Bellsdyke Asylum April '08

[Cuban B.]

Stirling District Lunatic Asylum AKA Bellsdyke Hospital/Asylum opened in 1869 and closed in 1997. A smaller psychiatric hospital now stands in the corner of the grounds surrounded by a housing estate that's springing up around it.

The once large asylum was torn down in 2003 except for two buildings, I think the bigger of the two was originally a hospital block. I'd hazard a guess that Bellsdyke and Ruchill were designed by the same architect. Excuse the lack of detail as there's feck all about Bellsdyke on the internet, I'll update this thread once I find out more.

The main building.

Round the back.

Library.

There were two of these in each wing.

X-ray room?

This has a nice mosaic floor.

Top floor.

Me!

A staff room.

Art therapy room.

Main entrance.

The separate building.

The collapsed end of it.

Its main entrance.

 

[lost]

Nice work CB, didn't realise there was anything left of Bellsdyke!
I like that skylight.

 

[Cuban B.]

Thanks, everyone I've spoken to seems to think it was all flattened including myself. I was delighted to find some of it still standing even though it's badly trashed, now i need to track down plans and old pictures of it.

 

[MonkeyGirl]

Thought it was gone to! Looks like there's still some to see. Reminds me of ruchill a bit

 

[Richard Davies]

The bell gables are attractive, as it the remaining tilework.

Cane Hill isn't alone in having an exercise bike abandoned in a corridor.

Is that a mould your own gargoyle kit?

 

[Pete]

Some old images of Bellsdyke hospital, the Stirling District Asylum. Prob pre WWI.

Top: The annexe or 'succursal block' from the south west. This stood north of the main building.

Middle: Female TB sanatorium looking north, which occupied part of the south east section of the main building.

Bottom: The hospital block, from the south east. A similar angle as you photographed.

The other block you photographed was the admin block for the main building. I have a plan of sorts, pm me with your email addy and i will send it over.

BTW, the architects involved were William Stirling III and James Brown on main building in 1866-9, modified by A+W Black in 1893, who also designed the hospital block and later the nurse's home.

Ruchill was by a different architect, Alexander Beith McDonald and William Reid (City Surveyor and Asst. respectively), initially between 1895-1900 and up to 1913 for extensions.

hope this helps,

Pete

 

[wolfism]

Good to see your visit went well.

Those red casts of faces look like death masks … only a wee bit macabre.

There's a decent amount of info. on the building and its architects here, btw. The DoSA site sometimes doesn't show up on web searches, though.

 

[MD]

nice one mate looks like there is still plenty of bits and bobs to see
if you look around

 

[Flaxington]

great photos, love the gable ends on the admin block,
what happened to the roof?

what a waste of a fine building, is this bit earmarked for conversion?

 

[Cuban B.]

Thanks Pete those are the kind of pictures I was looking for. Looking at old maps of the site the main building doesn't seem to big, especially when you compare it with many of the English asylums. PM sent

There's been a few fires and attempted fires started in the building and this has caused most of the roof collapses, even with the damage you can still get round the whole ground floor and into the basement. The upstairs floors are very dodgy. The asylum's located in the middle of a building site for new homes and the buildings are to be retained if not converted but no work's started yet.

 

[Virusman26]

Jeez, what a mess. I do hate to see some of these places in the states that they are. Such a shame. Nice shots tho, good one!

 

[Foxylady]

Lovely and interesting looking building. I don't know why but I'd guess that the bell gables aren't all that common (apart from the places were there was Dutch/Flemish influence)? Cracking pics, btw.

 

[harvey2002]

Update on bellsdyke building

this once grand building has now been demolished and is now a pile of rubble. Such a shame.

 

[escortmad79]

Some pics of when I visited in April of this year: http://derelictionaddiction.fotopic.net/c1660875.html

It was here that I was forced to leg it across a muddy field when spotted by a workman on a digger who came charging towards me!