# Whittingham Psychiatric Hospital, Goosnargh, Sept '10



## KooK. (Sep 14, 2010)

Explored with jST.

We got an early start to hopefully have a day of win. We'd planned a few places as we'd heard security has been quite tight recently. Indeed once we got there we brazenly walked up to the main gate only for security to turn up 5 mins later, but using all our ninja skills we ran away and hid in a bush. After being a bit more cleverer about it we did eventually get in after a bit of hiking across fields, and were able to see the security outside on the cricket pitches still looking for us.

Wikipedia steal, lots more here
_In 1866, the three Lancashire lunatic asylums at Prestwich, Rainhill and Lancaster were deemed to be full. The building of Whittingham Asylum began in 1869, originally to accommodate 1000 patients.It was built from brick made from clay dug on site from a pit which later became a fish pond.





The hospital officially opened on 1 April 1873. The large site included an Anglican church, a Catholic chapel, a recreation hall (also used as a ballroom) and several farms. By 1923, the hospital was known as “Whittingham Mental Hospital”.[13] By 1939, the number of patients was 3533, with a staff of 548, making it the largest mental hospital in the country.

During the 1970s and 1980s, new drugs and therapies were introduced. Long-stay patients were returned to the community or dispersed to smaller units around Preston. The hospital eventually closed in 1995.




The site subsequently became known as “Guild Park”. In 1999, Guild Lodge was opened on the edge of Guild Park, supplying secure mental services, followed the next year by rehabilitation cottages close by.

It is planned to build 650 new homes on the site and to preserve some of the hospital buildings as apartments. However, the plan will not proceed until a date for the construction of the Broughton bypass is known, but in the mean time some of the smaller outer buildings are currently be ripped down._

We had a good few hours in here before heading off to try our luck at St. Joseph's Orphanage in Preston and St. Joseph's Seminary in Roby Mill, but we weren't trying particularly hard as we'd had a good win already so didn't get in either.
















































































































































Thanks for looking


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## RichardH (Sep 14, 2010)

Ooo, nice.

How was this hospital funded? Public subscription? In which case, a Catholic chapel being included in 1873 is rather unusual.


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## BahrainPete (Sep 15, 2010)

Fantastic - I love it...


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## KooK. (Sep 15, 2010)

I think it was publicly funded, the maybe had to put both on with such a large number of patients and staff.


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## krela (Sep 15, 2010)

Pre 1845 they were mainly funded by the church as mental illness was deemed to be a spiritual issue so were funded by alms and benevolent patrons. In 1845 it became compulsory for counties to provide asylums and were primarily funded through the councils via taxes, although churches and patrons continued their own investment too.

The majority of asylums we talk about here are county asylums and publicly funded, including whittingham. It is quite possible that the catholic church funded the building of a catholic chapel themselves.

This link is quite a useful guide to the history of mental health provision.


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## UrbanX (Sep 15, 2010)

Fantastic report, great write, even better pics. Looks a fantastic day out! 

There seems to a real mix of parts which have seen vandalism, and those that haven't?


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## KooK. (Sep 15, 2010)

Thanks, it's strange that the great hall has survived so well, but it seems people went in and stripped lead and copper, which then allowed the weather to get in, which has done more of the damage. I think construction people have been round as well as there is a mix of different coloured x's and numbers. It's all pretty trashed tbh, and I wouldn't trust too many of the stairs that much!


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## RichardH (Sep 15, 2010)

krela said:


> It is quite possible that the catholic church funded the building of a catholic chapel themselves.



Very likely, but a publicly funded foundation making space for a Catholic building within its estate still sounds unusual. Allocating a space in a pre-existing building for occasional Catholic services, yes. Permitting a permanent Catholic structure... less common, I would imagine. The Catholic hierarchy was only restored in England in 1850, and that provoked sizeable opposition that went on for years. On the other hand, Irish immigrants starting in the 1850s would have swelled the Catholic ranks quite sizeably, and most of the immigrants were extraordinarily poor: there was probably quite a large population of Irish immigrants in hospitals and asylums around the country. I'm intrigued. I think I'll look into that.

Ta for the link. I'll go and read that when I have a minute.


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## Captain-Slow (Sep 15, 2010)

Christ, thats one bleak place. I love it!


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## devonian42 (Sep 15, 2010)

Thanks for this one Kook. 

Although this place appears on this forum a few times, you've managed to bring new insight to our thinking about this place.

The vending machine on picture 9 was a shrewd shot. Four simple steps to get a hot drink which involved major manual input to get the drink you desire. Its all gone automatic now with press button precision through use of a "telephone" keypad. Perhaps that's why the price has gone up because there is no need for any human input other than money and a number 

This asylum also had its own railway station on the east side - is there much of that left now?


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## KooK. (Sep 16, 2010)

Thanks guys, I liked the no to old 10ps yes to new 10ps about the coffee machine as well. The slots look old enough to accomodate the older coins (pre '92) so I guess they just adjusted the workings.

The railway shut down in 1957 and most of the tracks were lifted and filled soon after. There's nothing left of the Grimsargh end of the line, but I think there's possibly still remnants of the train yard at the hospital, we didn't actually get to any of the buildings outside of the main hospital, but it might be worth looking for them if anyone returns, might just be a bit of a trek!


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## scrappy (Sep 16, 2010)

good stuff, great for a good walk around aint it? just got to watch them floors!


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## chaoticreason (Sep 16, 2010)

All those long endless corridors,what endless nightmares must have paced those cold stone floors?
Great stuff,a kook you are not,even if you wish too be.


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## KooK. (Sep 17, 2010)

indeed Scrappy, in the words of an eloquent person with a spray can 'Stick to the middle!'

heh, thanks cr, although I'm sure if I told any of the doctors about this little hobby 30 years ago they would have been happy to put me in here and start frying my brain!


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