# Dykebar Hospital, Paisley - Apr 2010



## wsmbm (Apr 26, 2010)

Hello everyone, this is my first post - not the greatest I know! Sorry. Hopefully I will get better as I go on. Anyway, this is Dykebar Hospital in Paisley. The old parts are nice and quiet and peaceful despite a working new(ish)-build mental hospital on the same site. It's a shame the older buildings are going to ruin...

*History* (from Wikipedia)

Dykebar Hospital opened in 1909 as the Renfrew District Lunatic Asylum. In 1948 it joined the National Health Service under the Renfrewshire Mental Hospitals Board of Management (renamed the Dykebar and Associated Hospitals Board of Management in 1964). From 1968 to 1974 it was under the Paisley and District Hospitals Board of Management. At the reorganisation of 1974 it passed to the Renfrew District of the new Argyll and Clyde Health Board

Three historic wards at a Paisley Hospital have been placed on an at-risk register. Wards 20, 22, 23, at Dykebar Hospital are cited in the Buildings at Risk Bulletin published by the Scottish Civic Trust on behalf of conservation body Historic Scotland.

Also on the at-risk list is Mid Dykebar, a large red sandstone building within the grounds of the hospital. Ward 22 - formerly known as Villa 2 - is vacant and has been the target of vandals for some time.

The remaining two wards - before the new hospital was built in the mid-Seventies ward 20 was known as Villa 1 and ward 23 Villa 5 - are also vacant and boarded up. All four buildings were built in 1909 by renowned architect TG Abercrombie in the Scottish Baroque style. Mid Dykebar was built to house the superintendent of the hospital, which was then Renfrew District Asylum. A notable feature of the building is that the east entrance is unusual in having large areas of walling without windows. This was due to the fact patients often would try to escape and cause danger to themselfs and others. With unofficial evidence ward 22 or Villa 2 has been reported to be haunted and with 3 dissapearings in the last 30 years it is classed as a restricted and unsafe area.

This is the supposedly haunted one as mentioned above...






















I think someone is living in that bin shed above (lower left of pic) at one of the abandoned villas - 


























...other pictures here on Photobucket: http://s988.photobucket.com/albums/af6/wsmbm/Dykebar%20Hospital%20-%20Apr%202010/


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## klempner69 (Apr 26, 2010)

Very good first report..welcome to DP.


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## the_historian (Apr 27, 2010)

Good report. Welcome to the forums btw! 
Think I'm right in saying this was Dykebar War Hospital in WW1. There was a contingent of German PoWs here.


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## Cuban B. (Apr 28, 2010)

Good to see an update on this place; has that block been torched recently?


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## wsmbm (Apr 29, 2010)

Hi, I think it was fire damaged in early 2000's but I might be wrong. There is a photo of it on the buildings at risk website from 1999 showing it in better condition (including the "unusual" east elevation without windows).

I was not aware there were POWs there! That's interesting. It's an interesting place. Would be nice to get inside one of the other villas for a look but they're pretty well boarded up.


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## Cuban B. (Apr 30, 2010)

From what I've heard the derelict villas are empty and breeze blocked up inside. Shame, they would've probably nice at one point.


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