Cane Hill - Late Nov.'08 (Pic Heavy)

I visited Cane Hill for the second time back in late November '08 with Oxygen.
The previous visit in early November had ended on the ground floor of Browning Blake (having covered the rest of the female side), only getting as far as the stairs leading up before deciding the light was well and truly against us (Mex, Esposa...this is what was waiting for us upstairs!)

The conditions on the day were pretty shit - very overcast, rain, wind, knackered tripod, camera shake, excuses etc...so this is the best of a bad job.

I wish I'd done the explore 10 years earlier when it wasn't a water logged swamp, but better late than never.

Thanks to Oxygen for being a dude...and yes, it's all Browning Blake.


I've been back since on a solo all-nighter which was an absolute blast and I'll upload the pictures and video's as soon as I get time.

Nice work. Having been there before any of the destruction, I find it sad seeing it swimming with water and everything more messed up than it ever was

Really moving pix, there's such character there. I love the piano and bath images and they would look haunting in monochrome. An all-nighter...wow..you're brave

Thanks for the feedback.
Much appreciated.

As for the all-nighter, and I know this is going to sound odd, but it really wasn't as scary as I thought it might be - if anything, it left me with a really sad feeling; exciting, but ultimately sad.

Interesting...why sad?

It'll probably make little to no sense, but there was an overwhelming feeling of isolation and knowing that I was the only person there, loneliness.
It made me think of all the people who had lived there in the past; not just those who were so conditioned and institutionalised and used to the place, but those who were dumped in it because they were different through whatever disability or even unwed pregnant women.

There were a huge number of people who shouldn't have been there and I can only imagine how horrific it must have been for them.
For that, along with the derelict and vandalised state of the building, I felt sad and almost as if I were walking through the carnage of an accident.

I've always thought it odd that we try so hard to get into a place like Cane Hill, when so many were desperate to get out.

Power Junkie said:

I've always thought it odd that we try so hard to get into a place like Cane Hill, when so many were desperate to get out.

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Funnily enough, I found a patient report on my last visit from 1983 stating "patient refuses to come to Cane Hill. Bed no longer required." How was it that she had a choice in the matter?

Lovely pics there PJ

Liam, I think that once Care in the Community had kicked in, patients began to be moved into the community in preparation for closure. Despite Cane Hill being capable of holding 2000+, it's population at closure was only 246.

Winchester said:

Liam, I think that once Care in the Community had kicked in, patients began to be moved into the community in preparation for closure.

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That was pretty much before Care in the Community kicked in, wasn't it? The act was passed in 1983, but I certainly would doubt it had much effect on that patient so soon.

Ah, the Act was passed, but the thoughts had been about before. If the patient had other satisfacory arrangement where they could have been supported to live, then their preference could have been accomodated.

LiamCH said:

Funnily enough, I found a patient report on my last visit from 1983 stating "patient refuses to come to Cane Hill. Bed no longer required." How was it that she had a choice in the matter?

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I suppose it would depend on the nature of the mental illness of that particular patient.
There was still a small spectrum of choice for a service user and it wasn't a case of them all being sectioned.

LiamCH said:

Funnily enough, I found a patient report on my last visit from 1983 stating "patient refuses to come to Cane Hill. Bed no longer required." How was it that she had a choice in the matter?

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The matter of personal choice for admission had been in place since 1930 when an act was passed enabling patients to admit themselves 'voluntarily' (now 'informally') for treatment, partly for which purpose admission hospital complexes were developed. After 1960 this was expanded when the certification was abolished and all existing certified patients were reclassified as voluntary and had no legal obligation to stay unless placed on a section. Unfortunately as was so often the case, there was little ability to discharge the long stay 'chronic' patients often due to institutionialisation, behavioural problems, breakdown of outside family/support networks and sadly intolerance of society. A lot of work was done in the 1960's to resettle this type of placement in sheltered/hostel type accommodation assisted by day hospitals, occupational and industrial therapy units and it was during this time that hospital inpatient figures dropped considerably. The commencement of acute units in district general hospitals took away many of the short stay patients during the 1970's and 80's and by large scale closure frequently all that would be left would be elderly patients with organic diseases such as senile dementia, the most difficult to place chronic patients and occasionally acute patients from areas not yet reprovided in their DGH. The difficulty in planning relocation for PICU's and Medium secure units mean that these often outlive the surrounding hospitals by years.

It does seem bizarre that people should want to be admitted voluntarily to hospital but at the time there would frequently be few alternatives and it would be preferable to enter a mental hospital than go without outside. Bizarrely, much of the outpatient early community treatment originated from the more progressive mental hospitals and the 1983 act was merely an enforcing act for the remainder. Pre-closure phase many hospitals had acheived better therapeutic records and good reputations which slipped as finance was withdrawn and only the most problematic patients remained. It seems perhaps unfortunate now to think that certain facilities such as drugs/alchoholism detoxification units, brain injury rehab, eating disorder, neurosis, secure and intensive care facilities are now heavily in demand but there are far fewer available placements, frequently only available now on a regional basis. In fact the crisis in available acute spaces now frequently results in patients transferred farther than they would have been pre hospital closure.

Pete

Thanks for the info Pete, really interesting stuff there.

Power Junkie said:

It'll probably make little to no sense, but there was an overwhelming feeling of isolation and knowing that I was the only person there, loneliness.
It made me think of all the people who had lived there in the past; not just those who were so conditioned and institutionalised and used to the place, but those who were dumped in it because they were different through whatever disability or even unwed pregnant women.

There were a huge number of people who shouldn't have been there and I can only imagine how horrific it must have been for them.
For that, along with the derelict and vandalised state of the building, I felt sad and almost as if I were walking through the carnage of an accident.

I've always thought it odd that we try so hard to get into a place like Cane Hill, when so many were desperate to get out.

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I get ya, you really absorbed the happenings that took place there. So many stories.

Horrible place but fascinating all the same............nice to see how much of our money the NHS threw away leaving all the beds and linen and curtains etc etc behind when they closed it down.....
On a sort of similar theme (apologies in advance.... no hijack intended).....did anyone see that film 'The Magdalene Sisters" the other night about the 'laundries' ran by Nuns that young girls and women were put in in Ireland just for being ...ahem....a little 'wayward' or simply because they were preganant outside of marriage etc????? .........
.....Would imagine those places were very similar to Cane Hill............
.......Horrible.

Power Junkie said:

It'll probably make little to no sense, but there was an overwhelming feeling of isolation and knowing that I was the only person there, loneliness...

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I understand that feeling very well as I've felt the same in some of the places I've been to...especially when you're on your own, the feeling of isolation compounded by the degree of dereliction can be quite disturbing sometimes.

smiffy said:

...did anyone see that film 'The Magdalene Sisters" the other night about the 'laundries' ran by Nuns that young girls and women were put in in Ireland just for being ...ahem....a little 'wayward' or simply because they were preganant outside of marriage etc?????

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Apologies from me too, for going off-topic, but although I didn't see the film, I oce knew a bloke who'd been brought up in an orphanage run by nuns in Ireland and he said they were the most uncaring and sadistic people he'd ever met. I remember some 15 years ago the Irish government had to pay out millions of squids in compensation to people who'd been in these kinds of institutions because of the way they were treated.

Foxylady said:

I understand that feeling very well as I've felt the same in some of the places I've been to...especially when you're on your own, the feeling of isolation compounded by the degree of dereliction can be quite disturbing sometimes.



Apologies from me too, for going off-topic, but although I didn't see the film, I oce knew a bloke who'd been brought up in an orphanage run by nuns in Ireland and he said they were the most uncaring and sadistic people he'd ever met. I remember some 15 years ago the Irish government had to pay out millions of squids in compensation to people who'd been in these kinds of institutions because of the way they were treated.

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Can't say too much but the company I used to work for was seeking compansation for people who had been mistreated in care, in both here & in Ireland.