Highroyds Hospital (Menston County Asylum)

krela · Nov 23, 2005

High Royds Hospital (Menston County Asylum)

Designed by architect Vickers Edwards and built in the broad arrow form, it was originally built as a paupers asylum, and renamed High Royds hospital in 1963.

Not much info on this one, if anyone can fill in some blanks please do!

Please use this thread for further posts

rikj · Dec 9, 2005

Snippet of news today. The series "No Angels" has finished filming at High Royds and the sets are being dismantled. Not sure if other progs that have used the place are still on-site. Heartbeat, Bodies, Fat Friends. Heard that the mortuary was used in one of the progs. ScreenYorkshire seem to be promoting the place as a possible film studio.

Don't know what has happened to the developers plans to turn the whole place into a housing village. Quite easy to just walk around the site as it's just open for the grounds anyway. Hope to try and take some pics soon.

Raddogextreme · Dec 14, 2005

Worth a walk around the grounds. Very Secure. Very Atmospheric too. Unusual in that it's stone built rather than brick like most of the other asylums.

jon geoffs · Dec 17, 2005

They are developing the site but not touching the building apart from a section which was rebuilt after a fire with some hideous blue panneling so they're restoring that bit.

The developments are on the land including some £1m pound mansions behind the forest on the grounds and the asylum is being used as an old folks home.

The guy i spoke to on the site quite happily let me walk around with my camera and tell me extensive stories...

there are a mass of servicing tunnels he told me about...

http://www.u-r.org.uk/High_Royds

rikj · Jan 22, 2006

The developers for High Royds are Country and Metropolitan plc, though I haven't found much info on them apart from financial stuff.

Their website (http://candm.hemscott.com/) seems to be permanently under development. However, they have left some annual reports lying around here;

http://candm.hemscott.com/pdf/ar2003.pdf

Pages 14-15 have a bit on the plans for High Royds. also, other annual reports have some good locations in them. The timescales for High Royds and other places seem to have slipped quite a bit. Some nice pics of Grey Towers at Nunthorpe as well. I don't normally hold regrets, but that would have been nice to see derelict.

Cheers

rikj · Feb 20, 2006

If it hasn't been posted before there is a very good history here:

http://www.leedsmentalhealth.nhs.uk/siteDownloads/0206 HHP2.pdf

Lots of info and some good photos. Gives a good feel for what the place was like in its heyday. It's a 24 page PDF file with lots of photos so 56k warning.

Rob · May 26, 2006

The movie "Asylum" was filmed at High royds.
I believe it was dreadfull. you can watch clips of it at the following url:-
http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/10004022-asylum/trailers.php

Jondoe_264 · May 27, 2006

The BBC filmed some stuff at High Royds very recently for a new series being aired sometime Autumn - Spring. Series is called "How we built Britain", six episodes each focussing on a specific time period and it's contribution to British architecture.

JD

Reaperman · May 30, 2006

Its about 6 months since ive been but Some General tips go for that can be helpful for sites like this:

Go early in the morning IE 4am
Go in the evening or at night - less rewarding.
Go at the Weekend or Bank holiday, Often less people aroung onsite
Consider Dressing like the workers, or in smart clothing and carry a clipboard etc - Look as though you belong

Remember doors are likely to be locked, Think about looking at windows, Basements, Tunnels and skylights. That said you still might not find what your looking for High Royds has always been a tough nut to crack, I cant ever recall anyone exploring in depth there.

Even if you dont get in at first the key thing is to be paitent, Go back whenever you can and just have a look. Local kids may open up a way in or a worker may be careless and leave something open. Eventually something should present itself.

lilli · Nov 11, 2006

I was amazed with the architecture and the detailing, esp the floor mosaics and tiles in admin, the 4 fireplaces in the Main Hall. The corridors are large and sprawling and the clock tower although with new movement is very nice

and from the top you can see the whole complex..... even the contractors!

To me it really retained the feel of an imposing Victorian Asylum with the long sweeping drive and the tower dominating the view.

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