, and cost £2,600 to build. It was expanded in 1771.

The Infirmary was brought about due, in part, to the unsanitary conditions of the town at the time. In 1700 the population was about 5000, by 1749 it had quadrupled to 20,000. With the population growing fast the people were housed in ill drained streets. The unsanitary conditions led to widespread illness and it was decided to open the Infirmary.

In 1890 a new Infirmary building by Alfred Waterhouse was constructed on the Brownlow Street site. The building is an impressive example of Victorian design, in red brick. In 1978 the building closed and was replaced by the Royal Liverpool University Hospital. In 1994 it was bought by Liverpool University and was restored after being left empty since its closure, and is now used by Liverpool Medical school for clinical skills teaching and examinations. The Royal Infirmary has since been used by the BBC for 'Casualty 1907' in 2006/2007

There are however the odd building within the complex still waiting to be restored.

*MY VISIT*

I feel gutted driving in and out of Liverpool; passing some fantastic and not so fantastic sites and not being able to stop and at least scrape the surface. Today I noticed this building not too far from where I was working; a quick chat with someone I soon found out that this was part of The Old Infirmary in Liverpool, most of which has been now converted into University buildings after the new hospital was built over the road. A lunchtime mooch found all the old features I was promised from earlier did not transpire; possibly they were in the areas I couldn’t access?

More or less gutted, but still used as a service tunnel (hence some lighting) the chapel has been partitioned, so has lost any charm, the boilers have also gone. Essentially this is just a shell waiting to be developed. 

*REPORT*

The boiler house and chapel






Steps down into the boiler room and huge void.






The empty boiler house, anything of interest long gone.






One of the link tunnels to the main buildings.






Various cables within a link tunnel from the boiler house.






The chapel has been split into two rooms, too small to take any reasonable photos to show the curved timber roof beams, the only thing of interest left was the stained glass windows.





Not too sure what this is?






At the far end of the building was this room, probably the toilets, washroom and brew room. Empty, but probably the best room I saw in the building.











Well that’s it; somewhere I’ve not seen reported on before and doubt I’ll see again! The upper floor was not accessible, but given how derelict and devoid of anything of interest on the lower floors I doubt it’s much better up there.

Not a bad mooch as I was nearby; better than sat in the van for lunch.

Cheers,

TLR


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## UEP-Wales (Apr 30, 2012)

Very nice! I really like this shot... Very inviting


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## Landsker (Apr 30, 2012)

Some very nice photos there. Thanks for sharing!


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## perjury saint (Apr 30, 2012)

Excellent photos.. Good stuff.


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## flyboys90 (Apr 30, 2012)

Still a nice looking building,thanks for sharing.


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## Crimz (Apr 30, 2012)

One of the link tunnels to the main buildings.







My favorite picture - Eerily inviting
It was a hard choice as they were all good!

~Crim


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## Sectionate (Apr 30, 2012)

awesome!


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## Sshhhh... (Apr 30, 2012)

Great pics, thanks


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## TeeJF (May 1, 2012)

That looks like a good splore! Nice pix.


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