# Severalls - 5 Years on - Summer 2012



## UrbanX (Aug 24, 2012)

When I first got into urbex, I spent my first month exploring derelict houses by the sides of main roads. Then someone invited me along on an explore of Severalls – an 1,800 patient, Edwardian lunatic asylum. I was sold. And it’s always had a soft spot for sevs since. 

In the next five years; through my website I’d receive hundreds of emails along the lines of _“How do you break into Severalls, my band wants to do a video there”_ 

These have continued right up to this summer, and I was replying honestly that I literally didn’t know access, I haven’t been for five years! So I thought it was about time I changed that and saw how the ol’ girl was getting on. 

Visited in the amazing company of TeeJF. 







In the last 5 years I’ve also acquired a wide angle lens, I couldn’t do this on my 17-55mm! 










Admin has changed a fair bit. It wasn’t ‘wide open’ when I last visited, but it certainly didn’t have it’s own fence! 





The morgue hasn’t changed one bit! 





I was pleased to see that the patient art hadn’t been vandalised any further. 





The corridors in Sevs are unforgettable. To me thought they have aged a lot in five years. More damp has got in, there’s more vegetation. They are also a lot harder to move around in. Doors have become locked / screwed / boarded / wedged, forcing the explorer outside to get around the obstacle – clever secca! Five years ago it was all open. 

























I’m glad to see this still here after all the years. 





The Sign making room remains unchanged (TBH I don’t think many people find it!)










Selfie: 





Five years ago, Sevs had planning permission to be converted into flats, and the word on the urbex scene was all “You’ve got to visit this week, it’ll be demo’ed by the weekend” I even embarrassingly called a report _“Goodbye Severalls”_. Yet she’s still standing there. 

Report from Sep 2007: http://www.urbanxphotography.co.uk/severalls-lunatic-asylum

The news on her conversion has changed though. The original planning application planned to convert the main Echelon plan building into flats. Which Architecturally makes a lot of sense, each ward is perfect flat size, staircases are well positioned for it. 

However the building has deteriorated over the years, and it was surveyed in detail last summer. (I’m working on consolidating the full detailed survey drawings, I have them piecemeal at the moment.) 
A Quantity surveyor put some costs to it, and it worked out to an average cost of around £181,000 to convert each flat. Which just isn’t financially viable for a developer. 

The masterplan was redrawn. With the exclusion of the water tower, and Admin, the whole of the main building will be demolished. The new development still acknowledges the form and massing of the old building on plan. But if you visualise it, it’ll be a series of avenues, not courtyards and will have quite a different feel. 






Cheers for looking. If I ever get round to finishing the detailed survey I’ll publish online for y’all.


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## UE-OMJ (Aug 24, 2012)

An awesome place, I really love it there too


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## explorer101 (Aug 24, 2012)

well according to wikipedia they are clearing the place so didn't know if we was still able to visit the place......hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm would still like to see it though


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## Ace247 (Aug 24, 2012)

Nicely done, shame to flatten the old place..


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## TeeJF (Aug 24, 2012)

£181 grand PER FLAT? I wonder why they waited so long to actually get anywhere near commencing work? Could it have anything to do with letting the buildings get so scabby they fall down anyway thus bypassing listing orders? call me sceptical if you wish but I smell a right rotten rat!

Some nice pics bud, especially, silly as it sounds, the radiographer sign. I sort of just mooched in that room and being so inexperienced avec les camera I didn't spot any opportuinities worth the effort! Duh....

Cheers...!

PS... that's Mr. Sceptical to you...


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## Lucky Pants (Aug 24, 2012)

Class report and great pics .


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## freespirits (Aug 24, 2012)

lovely place and kewl pics dude


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## night crawler (Aug 24, 2012)

Nice report, love the photo's. Not sure about Severalls but Fairmile closed in 2003 and they started converting the place in 2010. When they start the conversion all the plaster is removed and the ceilings some poor sod then has the job of extracting all the nails in the roof beams. The worst ward I came across was Frilsham where the plaster was falling off the walls. They removed 4 ton of pigeon shit and probably more that that from Ridgeway ward and the flats are selling at around 500K. Sounds like they are pulling a fast one.


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## _Nyx_ (Aug 25, 2012)

Fantastic report & photos, love no1 & 11 !


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## racht1984 (Aug 25, 2012)

Great pics.


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## Pen15 (Aug 26, 2012)

Ahhhh ! I never tire of seeing this place, Only been the once and managed to cover alot of ground (lucky). It is an infectous place and even though it is in a sorry state, it still has a certain charm. 

Great report and images


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## SeffyboyUK (Aug 26, 2012)

Thank you for this, was good to be able to compare pics on your site with current ones too. Cheers


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