# Hellingly Hospital, East Sussex - January 2009



## clebby (Jan 18, 2009)

After a *very* long commute, I finally managed to get Hellingly under my belt - visiting with wifebeater, randomnut and randomnut's flatmate.

Hellingly Hospital, or the East Sussex County Asylum, was commissioned in 1899. The hospital was designed by George Thomas Hine, a pioneer in Victorian asylum architecture, and constructed by Joseph Howe and Co before opening in July 1903. 

Located in the beautiful Sussex countryside just north-east of Hailsham, the asylum was very secluded and is surrounded by dense woodland - however it was built in close proximity to Hellingly Village and it's railway station. The railway linked up to the north of the complex in a small branch line known as the Hellingly Hospital Railway, whose main purpose was to transport coal for the power generation and countless fireplaces. When the hospital converted to oil-generation the railway was stripped up and now some storage tanks sit in its place.

The main hospital follows the compact arrow plan with villas, and although the main hospital closed in 1994 many of the villas are still operational today - either as mental health facilities or private residences.

After nearly 15 years of dereliction the hospital severely derelict, and much of it has suffered arson, most notably the admin block. The majority of windows are broken and water infiltration has had a serious toll on the building - meaning spongey floors and flakey paint! 

The first area we entered was the extensive corridor network which ran across the entire site. Although completely trashed, they reminded me of Cane Hill's corridors.











How on earth did these end up here? 






Off the side of the corridors were the wards. They consisted of some small day rooms, a kitchenette for the nurses, some curtained wards, many individual cells and the large bay-windowed day rooms facing the sun.

The sunlight was perfect in the morning - it let rays spill across the floor, giving the building a warm, airy atmosphere even in its dilapidated state.










This looked to be the room that would have contained the beds, hence they were permanently in the sun. The natural decay in this room was phenomenal.






There was a warm glow wherever you were in a ward, as the sunlight was never very far away...










The corridors almost always led to one place; the main hall. Without a doubt the centrepiece of the asylum, it is a fabulous space even in decay. It is the best thing I have personally seen while exploring. 






The decoration is what makes it so special - vast carved ceiling roses are suspended off the fabulous arched ceiling. The ceiling is painted a deep blue, and years of mould and damp have changed the shades of different parts, giving it a velvety appearance. Coupled with the crimson red of the stage wall and the splashes of purple graffiti around the room, it is one of the only places that must look better decayed than when it was functioning. 










This is one of the fabulous carved ceiling roses in a column down the middle of the hall. It is such a shame they are going to waste, slowly rotting.






Behind the stage is a rickety wooden staircase that leads up into the ceiling of the hall...






When you are up there, it suddenly seems a lot higher! 






It offered stunning views though, over the asylum and into the Sussex countryside...






The main hall was obviously the recreational hub of the building. Not only was it used for mettings, but also indoor tennis, badminton, ballroom dancing, plays and musicals. Also scattered around the main hall area were the other "leisure" sites, such as the canteen...










And the hair salons...






The hair dryers weighed a tonne!






Then we proceeded to the hospitals engineering department...






This was the clothes store, but it looks like it was once part of the old railway network...










There were tunnels under the site, but a quick look showed us they were tight, cramped and nothing compared to West Park's.






We headed around the endless corridors, until we reached the southernmost wards.










They still retained original features, like grand mantle-pieces and heavy wooden doors...














The vivid blue of this room would normally be vulgar, yet stangely here it worked...






When we left the main hospital we decided that we had not had enough, and so we walked to the acute hospital at Park House. As it is almost an explore in its own right, I have filed a separate report - http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=8776


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## clebby (Jan 18, 2009)

*Hellingly Hospital, East Sussex - January 2009 CONTINUED*

The glazed brickwork on these staircases is a classic Hine feature, and was featured throughout Hellingly...






The NHS really ought to *clean places out!*






We finally finished off at the morgue, which has also suffered an arson attack. 

These are the body fridges used to chill bodies before dissection...






And a strecher to transport the body to the slab...






And finally, a body hoist mechanism to lift it on to the slab...






It was a fantastic day out - well worth the commute. Thanks guys. :thumb


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## Concentration F (Jan 18, 2009)

Great report Clebby, and nice pics. Love that one of the blue room.

Gutted I couldn't make it but was puking my guts up at the time


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## clebby (Jan 18, 2009)

Concentration F said:


> Great report Clebby, and nice pics. Love that one of the blue room.
> 
> Gutted I couldn't make it but was puking my guts up at the time



thanks for that  

yeah its a shame you couldnt make it - i was looking forward to seeing you 

oh well, we're going to severalls some time in the future so i hope you can come then


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## mortaldecay (Jan 18, 2009)

Great shots mate


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## mr_bones (Jan 18, 2009)

Excellent set of shots, also quite a comprehensive tour. Nice one.


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## chelle (Jan 18, 2009)

*Excellant*

I too really enjoyed viewing these shots...lovely lighting conditions too,

regards Stu


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