# Cherry Knowle Asylum, Sunderland.



## nursepayne (Apr 24, 2008)

Hi everyone, 
I visited Cherry Knowle a while back on my first group trip up north with Jonboy, Midnight and Hairy.
I only got a few hours in here by myself but despite the trashed state its totally charming, I could have easily spent an entire day in there rummaging through all the little areas tucked away in the hospital.
Theres alot of the place I feel I didn't cover, and with all the piles of rotting stuff everywhere theres probably even still some really interesting detail to be observed.
Heres a link to the entire gallery http://www.contaminationzone.com/Gallery52.php

and here's a few of the best pics...


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## tucker (Apr 24, 2008)

Awesome photographs as always 
Love the colours in the 3rd pic, very subtle 

tuck


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## restlessdreams (Apr 24, 2008)

Love them, as usual.. I love the one of the hanger in your gallery


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## fire*fly (Apr 24, 2008)

these are great


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## BrickMan (Apr 24, 2008)

nice shots!!! and better gallery!! nice 

take it you didn't find the art room? its taken me 12 visits to bloody find it!


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## Shepy (Apr 24, 2008)

Welcome over Payno, as every great shots 

~Shepy


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## nursepayne (Apr 24, 2008)

Thanks peeps, Brick WHAT ART ROOM??Damn I'm pinching myself now but no I didn't find it, I got a call from the guys when I was in there and we had to leave abruptly because they said it was giving them a bad feeling.
Shep I can't believe this is the northern Explorers local 'dump' If this was my local I'd be down there every night!
Tnx 4 looking Tucker Firefly and Restless my m8 disliked that hanger shot so much when he saw it I almost binned it but then I figured he didn't know what he was talking about


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## MD (Apr 24, 2008)

love the 1st shot..
what lens are you using?


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## restlessdreams (Apr 24, 2008)

nursepayne said:


> my m8 disliked that hanger shot so much when he saw it I almost binned it but then I figured he didn't know what he was talking about



Yep, I think we just proved he doesnt know what he's talking about.. damn fool!!  lol


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## BrickMan (Apr 24, 2008)

she be using a 10-22mm canon I think 


art room, well I was a bit disspointed TBH as same has happened @ cherry as what has happened at canehill, the paintings have all got wet and the best ones are just mushy paper 

the art room is tucket away at th nursing block extension of the building. on the male dorm end (which is significantly more trashed than the female end).


yes cherry is trashed, every time I go i see more damage, and more roofs fell in/floors getting damper.

however it does have a very unique charm. BUT it is also the ONLY building i've visited in the UK that can actually disturb you, esp at the nursing block end. you NEVER feel alone (well you usually aren't LOL) and the dark corrirdoor at that end and the way it leads around a corner into more darkness and a few stair wells with doors at teh bottom, it just feels 'wrong'


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## carlosthejackal (Apr 25, 2008)

fantastic!
loving the first pic of the main entrance.
im hoping to get here real soon and try out me new lens

kind regards
carlos


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## Granty (Apr 25, 2008)

Loved your gallery


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## nursepayne (Apr 28, 2008)

TY peeps, Brickman's spot on, I use a canon 10-22 and I'll carry on using it until I can afford something a bit less wide and sharper.
Brickman you shouldn't say things like thatnow I am DYING to see the nurses block end.
Theres nothing like somebody telling you about a place that feels 'wrong'!!
I'm not sure which end of the site it was, is it near the burnt out ward at one far end of the site or is it completely at the other end?(I got to the burnt out end downstairs and was headed to the other end of the hospital but got a call we had to leave no never quite made it to the other end)
Shame about the art room, maybe you have to really 'dig' to get to the less wet art pieces


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## BrickMan (Apr 29, 2008)

sigma 12-24? looks chunkier and nicer built than the 10-20, bigger front element FTW 

or some of that L glass, mmmmmm, mmmmmm, mmmmmm 



yes, went back again the other day, silverstealth was there, and he wasn't happy about pretty much all of it, although in the bit i don't like, he was quite happy. weird how different people get different vibes off different places!! 

visited st georges aslym recently (the northern one) and most of that was loverly, apart from one area in the childrens downstairs wards, and at the opposite end in same location, it was pitch black, with signs hanging from the roof, and random items lying about, and there was a few different junctions with the ward signs pointing everywhich way, I did NOT like that bit one little bit. The rest was fine though!

also forgot to add, I've found enough beds/mattrees/sideboards/chairs/curtains/curtain rails, to make a ward with 4 full beds and associated kit!!! you gonna love that!!


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## mrt1664 (Jun 17, 2008)

*cherry knowles*

hi peeps im from seaham and am looking in to exploring drains cave tunnels and old buildings 

i was just wondering if any 1 knows if you can still get in to cherry knowles would love a little look around


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## Dr.Black (Jun 17, 2008)

*

As for BRICKMAN's vibe's about the place - I completely agree. We did an external recce of the place first, just to get an idea of the size. 

*

For weeks before our visit the two people I was with had been banging on about having a look around here, especially Oddity, who seems pretty much fearless. However, despite all the excited psycho babbling and the effort of getting our act together, finally carting ourselves over to Cherry, once we were at an entry point it didn't feel right.

Oddity and myself could have quite happily gone back to the car and called it a day, if it hadn't been for OSPA who pointed out that once the railings were complete it would be a different story and that we me not get the chance to do this place again.

OSPA was fine with the place and couldn't see what the fuss was about, but Oddity and myself both kept harping on about going home every two minutes. It's such an unpleasant feeling in there. It's almost like it's handing you access on a plate because once inside it wants to hurt you. Surprisingly, the art room (if that's the storage room thing underneath the place with loads of art stored at the back, and the floor littered with knitting pattern books) was the least threatening atmosphere of the whole place for me.


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## OSPA (Jun 17, 2008)

BrickMan said:


> she be using a 10-22mm canon I think
> 
> 
> art room, well I was a bit disspointed TBH as same has happened @ cherry as what has happened at canehill, the paintings have all got wet and the best ones are just mushy paper
> ...



I totally agree, when myself, Dr. Black and Oddity visited, we almost didn't go in because we got that funny feeling and even when walking around we felt creeped out!


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## freebird (Jun 17, 2008)

Fabulous pics. Can't actually single one out as I love them all.


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## Pete (Jun 18, 2008)

*Cherry Knowle*

Brickman, Mr.Black, Oddity, your posts made me think, but i can't say i've ever felt such emotions about any of the hospitals i have visited. I can associate with a feeling on reluctance and anxiety before during and just after entering a building, which i guess is due to anticipation of being caught in the act. Also, i wouldnt particularly want to stumble across any dwellers/inhabitants who might take exception to my presence - i have had a few near-brown-pants experinces with mirrors etc. I also agree there comes a time during an exploration where you feel you have been there long enough - any more and you sense it would be inviting either some sort of accidental injury or potentially get rumbled. That inkling is a good one to heed - once or twice when i haven't are the occasions that are forever set in my mind with something untoward coming soon after which makes me want out immediately (finding a recently placed rifle set directed out of a window, and almost coming face to face with a group of weapon wealding vandals on two separate occasions). That said i have never felt any emotion or intimidation imposed by a building itself or former purpose. In fact i explored the Laurels building at Cherry Knowle alone in its entirety - i don't feel i could have even have considered this if i had emotions about the building itself aswell. I'm not criticising, in fact i find it fascinating how people feel differently about such places.

On a second note, with my Moderator hat on, can everyone heed the posting rules regarding security/access - they are clear and simple - NO PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF SECURITY OR ACCESS, and appear at the top of every reply to thread box when writing your responses. I'd much prefer not to have to strip content from peoples threads when it needn't be posted publically in the first place.

Cheers
Pete


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## UrbanX (Jun 18, 2008)

Awsome pics as always! Really inspiring. I love the shoe studies on the gallery too!


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## nursepayne (Jun 18, 2008)

Yeah I pretty much secon what Pete has written regarding atmospheres etc, If I ever get spooked its more from a real person being in there or the thought of one rather than the buildings themselves or anything ghost-like.
Theres so much potential three dimentional dangers that If you start to let your imagination loose which paranormal stuff you could go nuts.
I'd love to explore with someone like Brick man who can 'feel' that a few places are 'wrong', that would be quite exiting 
Cherry Knowle I found very peaceful and beautiful but I can imagine how that could change if you came accross a gang of gun wielding yobos running around the place

ps:ty Urban X


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## **Mudlark** (Jun 18, 2008)

i can hold my hands up and say i've got a vibe from this place. 
Sayong that, the first time we went it was in the pitch black, and i had a mask on that made me start to feel very, very claustrophobic!!
There is definately an atmosphere here, same with everywhere. IMO, some people feel it, some dont..... i think it has an awful lot to do with how vivid your imagination is 
And i also totally agree with that feeling you get when it's time to go. 

Nice to see it secured, but do let us know if there are any chinks in the armour


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## oddity (Jun 18, 2008)

Maybe the atmosphere is just down to the fact that the place is so badly trashed, with evidence of the brain-dead losers all over the place...beer cans, graffiti, mindless vandalism to the extreme. I wouldn't expect anything less from the inhabitants of Sunderland though....

Maybe it's also to do with there still being stuff lying around from when it was open, patients artwork, clothing, bits of equipment etc, I suppose as Pete said you're constantly on the lookout for trouble..be it from local charv-scum or mr Security, so that's playing on your mind as you're wandering around inside avoiding broken bottles, holes in the floor, uncovered tunnel entrances etc.

Then again, maybe it's just full of scary ghosts and some of us are more perceptive than others


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## OSPA (Jun 19, 2008)

oddity said:


> Maybe the atmosphere is just down to the fact that the place is so badly trashed, with evidence of the brain-dead losers all over the place...beer cans, graffiti, mindless vandalism to the extreme. I wouldn't expect anything less from the inhabitants of Sunderland though....
> 
> Maybe it's also to do with there still being stuff lying around from when it was open, patients artwork, clothing, bits of equipment etc, I suppose as Pete said you're constantly on the lookout for trouble..be it from local charv-scum or mr Security, so that's playing on your mind as you're wandering around inside avoiding broken bottles, holes in the floor, uncovered tunnel entrances etc.
> 
> Then again, maybe it's just full of scary ghosts and some of us are more perceptive than others



Hey! Not all Mackems are charva morons!


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## Culturedphoto (Jun 24, 2008)

Hi

Went down there today for a look around ... worked from the front gate around the front of the site but there wasn plenty of security on site and the fence ran for ever. If anyone knows if access can be gained anywhere it would be great if you could let me know via PM .. i notice notes of access are not permitted on the foums .. im new to the site so dont want to piss anyone off from the start 

Im a professional phtoographer looking for new sites for shoots so any helps appreciated .... 

Cheers

D


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