# Birkwood Hospital, Lesmahagow - August 2012 (Pic Heavy)



## Stussy (Oct 3, 2012)

Part of a recent road trip with JFRsteve and a non-member, we had this place ear-marked for a explore and it duly delivered! The site and scale of this place is huge, with many buildings around the site. 

I won't post too much history as it has been done to death recently to the point where the owners have now requested no uninvited visits or police will be called etc, however permission visits are being granted through certain groups.

Needless to say this was not a permission visit and before the hardline rule was imposed, I sincerley hope they have tighten up the security of this hospital site, on our visit we simply walked through open doors to every building.

The only building to elude ourselves was the morgue, which is tighter than a nun's ..... well you get the jist.

The main building, originally a stately home built in the mid 1800′s, was purchased in 1920 by Lanarkshire Council for use as a ‘Certified Institution’ for children with psychiatric and learning difficulties. The hospital began relocating patients in 2002 and closed in 2005.

Please note am still getting the hang of editing photos, so apologies if they don't quite pop like many other reports.



Our venture first started with a visit to the 70's childens ward.







The ward is generally trashed throughout with not too much of interest, expect for the some left over sample bottles, christmas decorations and crude murals on the walls.










Couple of the murals....














General ward pic






Burnt out corridors






No explore is complete without a bottle of Devon's finest






Obligiatory Chair shot, found in the hospital workshop






Day Care Unit was a well trashed and destoryed building














Stopped to have a break and a cup of tea for 2






Conservatory (even with trails of a radiator being hauled out by the undesirables)






This room was extremely destoyed






Day Care frontage






Onwards to the main attraction of the site - the main building! If you haven't visited before, many of the floors are starting to get eaten by the dreaded rot.






The ward rooms consist of a dreadful layout, making them very dark and generally a horrible place to be, divided up by crude NHS partitons, until you look up at the ornate ceilings!














The other best features would be the many fire places.










As i kept wandering through the wards looking at the amazing ceilings, this one caught my eye...






Then I looked down....






Needless to say I didn't venture into that room, the first floor did have the feeling of a death trap with the corridor floors feeling very spongy, a retreat had to be made.






Main entrance hallway






I have never seen a photo of this before on the reports, but thought it was the coolest radiator i have ever seen! Pure Victorian class in my eyes (two different pics am afraid, different filters)










The last main feature people come too see...





Stupid me didn't realise there were two spiral staircases and we missed the bigger one!

We made a hasty retreat as it was starting to get dark and had been on site for about 5 hours... was a mighty explore though!

Thanks for looking!


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## Mars Lander (Oct 3, 2012)

Wowser looks fab as do your sterling pickchas, epic splore indeed, the textured ceilings are ACE!, top stuff


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## lost (Oct 3, 2012)

Shame to see it in such a state, it was well secured a few years ago and the damp wasn't so apparent.


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## perjury saint (Oct 3, 2012)

*VERY nice! Spiral staircase shot does it for me... Crackin!*


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## sploradora (Oct 4, 2012)

this place is gorgeous! lucky peep to get permission


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## mookster (Oct 4, 2012)

That's quality that is!


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## prettyvacant71 (Oct 5, 2012)

WOOOW!!! Wot a fantastic lookin place!

Great ceilings such a terrible shame they are just getting destroyed, and yeah luv that rad that deserves sec on its own or it will be wrenched off the wall

Great photos dude, nice job


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## LairdOfLochaber (Oct 5, 2012)

great pictures. thanks for sharing this great place with us.


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## constantined (Oct 14, 2012)

Hey Stussy,

That place looked amazing particular the ornate ceilings and that spiral staircase wow!

I agree with you "why" did the NHS ruin their buildings with those bloody half partitions. I know why they did it on an operational level to meet care standards but still they ruined a lot of hospitals with them! 

Well done on the explore especially 5 hours worth with no "invite"!

Take care out there

C


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## The Lone Ranger (Oct 14, 2012)

Thanks for that, it ticks all the boxes for an excellent report


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## the_man_1984 (Oct 14, 2012)

Super report. That spiral staircase photo is a fantastic shot. Cheers for sharing.


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## chapmand (Oct 14, 2012)

thanks for this!! the last picture is awesome of the stairwell. great report


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