# St Johns Asylum, Lincoln - Aug 09



## Bobby_Gold (Aug 20, 2009)

Ok well this is my first report on here, been inactive recently due to other commitments.

I’ve never been here before and have been wanting to go for ages and due to other commitments have never got around to it.

Ricklus (Lincoln Explorer) had said he’d take me in and show me around, so we meet up at the John Bull carpark at 4.45am (bit early for my liking, especially on a Sunday morning) and we took it from there. So I prepared in advance and got 2 hours sleep 

It was well worth getting up early though, as the sunrise and the morning sun made for good lighting, and add a bit of atmosphere to the place.

We only had 2 and a half hours so I didn’t get round the whole building, so just went around to see the main parts. I will make a return visit at some point to go underneath and in into the tunnels.
Some of the locations I’ve forgotten where they were - I was being told as we went around, but being so tired I had forgot by the time I got home.

A couple of the photos are HDR, but just because in a couple of shots either the highlights were completely washed out, or the shadows we too dark - there was no middle ground.


History

The Asylum was built in 1852 on a slight rise in Bracebridge parish, on the high road to Sleaford. Originally built to house 250 inmates, it was enlarged in 1859, 1866, 1881 and 1902. The asylum grounds covered 120 acres.

The Asylum grounds were cultivated by the inmates to provide vegetables.
The Asylum's sewage was disposed of by irrigation over 10 acres of land about a half mile from the asylum.
The Asylum had a cemetery of one and half acres on the grounds, with its own mortuary chapel.
In some records, the inmates are referred to as "visitors".

The Asylum closed in 1990 and was sold a few years later to a property developer who constructed nearly 1,000 new houses in the village. The original hospital buildings themselves are classified as Grade III listed buildings and are protected from demolition. During the redevelopment of the hospital site, a number of these protected buildings were refurbished and converted into flats and offices.

Name changes:

1852-1893 Lincolnshire County Lunatic Asylum or Lincolnshire County Pauper Lunatic Asylum
1894-1915 Lincolnshire Lunatic Asylum
1897-1898 Lindsey, Holland, Lincoln and Grimsby District Pauper Lunatic Asylum
1903-1920 Lincolnshire Asylum
1898-1902 Bracebridge Pauper Lunatic Asylum
1902-1919 Bracebridge District Lunatic Asylum
1919-1948 Bracebridge Mental Hospital
1930-1938 Lincolnshire Mental Hospital
1939-1960 Bracebridge Heath Hospital
1961-1989 St John's Hospital, Bracebridge Heath


Anyway onto the photos, (slightly pic heavy)

Sunrise over St. Johns - A silhouette of the water tower







Walking the corridors of St. Johns, another silhouette of the water tower







Exterior












Inside






The famous staircase


























Wards











Childrens Ward
















Wild mushrooms growing out the wall






Lincoln walkway & theatre











Some of the only toilets left intact







A couple of window views

St. Johns with Lincoln Cathedral in the distance






The water tower







HDR Images























Thanks for looking


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## JEP27 (Aug 20, 2009)

Very nice.


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## klempner69 (Aug 20, 2009)

For me its not pic heavy at all...this is amazing.Those strange pockmarked ceilings,the corridors and those green wrought iron arches are superb.I would love that staircase too.Shame Lincoln is so far from me.Any idea what happened to the floor in that corridor,as it looks like its collapsed.


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## Darkness (Aug 20, 2009)

Brilliant shots there dude, luvvin the first couple. They've really tidied that place up ready for conversion haven't they.

Great first report!


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## DC2Z (Aug 20, 2009)

Excellent report. I loved the first couple of pics.


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## Bobby_Gold (Aug 20, 2009)

Thanks guys,



klempner69 said:


> Any idea what happened to the floor in that corridor,as it looks like its collapsed.



The floor in the childrens ward? Not really sure what happened to it, I'm guessing development. But there are a few tunnels down there. Was on a time limit so a return visit on the cards 





Darkness said:


> They've really tidied that place up ready for conversion haven't they.



Yea its in a pretty bad way hey, the floorboards are pretty shady to say the least. The exterior is stunning though.


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## digitalman (Aug 20, 2009)

Fantastic shots, and what an amazing place.
Would love to visit here BG 
Well done mate


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## CookieMonster (Aug 21, 2009)

Hiya

Yeah brilliant shots. HDR's on a few?


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## sophos9 (Aug 21, 2009)

Nice location - would like to shoot that one!

The exterior looks in good condition, the internals look rotten - love the cells down each side of the corridor. Its great that most UK asylums used the same architects 

Nice shoot!


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## Bobby_Gold (Aug 21, 2009)

CookieMonster said:


> Yeah brilliant shots. HDR's on a few?



Hi, yeah a few are HDR - I put them at the end of the report under "HDR Images"


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## Flaxington (Aug 21, 2009)

good work


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## Runner (Aug 21, 2009)

Some great images there Bobby, love the early morning light in that place.



> Originally Posted by klempner69
> Any idea what happened to the floor in that corridor,as it looks like its collapsed.



I believe the floor was cut away by the contractors to get to the service duct below, most of the corridor floors are still in fairly good nick. 
If you look at the bottom of the service duct, the tops of the brick arches of the cellars below are visible. We got into one of these at the far end of the Childrens ward and found original gas mantles still on the walls.


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## DC2Z (Aug 21, 2009)

I'd love to visit this place, it looks stunning


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## Foxylady (Aug 22, 2009)

Ooh, really nice photos. Your HDR's are great...I'm not usually a fan of them but yours are very good.
Excellent first report.


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## Kezza (Aug 22, 2009)

wow ive really got to get here!!!! Havent been on an explore for yonks!!!!!


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## Foz77 (Aug 24, 2009)

Nice shots - something quite disturbing about seeing kiddie-themed decor plastered over "cells" though...


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## Pete (Aug 27, 2009)

It used to be the staff creche...


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## vicky (Sep 8, 2009)

hey is part of the building still standing then? i know that they knocked a bit down for a housing estate, been driving past for years and the place looks soooooooo creepy. i live in boston about an hour from lincoln and i would love to go in this building if u need company to explore tunnels ill happily join


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