# Barrow Hospital, Bristol - 2007-2010 - The Best Of Times



## tumbles (Nov 21, 2010)

Ee’s a nutter. Ee awt a be in Barawl Gurnee.

















Barrow Hospital is as well known to Bristolians as Brunel, Cary Grant and Cider. While Bristol had its own ‘City Asylum’ which was constructed far earlier (Glenside Hospital, Fishponds), it’s Barrow that everyone will joke about. Nearly 400 acres of land to the south of the City were purchased and construction began in the mid 1930’s. The hospital was completed ready for patients by 1938 and officially opened in 1939.
















No sooner than it had been opened than it closed to serve a change of use to cope with the outbreak of the Second World War. It became a naval hospital until 1946 when it reverted to its original purpose. In the original expansion plans the site could have doubled in size to an almost ‘asylum’ status site with main hall, chapel and upward of 15 additional villas which would have included private patients.





















The original build featured a large administration block, traditionally split male/female. Subsequent medical libraries and offices were adjoined to this. At the back of the site was the East Villa used for nurses’ accommodation and The Southside Sick Ward. The west of the site initially featured 4 villas, Dundry, Blagdon, Combe & John Cary. Alongside these buildings were also the Red House , Engineering & Stores. Back over to the North were the gate house, Woodside Nurses’ Accommodation Block and The Mother & Baby Villa, which was used for mothers who suffered from post natal depression.





















Only the recreation hall and Brockley House, a medium secure unit, were built after the initial 1930’s build. The hall was knocked down around 2002 and can still be seen on flash earth – you can also see that during this time the two HDU villa extensions were being built too.
















There are many grim tales and stories that have almost turned into folklore about Barrow. More than one patient took his life during the operating life of the hospital. If you approach the hospital from the Long Ashton side you’ll cross the A370 and notice the anti-suicide fences to stop any potential escaped patients throwing themselves onto the on coming traffic.
















Of course, school folk law always mentioned the nurse who took her own life by hanging herself in the woods. It adds to the many tales of Barrow. True or not, we'll never know.
















Barrow, though, will always be remembered more for its final days and the subsequent national press attention. In 2003 it was decided that the hospital would close down, with the last patients leaving the site around the middle/late of 2005.
















By 2004 the only wards remained in use were Brockley House – a medium secure unit only built in the late 1990s – and two villas – Dundry & John Cary. Both these villas were High Dependency Wards (HDU) and had only a couple of years earlier had extensions added to the rear of the villas. Dundry was for acute cases, John Cary for more long term illnesses.
















The closure of Barrow was brought forward though after a national inspection of Hospital cleanliness deemed it unacceptably dirty and used that now well known line ‘The Dirtiest Hospital in the UK’. As a result of this report both HDU units were closed with immediate effect. Brockley House closed shortly after once the patients could be relocated and after 66 years the hospital had served its last patient.
















The planned future use of the site is a mixed business/residential site but at the moment the planning applications are still being contested on the grounds of the very poor access roads leading to the site. Recently plans in the local media have discussed the use of the site as a old persons home. This might be a more fitting and more suitable idea that houses. Certainly whoever plans to build here, they will have to start from scratch. Maybe the best plan would be too allow the wildlife and countryside to take back was once open fields and woods. Maybe. Just Maybe.


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## KooK. (Nov 21, 2010)

Great report, some quliteh shots there, like the hexagonal room one.


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## vwdirtboy (Nov 21, 2010)

Nice one tumbles.. there's some real ld shots there! many things long gone


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## fluffy5518 (Nov 22, 2010)

Great post mate !! Thoroughly enjoyed reading it !! BUT as for the hope that nature is allowed to reclaim the site --REMEMBER No fat business man will become even richer adopting that policy !! LITTLE BOXES will win the day (eventually) believe me ...:icon_evil


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## tumbles (Nov 22, 2010)

fluffy5518 said:


> Great post mate !! Thoroughly enjoyed reading it !! BUT as for the hope that nature is allowed to reclaim the site --REMEMBER No fat business man will become even richer adopting that policy !! LITTLE BOXES will win the day (eventually) believe me ...:icon_evil



True, but there is little hope of them getting planning permission for houses. The access road to the hospital is a country lane (in fact its called 'wild country lane') and the council will continue to refuse applications. There is little hope of widening the road as it goes over a narrow railway bridge. It would cost a substantial amount to replace a railway and road bridge. The council won't fund it with 106 money so the developer would probably lose his profit margin on it.

The idea of a retirement home has merit though, it's certainly a pretty surrounding.. if a little errie in its current state. 

I have a feeling it maybe a reasonable flood risk given the reservoirs behind it.


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## krela (Nov 22, 2010)

tumbles said:


> I have a feeling it maybe a reasonable flood risk given the reservoirs behind it.



Eh what? It's on high ground...!

People may find these interesting, something I did in 2006.

1939 map of proposed layout once fully built:






The 1939 plan overlaid onto satellite view of the site. Blue = built, Orange = Not built.


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## tumbles (Nov 22, 2010)

krela said:


> Eh what? It's on high ground...!



Ah only going on the assumption that the proposed new stadium at Ashton Vale is somehow classed as a flood risk. Well certainly by the locals against it! 

Love that over layed map... could have been huge.


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## sqwasher (Nov 22, 2010)

Good photies & a very interesting read Mr T.


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## ceejam (Nov 22, 2010)

Really nice stuff there tumbles.


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## ImmortalOwl (Nov 22, 2010)

Good stuff, mate. Now's about the right time for its obituary, there's so little left now...


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## Incognito (Nov 23, 2010)

tumbles said:


> True, but there is little hope of them getting planning permission for houses. The access road to the hospital is a country lane (in fact its called 'wild country lane') and the council will continue to refuse applications. There is little hope of widening the road as it goes over a narrow railway bridge. It would cost a substantial amount to replace a railway and road bridge. The council won't fund it with 106 money so the developer would probably lose his profit margin on it.
> 
> The idea of a retirement home has merit though, it's certainly a pretty surrounding.. if a little errie in its current state.
> 
> I have a feeling it maybe a reasonable flood risk given the reservoirs behind it.



I was recently told planning permission had been granted for a retirement village. Access is also not an issue as there is a main road to the north of the site which could easily have access taken from there to the site avoiding wild country lane completly.

Great pics though wish I had got there earlier and seen more than I did.


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## krela (Nov 23, 2010)

Incognito said:


> I was recently told planning permission had been granted for a retirement village. Access is also not an issue as there is a main road to the north of the site which could easily have access taken from there to the site avoiding wild country lane completly.
> 
> Great pics though wish I had got there earlier and seen more than I did.



Not sure who you get your information from but it's not very accurate, the planning application hasn't even been submitted yet. As for the main road it's a dual carriageway with a central reservation in a deep cutting, taking an access road from it would cause major disruption to a major commuter route and would not be economically viable!

I do think the application for the retirement home will probably get passed though.


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## 0xygen (Nov 23, 2010)

Nice shots as always! Thanks for sharing

-0xy


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## Incognito (Nov 23, 2010)

krela said:


> Not sure who you get your information from but it's not very accurate, the planning application hasn't even been submitted yet. As for the main road it's a dual carriageway with a central reservation in a deep cutting, taking an access road from it would cause major disruption to a major commuter route and would not be economically viable!



It was only what I was told by a local member wheter its true or not I haven't verified.
As for access its far more viable then the other option of rebuilding a train bridge, slip roads are added to dual carriage ways all the time and isn't as costly. Which ever way they do it there will always be a cost and disruption aspect to be considered. Just guess we will have to wait and see.


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## krela (Nov 23, 2010)

Incognito said:


> It was only what I was told by a local member wheter its true or not I haven't verified.
> As for access its far more viable then the other option of rebuilding a train bridge, slip roads are added to dual carriage ways all the time and isn't as costly. Which ever way they do it there will always be a cost and disruption aspect to be considered. Just guess we will have to wait and see.



Given that the scope of any plans are limited to the footprints of what was there previously (all the woodland and surrounding open areas are protected) then it is very likely that any plans submitted will have to be low scale enough to use the current access. As is the case with the planned retirement village. If it were economically viable to create a new access route then plans would have been submitted to do so!


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## tumbles (Nov 23, 2010)

krela said:


> Given that the scope of any plans are limited to the footprints of what was there previously (all the woodland and surrounding open areas are protected) then it is very likely that any plans submitted will have to be low scale enough to use the current access. As is the case with the planned retirement village. If it were economically viable to create a new access route then plans would have been submitted to do so!



It's interesting to note on that original 1939 map you put up that it has a slip road to what I guess was eventually the A370! 

I think a retirement home is the most likely outcome. Do the plans including keeping the woodside block? It seems to be the only one that hasn't been trashed. Maybe its because it's just further out the way.


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## krela (Nov 23, 2010)

Check out their website for the plans... 

http://barrowgurneycarevillage.com/master-plan.php


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## tumbles (Nov 23, 2010)

krela said:


> Check out their website for the plans...
> 
> http://barrowgurneycarevillage.com/master-plan.php



Intresting plans. I didn't realise looking at this page of that site that some areas already had permission granted. I guess this would explain why Southside& The Villas are long gone and the rest seems to have somewhat stopped (I know some of thats to do with the bats)

Looks like from that they are keeping Woodside which is good, while the rest of the site was pretty bland 1930's red brick that bit does at least have some character.

I notice nowhere on the site does it make any reference to its past use... I wonder why


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## krela (Nov 23, 2010)

It was a grim place to be honest, I have experience of it open and closed over the past 15 years or so. Then again whilst more modern I doubt it's replacement at Cannington road is much better.

Any plans submitted for the place must make provisions for the bats. The majority of them roost in the tunnels networking the site which I believe must be kept, and I think bat houses at the 2 main entrances to the tunnels must be part of any plan. It's not that complicated really. I do still have the original NHS estates environmental report and bat reports from when the site closed in 2006 somewhere I think.


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