Cane Hill December 2007

[mr_bones]

A return trip to Cane Hill has been on the cards for quite some time, but it has been put off time and again.


Having finally found our way in, we headed towards chapel, too dark to take a decent photo, we scouted over to Pugin/Paxton ward and onto Queens/Olave, before returning to the chapel for a better look. None of us hung around too long for obvious reasons, we were soon on our way.

Concentrating on the Male side of the hospital we entered Ruskin/Rosetti, and made our way anti-clockwise round to Shaftesbury/Salter, the very badly damaged remains of Turner, before approaching Vanbrugh/Vincent.

 

[mr_bones]

Moving on, we peered through to Wren/Wesley which more hazardous than ever. We skipped over it and went down to Zachary/York, and onto the area that straddles the corridor that contains the train mural.

Down the corridor to Nightingale, and over to the Female side of the hospital. We had a look at Andrewes/Alleyn and skipped over to the Cafeteria and down the steps to Mapother.

I was keen to see if the upstairs of Donne/Dickens was still accessible, and sure enough it was - but it's immaculate stairways had started to look like the rest of the hospital, flaking paint and muddy footprints had ruined its 'Fresh' appeal, it still offered some stunning views.

Skipping past Ellis we went to Faraday, it still remained in the same relatively good condition it was in when i last saw it, except for upstairs in the school of nursing which had been taken over completely by pigeons.

We were keen to see what condition the art room was in, and despite the floors leading upto it having nearly collapsed the art-room and all the artwork still looked in very good condition - despite being strewn all over the floor.

From the art room we made our way to Lidgett/Lettsom where the piano still remained in situ downstairs and the pool table (despite an extra pocket in the middle of the table!) sat ready to play on upstairs.

Our last major area of interest was the laundry which looked very decayed, and even the machinery was rusting peacefully away.

Cane Hill is still a very grand place, but nature is taking over more than ever! It was a great days explore.

 

[Goldie87]

Nice one mr bones, always good to see pics of cane hill
Was thinking of popping down there during the holiday,
but unfortunately didn't get the chance to in the end!

 

[Simon-G]

Great work Mr B, shure looks a big place, how long did it take you to explore? At least you had time to stop for a game of pool lol but I would't recommend the coffee

Simon-g

 

[Jondoe_264]

Ah, nice to see you have returned, it's been a while coming eh?

Looks like you covered quite a lot of ground there, having only been twice there's masses of the place I haven't seen and so your pictures are fascinating, as many of them are spots I've not personally been to, or don't recall very well.

I see from one of your pics that the floor has finally given up the ghost in the swampy room? If that's where it is? Looks like a few others will be following it shortly. I recon I'd have had to tidy that office up, make it all neat and ordered looking, LOL!

And just for you Sir . . . special!

JD

 

[Foxylady]

I recon I'd have had to tidy that office up, make it all neat and ordered looking, LOL!

That's how I felt about seeing the coffee table/seating area pic...big temptation to get out a black bag and some polish!

Superb set of photos, Mr B. The state of decay is just so dramatic now, if that makes sense. Excellent return visit.

 

[sheep2405]

Really nice work guys, would love to spend a day and night there to get the proper feel of the place.

S

 

[lilli]

Very nice to see you back in CH Mr Bones

 

[mr_bones]

Goldie - hopefully it will still be there when you do get a chance!

Simon-G, this trip was several hours.

JD - thanks for all your encouraging comments.

Lillimouse - thanks, you know how much i love this place

and thankyou everyone else - i don't think i will be hurrying back now. This trip was quite satisfying

 

[Richard Davies]

A great selection, plenty of views I've not seen on any other sites:

Where's that outside fire escape / staircare (file name: DSC_0068-2)? I've not seen it on any of the plans?

Plenty of oddly patterned wallpaper, especially the kite like example in the office.

Even the paintwork is garish, the purple walls & pale green door being the worst example.

Was Cane Hill air conditioned? I've noticed plenty of A/C like vents on the walls of various wards.

 

[mr_bones]

Thankyou Richard Davies, the exterior staircase is attached to Ruskin/Rosetti and by the looks of it was a much later addition.

As for the air conditioning, although there used to be a few old A/C units dumped in the engineering courtyard - i doubt they were installed in many areas. What you have pointed out is probably just for general ventilation or you may mean the wall mounted heaters?

 

[King Al]

Super Mr.B the chapel looks good which is good, any run ins with security

 

[mr_bones]

They were never far away KA, just have to be very quiet and keep an eye out!

 

[Lightbuoy]

Yet again, you've outdone yourself when it comes to CH -tip top report & pics buddy!

Lb

P.s. -happy new year!

 

[Simon]

Excellent.

Many Cane Hill tours have become parodies of themselves: simple retracing of the same routes, the same tired pictures, the same old haunts. Even the recent revival of Cane Hill in urban exploration circles has seen the same hackneyed material regurgitated for armies of armchair explorers.

This is significantly different and pushes the boundaries once more. Cane Hill is a huge structure and it's extremely refreshing and inspiring seeing other parts of the complex.

Additionally, I enjoyed the mix of exterior and interior shots. The facades of buildings have long been ignored and yet their profiles are just as dramatic and interesting as the warped and decaying interiors.

Good work Marlon.

All the best,
Simon

 

[Mr Sam]

you could get inside that washing machine

love seeing the chapple must pop down there at some point

 

[chelle]

This report and pics surpasses the others.......hats off mate
regards
Stu

 

[smileysal]

Excellent pics Mr B, especially like seeing the outside and the inside of the buildings. As said before, it's great to see different parts of the hospital, and this report certainly does that. Really enjoyed looking at the pic.

Cheers,

Sal