# Talgarth Asylum - May 21



## BikinGlynn (May 11, 2021)

"Dont bother going Talgarth its completely trashed" they say!
Got a point really Im about 10yr late on this one but my God its still photogenic & I dont believe its been done for a while so heres my recent visit.





Taking a discrete way in meant we had no angry encounters & spent a leisurely hour or so here, Iv had to try really hard to get this down to 30 pics though.
Iv looked at some past reports & the demise over 10 yr is quite astonishing, Im aware of the tile theft / sale that has been the main contributor to this but Im glad Iv seen it before it inevitably falls in on itself completely.










Originally called the Brecon and Radnor Joint Asylum on opening in 1903, the name was changed in 1921 to the Mid-Wales Hospital. The hospital consisted of the main building (12 wards, 6 male and 6 female) isolation ward, and farm ward, at the cost of o128, 710 12s 8d.










Two further wards were built at a later date. The hospital was built to cater for 352 patients and in addition to the farm, the service departments included a tailor, baker, shoe maker, printing shops, kitchen, laundry and church. There were market gardens which consisted of about 8 acres and an additional asset was a steam powered lorry, one of the first to be used in the area, which was mainly used to haul coal and other goods from the railway station. The water supply was drawn from the Pwll-y-Wrach waterfall and fed to the hospital by gravity.










The first patients at the hospital were admissions mainly from the Brecon area but numbers also arrived from towns further afield such as Swansea and Shrewsbury. Although initially intended to cater for 352 patients, at one point at the end of 1925 there were 455, stretching the resources to the limit. Some of this overcrowding was attributed to World War One and the effect that was to have on many men who served in the battles. Consequently Wards East 7 and 8, and an X-ray department were added to cope with the increased demands.










In April 1940, 315 beds were made available for military patients. Later during the war, the military section became a prisoner of war hospital. The war departments released most of their beds on 31 December 1946. In December 1955 the number of patients had reached 496. In 1994 the total number of patients averaged 140, but 179 could be catered for.










The working farm remained until 1955 and the hospital still generated its own electricity until 1961. Some 155 acres of farmland however were sold in 1957 and 27 acres of Pwll-y-Wrach dingle transferred to the Forestry Commission. A number of improvements were completed during the next twenty years such as a new treatment block in 1965, and an Occupational/Industrial Therapy Department in 1971.










In 1974 the Powys Health Authority came into being and assumed control, with matters changing again in 1993 with the formation of the Powys (NHS) Trust. Policy changes by the government in recent years have seen the return of patients with mental health problems to the community, thus the need for such institutions as the Mid-Wales Hospital has declined drastically.
The hospital will be closed for good in 2000 with some facilities being combined with nearby Bronllys.


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## night crawler (May 12, 2021)

I thought this place had been torn down, I drive past Talgarth on my way home from Builth. Soe dam good photos, trashed it may be but Photogenic it still is. Nice one


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## BikinGlynn (May 13, 2021)

night crawler said:


> I thought this place had been torn down, I drive past Talgarth on my way home from Builth. Soe dam good photos, trashed it may be but Photogenic it still is. Nice one



Thanks tbh I thought it was all but gone too but its very much still there & worth a look


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## wolfism (May 13, 2021)

It's coming up for 14 years since I went to Talgarth, first cropped up the forums in 2007: quite startling how the decay has been accelerated by the random demolitions and stripping the roofs of slates and leadwork. Interesting to see it nowadays, thanks.


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## Hayman (May 13, 2021)

The exterior shot of the two storey stone buildings reminds me of the convict prison in Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australia.


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## 2blokes (May 13, 2021)

BikinGlynn said:


> "Dont bother going Talgarth its completely trashed" they say!
> Got a point really Im about 10yr late on this one but my God its still photogenic & I dont believe its been done for a while so heres my recent visit.
> 
> 
> ...


 Years ago i was told that the person who owns it, only bought it because he knew he could sell the tiles for more than he paid for the land and buildings . 
looking at it now it could be true ?


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## verdigris (May 14, 2021)

great pics, and history, thanks.
what a shame some of the original buildings can't be saved for 'executive housing' which how many of the former asylums have risen from the ashes. But I don't know the area, perhaps it's too far away from local towns/employment to fulfill that purpose.


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## BikinGlynn (May 15, 2021)

wolfism said:


> It's coming up for 14 years since I went to Talgarth, first cropped up the forums in 2007: quite startling how the decay has been accelerated by the random demolitions and stripping the roofs of slates and leadwork. Interesting to see it nowadays, thanks.



Yeah it certainly has changed a bit


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## BikinGlynn (May 15, 2021)

2blokes said:


> Years ago i was told that the person who owns it, only bought it because he knew he could sell the tiles for more than he paid for the land and buildings .
> looking at it now it could be true ?


Entirely possible, I guess its like buying a car to strip for parts, if u know the value its worth doing


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## BikinGlynn (May 15, 2021)

verdigris said:


> great pics, and history, thanks.
> what a shame some of the original buildings can't be saved for 'executive housing' which how many of the former asylums have risen from the ashes. But I don't know the area, perhaps it's too far away from local towns/employment to fulfill that purpose.



Yeah unfortunately south wales property prices dont make it viable to do much with, or certainly not now, 15yr back it could of been an option


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## HughieD (May 15, 2021)

Yup. With you there. Still worth a visit. Especially when you take as top-notch a set of pics as you have taken...


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## gavinphilp (May 15, 2021)

Superb collection of photographs


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## BikinGlynn (May 15, 2021)

gavinphilp said:


> Superb collection of photographs


Thanks


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## The Wombat (May 15, 2021)

Excellent report; as always
Somewhere I would like to visit one day; just a bit of a trek from here!


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## BikinGlynn (May 17, 2021)

The Wombat said:


> Excellent report; as always
> Somewhere I would like to visit one day; just a bit of a trek from here!



I would do it sooner rather than later, as mentioned I honestly think this will fall in on itself soon


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## J_a_t_33 (May 17, 2021)

Fantastic Glynn! Thanks for sharing!


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## Jamey J (Oct 11, 2021)

BikinGlynn said:


> "Dont bother going Talgarth its completely trashed" they say!
> Got a point really Im about 10yr late on this one but my God its still photogenic & I dont believe its been done for a while so heres my recent visit.
> 
> 
> ...


Hi, 

How do I get there? What's the best way to enter to avoid farmers/security? 

And what is the security like? Will I get caught if I go there and what could happen if you were to be caught?


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## BikinGlynn (Oct 12, 2021)

Jamey J said:


> Hi,
> 
> How do I get there? What's the best way to enter to avoid farmers/security?
> 
> And what is the security like? Will I get caught if I go there and what could happen if you were to be caught?



Blimey there is a lot of questions. We dont normally share access info with people we dont know if Im honest but heres a few things I can tell you.

There is someone looks after this place though Im not sure if they are actually paid security or not but the rumours are they are usually very angry if they catch you in there.
What will happen to you?... you will prob get shouted at & told to leave the same as anywhere really. If you are very unlucky they may call police who will then ask you to leave but will take much longer.

Best advice is dont park in the village! they are clicky there & if they see any "outsiders" they thing are up to no good they will alert security.
Being prepared to climb a few spikey fences & you will be fine


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## wolfism (Oct 12, 2021)

That's good advice, early Sunday morning is usually a good time to try places like this, and it's also worth avoiding parking anywhere on the site itself as that's caused trouble for people in the past.


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## Jamey J (Oct 12, 2021)

BikinGlynn said:


> Blimey there is a lot of questions. We dont normally share access info with people we dont know if Im honest but heres a few things I can tell you.
> 
> There is someone looks after this place though Im not sure if they are actually paid security or not but the rumours are they are usually very angry if they catch you in there.
> What will happen to you?... you will prob get shouted at & told to leave the same as anywhere really. If you are very unlucky they may call police who will then ask you to leave but will take much longer.
> ...


Yeah it Is a lot of questions sorry haha. If that's all that happens is I'm told to leave I'm okay with that. 

And yeah I won't park in the village. I'll have to look around for different places. 

Thank you for the help.


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## Jamey J (Oct 12, 2021)

wolfism said:


> That's good advice, early Sunday morning is usually a good time to try places like this, and it's also worth avoiding parking anywhere on the site itself as that's caused trouble for people in the past.


Ohh I didn't know that. Makes sense though. 

Do you know how to get there and how to get in please?


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## BikinGlynn (Oct 13, 2021)

Jamey J said:


> Ohh I didn't know that. Makes sense though.
> 
> Do you know how to get there and how to get in please?



U mean how to get to Talgarth? have a look on google maps.
No one will tell u exactly how to access a place on a public forum that owners & security could also be reading.
just use common sense, look at site on google & decide which is front / back, which way you could go to keep as far away from other properties etc.

I see you have just joined the site but are you actually new to exploring?
If so I would suggest trying some simpler place first.

If you are exploring its handy to know the laws first. Generally trespass is a civil offence so you cant be prosecuted despite what the signs say, all you will get in most places is a telling off.


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## Jamey J (Oct 13, 2021)

BikinGlynn said:


> U mean how to get to Talgarth? have a look on google maps.
> No one will tell u exactly how to access a place on a public forum that owners & security could also be reading.
> just use common sense, look at site on google & decide which is front / back, which way you could go to keep as far away from other properties etc.
> 
> ...


Yeah I'll use Google maps. 

I joined the site so I could ask these questions because I want to explore talgarth. I've been exploring before, but that was years ago. 

And yeah I should look up the laws first. 

Thank you for the help!


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## wolfism (Oct 17, 2021)

Jamey J said:


> Ohh I didn't know that. Makes sense though.
> 
> Do you know how to get there and how to get in please?


As Glynn says, have a look at Google maps and other folks' photos and try to figure out a way to approach the buildings without attracting attention, usually the back of a site is more discreet than the front. In terms of an actual way in to the buildings, it's years since I was last there so whichever door or window I went in probably isn't the way in today. Best to turn up early and have a scout around.


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## 0xygen (May 1, 2022)

Really nice photos. Thanks for sharing!


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