# St crispins Clock tower Climb Dec09 Jan10 and feb10



## diehardlove (Feb 7, 2010)

Went here last year and this year so have pics from all 3 sets,I cant remember which pics were taken when as my album took a funny turn so if someone could use black magic and tell me id apreciate it alot,
taken from county asylums if owners want this taken off please just say thanks

Until the 1870's the County and Borough of Northampton's pauper lunatics occupied space under a contract with the Northampton General asylum, a public subscription asylum located to the east of the town. With intervention from the Commissioners in Lunacy, who believed the current arrangement to be inappropriate, it was decreed that the county should own and maintain it's own premises. Despite extensions and attempts to purchase the existing asylum, it was decided that a new county establishment would be built instead and land was purchased at Berry Wood close to the village of Duston in the countryside to the east of the town.
On opening, all rate aided inmates were then relocated to the new Berrywood Asylum and the contract at the Northampton General Asylum ceased, the latter thereafter admitting principally non-pauper inmates.
The new asylum was built to make good use of its position, with extensive views to the south overlooking open farmland towards Upton and protected to the north by Berry Wood itself, owned as part of the estate and providing a visual buffer from the village and road. The grounds incorporated a large farm complex, gas works, burial ground, a number of cottages for attendants and other estate staff, large residences for the superintendent, farm bailiff, head gardener, chaplain and steward. The main building was built to a variation of the corridor-pavilion plan and consisted of two major patient's blocks on either side of the central services and hall, and linked only by single storey corridors and open metal walkways at upper levels. The design reflected the architect, Robert Griffiths' previous work at the Macclesfield Asylum, Cheshire by placing pairs of projecting blocks for acute and generalised cases forward of the building line where the most benefit was recieved from light and fresh air, linked by infirmary wards, still with good prospect but protected from the worst of the weather and forming a segregation of management class of inmate. Unlike at Macclesfield, the acute and infirmary blocks were united, but still bore a similar form. To either end were located the blocks for chronic, turbulent and difficult patients who it was proposed would gain less from the good aspect, but was to provide good access to their places of work.
In the architect's typical style already used at Macclesfield and to some extent, Hereford asylums, red brick was used extensively as principal construction material, with white or blue brick for decorative dressing, banding or window arches. Windows were of timber, multiple paned sash type and decorative wrought iron balustrading was applied to embellish the tops of canted bay windows and slate roofs. The most distinctive feature of the site was the water tower, visible for a considerable distance and decorated with a clock on each face. This stood in the centre of the main asylum, looming over the recreation hall to the south and Administration block to the north and although not attached directly to either, formed a major part of the composition of both.
By 1884, and completed 1887 further extensions took place, creating a new block for idiot and imbecile children adjacent to the female wing, blocks for epileptics on either side, a resevoir and fire station, stable yard and an isolation hospital with a distinctive pyramidal roofline. A stone chapel and mortuary were also constructed.
With the onset of World War I, the institution accomodated some of the inmates evacuated from the Norfolk County Asylum, until 1916, when Berrywood was also turned over to war use and its own population distrbuted across East Anglia and the East Midlands. As the Duston War Hospital, the asylum was put to extensive use for military cases being treated and recovering from injury. Many images survive of the hospital during this period of use. However, peace brought a return of the building and a return of its patient population. A change of name from asylum to mental hospital was to mark another period of growth and during the 1930's, extensions took place. These took the form of a new nurse's home, refurbishment of some of the staff residences, a new admission hospital (now the Pendered Centre) with two villas for male and female convalescent patients, sited on an adjacent site, away from the main complex.
Following World War II, ownership of the site passed to the National Health Service and the hospital, then known as St. Crispin, reached it's highest number of occupants. Two new villas for female working patients (Grafton and Eden Lodges)were constructed south of the female wing in 1954. The grounds to the south of the hospital farm was developed for mental handicap services during the early 1970's and was to be one of the last major long stay facilities of it's kind in England. Named the Princess Marina hospital, it provided a home for a number of Northampton patients previously resident at Bromham Hospital in Bedfordshire and although adjacent to St.Crispin, it was located within the Upton parish and access from the south. Kent Road, a drive which had pre-existed the new hospital was retained and adapted as the main access route, with an entrance off road to the south. Some facilities, particularly the laundry, were centralised and expanded at St. Crispin. A social club for staff was sited close to a remodelled entrance onto Berrywood Road.
St. Crispin Hospital briefly entered the news when a fire killed a six patients who were resident on Shuster Ward, within the main building.
Sectorisation and then reprovision led to the relocation of services away from the St.Crispin site, with separate services being developed at Kettering and Milton Keynes, as well as elsewhere within Northampton itself. The hospital gradually contracted as wards became disused, eventually leaving those located within the Pendered Centre and the main building was closed. 
Current status:
Following closure, the main building was largely abandoned for a number of years and became neglected and prone to vandalism and arson which destroyed the roof of the recreation hall. Some buildings within the grounds, notably those connected with the Princess Marina Hospital remained in use, as well as the staff social club and bowling green. The former chapel is now in use for religious purposes by the Greek orthodox religion and dedicated to St. Neophytos. The chapel and former isolation hospital are both listed at Grade II and to be incorported within the new development. 
The main building itself is currently undergoing conversion to private residential use with the retention of the original male and female blocks, tower, administration block, superintendent's house and children's block being retained. Elsewhere within the grounds, the former stables and nurse's home have also been refurbished. Other later buildings and service areas have been cleared. The Pendered Centre, formerly the admission hospital, continues in use for local mental health services although the neighbouring convalescent villas have been demolished. New housing was developed on the site of staff housing and football grounds to the east of the admission hospital around 1993, although a group of early houses survive on the main road. Further housing has since been developed on open land to the west as well. 
The hospital farm survives largely derelict and neglected although plans exist for some of the buildings to be converted for light industrial purposes. The Princess Marina hospital remains in use although progress is currently being made towards it's closure. 
sources and related links:



forgive some of the pics as i seen some lovely features and really wanted to show them as even though its quite bare there is still some gems to see,
had a good day apart from the tossers on the ground.

some very bad floors in this place


----------



## tom46 (Feb 7, 2010)

liking this a lot mate  looks like a sweet place, pretty much f*cked though?

especially the B&W ones, nice work.


----------



## klempner69 (Feb 7, 2010)

Very good indeed DieHard...I dont know anything about this place,so if its an asylum,then you look like an inmate!!

you can give me kicking in a few weeks time


----------



## diehardlove (Feb 7, 2010)

klempner69 said:


> Very good indeed DieHard...I dont know anything about this place,so if its an asylum,then you look like an inmate!!
> 
> you can give me kicking in a few weeks time



just put history up sorry its long but i think its interesting ,Id never give you a kicking your too much of a good friend il just shave your eyebrows when your asleep instead 
what you reckon stu suit me or not it was a drunken impulse from a friend with clippers


----------



## klempner69 (Feb 7, 2010)

I prefer the kicking ok..now thats some history!Well done for getting in to see the remains all the same.
If you shave your head again for 2 weeks time,then I will get worried!


----------



## diehardlove (Feb 7, 2010)

klempner69 said:


> I prefer the kicking ok..now thats some history!Well done for getting in to see the remains all the same.
> If you shave your head again for 2 weeks time,then I will get worried!



no dont worry i wear a hat all the time as i hate it,im waiting for it to grow back,the history of the place is amazing and that climb is a bugger as its a long way up and all the floors are rotten but worth it for the views and bell


----------



## Tican (Feb 7, 2010)

Yes, the climb takes a lot out of you, however on the way down, it's much better 

Will get my photo's up soon


----------



## diehardlove (Feb 8, 2010)

DJ Binks said:


> Yes, the climb takes a lot out of you, however on the way down, it's much better
> 
> Will get my photo's up soon



get them pics up mate,


----------



## muppix (Feb 9, 2010)

diehardlove said:


>



I'm intrigued to learn what this is ...

m.


----------



## mexico75 (Feb 9, 2010)

Love shots of that place, deffo one of the best asylum clocktowers out there. That tramp looks a bit pissed off you disturbed him though.


----------



## losttom (Feb 9, 2010)

Haha, i thought you liked the new hairdo Dave- at least thats what you told me when you said i should do mine....

You know i would have come along too- but you know me and heights dont mix


----------



## diehardlove (Feb 10, 2010)

losttom said:


> Haha, i thought you liked the new hairdo Dave- at least thats what you told me when you said i should do mine....
> 
> You know i would have come along too- but you know me and heights dont mix



tom dont worry mate i love you coming but you have to know peoples limits and i would never want somone to do something they didnt like,
shame as would have loved you too have come,


----------



## diehardlove (Feb 10, 2010)

mexico75 said:


> Love shots of that place, deffo one of the best asylum clocktowers out there. That tramp looks a bit pissed off you disturbed him though.



thanks mate,lol i like that ,that is very witty made me laugh yeah he wasnt happy with all the bird poo up there and lack of room and rotten non existant floor boards


----------



## diehardlove (Feb 10, 2010)

muppix said:


> I'm intrigued to learn what this is ...
> 
> m.



inside the main hall is a stage and 2 boths with old batteries films and projectors.I only got aquick pic as the tower was my main concern


----------



## Mr Sam (Feb 12, 2010)

what you done with your hair

ive still not popped back here todo the tower damn it


----------



## diehardlove (Feb 15, 2010)

Mr Sam said:


> what you done with your hair
> 
> ive still not popped back here todo the tower damn it



two words wez and beer,
when you go give me a shout as some nice views.


----------

