The Lluesty hospital is situated on Old Chester Road in Holywell,originally built as a workhouse in the late 1830s,it has not been used since the new Holywell Community Hospital opened in 2008 about a mile down the road .
Auctioneers say there was intense interest in the site, selling well in excess of its £150,000 guide price at £275,000.
Speaking ahead of the auction, local historian Brian Taylor noted: "It is a feature of Holywell.
"There aren't many of these workhouses left in the country."
The original workhouse complex and adjoining chapel were Grade II listed 20 years ago.
The early Victorian building was designed by St Asaph architect John Welch and used as a workhouse for the poor of 14 parishes. It was built by Thomas Hughes of Liverpool and the contracter was Samuel Parry. There may have been alterations in 1869 and it was enlarged to the right in 1902. There were also some modern extensions during it's conversion to hospital use. It has the standard workhouse grid plan with separate courtyards for men and women and transverse and spinal ranges with a linking central octagon
The buildings are set in grounds of around 7.4 acres which have been allocated for housing development. It is thought up to 70 houses could be built on the site.
In 2006, television personality Cilla Black visited Lluesty as part of a BBC Wales programme called Coming Home with Cilla Black.
The building has a Classical front with coursed masonry, plinth and slate roofs. The main block is a three-storey, three-bay builing,advanced to the centre with a pediment. There are giant order pilasters, paired to the central bay, rising from the first floor sill band. There are small-pane sash windows including broad tripartite window to the second floor centre and round-headed windows to the first floor, as well as similar (round-headed) windows to the ground floor flanking the porch with a pedimented parapet. There are also two -storey, three-window wings set back, behind which the side elevations of the main block become rubble with similiar small-pane sash windows. At the right end of the building there is a two-storey, four-bay 1902 range with freestone dressings and a hipped roof.
There are also three-storey main courtyard ranges and a four-storey central octagonal block which have sashes without glazing bars.The spinal range continues to the rear of the octagon.
Over a year since being sold no work has been done on the buildings ,site security has been replaced by patrol security.Its been on my list for a few years but for a long time soon as you stepped on site security were straight on to you.Finally got around to checking this place out although it was a solo visit.
After finding access into the buildings i found it quite relaxing checking it out,quite surprised how many rooms there was.It's showing signs of deterioration,trashed and full of beer cans,needles,etc.(Very inviting).
After a good while in there i was on the 3rd floor near the front of the building when i heard voices from downstairs heading towards me(Bollocks).
Could it be Security or even Police? There are quite a few staircases in the place linking each floor at various places.I was close to one (luckily),so i made my way down it,as they headed up the other staircase.Within a few mins i was out(phew),i started to get a few externals from the middle of the site when 3 lads appeared out of the building walking towards me,so i stopped them for a chat.Apparently they had been in to retrieve their stash?and said it gave them a scare when they heard me upstairs.
I told them i couldn't care less what they were up to and i disappeared back in for more pics,maybe a bit foolish but there is always something that drives you on to explore a place against better judgement.A return visit is on the cards sometime soon as i started to get pushed for time.
The lads were still hanging around the site restlessly when i left,so if you planning a visit maybe go in numbers?
Quite stripped but at least i finally got around to seeing it.
On with the pics.
Thanks for looking.
Auctioneers say there was intense interest in the site, selling well in excess of its £150,000 guide price at £275,000.
Speaking ahead of the auction, local historian Brian Taylor noted: "It is a feature of Holywell.
"There aren't many of these workhouses left in the country."
The original workhouse complex and adjoining chapel were Grade II listed 20 years ago.
The early Victorian building was designed by St Asaph architect John Welch and used as a workhouse for the poor of 14 parishes. It was built by Thomas Hughes of Liverpool and the contracter was Samuel Parry. There may have been alterations in 1869 and it was enlarged to the right in 1902. There were also some modern extensions during it's conversion to hospital use. It has the standard workhouse grid plan with separate courtyards for men and women and transverse and spinal ranges with a linking central octagon
The buildings are set in grounds of around 7.4 acres which have been allocated for housing development. It is thought up to 70 houses could be built on the site.
In 2006, television personality Cilla Black visited Lluesty as part of a BBC Wales programme called Coming Home with Cilla Black.
The building has a Classical front with coursed masonry, plinth and slate roofs. The main block is a three-storey, three-bay builing,advanced to the centre with a pediment. There are giant order pilasters, paired to the central bay, rising from the first floor sill band. There are small-pane sash windows including broad tripartite window to the second floor centre and round-headed windows to the first floor, as well as similar (round-headed) windows to the ground floor flanking the porch with a pedimented parapet. There are also two -storey, three-window wings set back, behind which the side elevations of the main block become rubble with similiar small-pane sash windows. At the right end of the building there is a two-storey, four-bay 1902 range with freestone dressings and a hipped roof.
There are also three-storey main courtyard ranges and a four-storey central octagonal block which have sashes without glazing bars.The spinal range continues to the rear of the octagon.
Over a year since being sold no work has been done on the buildings ,site security has been replaced by patrol security.Its been on my list for a few years but for a long time soon as you stepped on site security were straight on to you.Finally got around to checking this place out although it was a solo visit.
After finding access into the buildings i found it quite relaxing checking it out,quite surprised how many rooms there was.It's showing signs of deterioration,trashed and full of beer cans,needles,etc.(Very inviting).
After a good while in there i was on the 3rd floor near the front of the building when i heard voices from downstairs heading towards me(Bollocks).
Could it be Security or even Police? There are quite a few staircases in the place linking each floor at various places.I was close to one (luckily),so i made my way down it,as they headed up the other staircase.Within a few mins i was out(phew),i started to get a few externals from the middle of the site when 3 lads appeared out of the building walking towards me,so i stopped them for a chat.Apparently they had been in to retrieve their stash?and said it gave them a scare when they heard me upstairs.
I told them i couldn't care less what they were up to and i disappeared back in for more pics,maybe a bit foolish but there is always something that drives you on to explore a place against better judgement.A return visit is on the cards sometime soon as i started to get pushed for time.
The lads were still hanging around the site restlessly when i left,so if you planning a visit maybe go in numbers?
Quite stripped but at least i finally got around to seeing it.
On with the pics.
Thanks for looking.
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