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- Apr 20, 2008
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Northumberland county lunatic asylum was first opened with 130 patients in 1859, which rapidly rose to 600 patients by 1889. The architect was Henry Walsh and the asylum was used in its normal manor up until 1996, then some of the central wards/areas were modernised and it was used for childrens and female (?) physcology until 2004. Where the remaining patients were moved over to the new asylum complex built immediatly next door. The last portion of the asylum to be open/used was the rear admin building which housed the patient bank and enquiries, this was closed apr 2006.
So 2yrs on from its last use and st georges stands fairly good condition!
there was a period before the proper boarding went up that people got in and made a mess of some of the lower front wards. However the main damage is as ever, damp.
Almost the entire lower floor of the whole site is decked out in solid wood herringbone pattern floors (teak?), which smells really nice!
The damp has made the floor expand leaving great mountains of floor pitched up between 1-4feet!
Ok the piccies are from a number of visits during 2008. Theres more on film, but I haven't dev'd it yet
And theres LOADS of them!
http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/images/006049.jpg
c1890 view across parkland.
Ok no new externals as security are pretty much on the ball.
guess where from!!
mmm symmetry
there isn't much space to tuck in behind up on the clock tower, and the clock had been removed in the 1980s (from what I've heard), but the views over the old and new hospital and this part of northumberland were stunning!
back down from the top in the projection room, this was my favourite bit!
the hall!
sorry no projectors, reckon they were removed in 2004.
projectionist art!! LOL
the cast iron staircase in the tower, really like these small footprint iron spirals, would love one in my house!
the hall! quite a bit bigger than the other two NE asylums of st marys and cherry knowles, and a bit different. the stage is IN the hall rather than in its own area with an opening into the main hall.
it really is in stunning condition, although it should be, its only been derelict 2yrs!
still got the stone fireplaces intact to heat the audiance. ah la high royds
prettty typical overhead lights, you see them all over UK asylums, in the wards, in the halls, in admin, in corridoors, but I think they're great, esp when all in tact like these.
Note the damp on the roof, thats due to the two holes in the roof! could be easily fixed in 30mins, but english partnerships who now own the site (?) obviously don't give a toss, which is pretty typical of them
in the attic above the hall, its pigeon infested and got two holes. EP sort it out you lazy gits!
moving away from the main hall into the 'unoccupied west wing'
and it gets dark, really dark, pitch black in some wards because of the boarding and lack of natural light into the corridoors (no windows, just little plastic skylights)
nope, no picture of that damn angel, I saw it before security damaged it, this is the opposite wall, same lighting, same ward, but I like it more lol.
yup, and it was pitch black, really grim in these units, built badly in the 50/60's and damp, and rotton and in generally bad nick.
little look outside from upstairs, totally want to climb that water tower and ride the washing line!!
dimm little additional ward, I think this was the wensleydale unit, behind here is the laundry/kitchens but after numerous attempts I couldn't figure out how to get in.
on the way back into the main ward from the side ward, really liked this corridoor, its dark, poorly lit (no boarding here, this is as much light as it would have ever received!) and leads to the additional ward (above) theres a very large toilet block just off to the right aswell.
heading back towards the centre, I missed out the nasty 'orange' ward which spans both floors, some parts of it used right up until the end as a staff kitchen/cafe/refreshment area for events held in the lecture theatre?
can't cross over into the east wing without seeing the crazy upside down board room. It was decorated as part of the 'wire in teh blood' tv series (ITV?). This image was a nightmare, its a stitch of 4/5images, but there were bits missing, so had to 'paint' in the missing tiles
light at the end of the tunnel!! What I noticed about st georges that st marys and cherry knowle don't have is the number of lockable doors with wired glass in the corridoors, seperating the wards, stairwells, lifts, junctions, everything, doors everywhere! maybe something more to do with fire protection than containing patients.
modernised wing used for physcology up until 2004. The smell of modern office carpet is overpowering.
far east wing, female (?), called brinkburn I think. This is my favourite ward because of the hospital blue paint, crazy design of roof tiles and the 50/60's dividers.
more of those dividers, you can see the crazy tile arrangement!
the best bit!! the toilet block off brinkburn ward (?) is lush, the curtain rails suspended on wires and the nasty old curtains, and behind me is a row of toilets with patterned windows and nice little brass fittings etc.
hospital property!
more gorgous corridoors back to the central area with the crazy floors and tiny amount of lighting, but the colours!
into the cloakroom, just off the main hall, in here is a few racks for patients coats, and in a lockable cage hangers for visitors and staffs coats?
mmm rejected numbers
more hangers, so photogenic these things!
the basement!
a felt fairy, added just for rooks
'handy andy' upright 'electronic hand towel' added just for dweeb!
in the childrens ward in the stairwell was some typical childrens hospital type paintings, then inbetween them and some of them modified by some previous visitors! really like the drawings, and theres loadsof them!
and thats it! I know its a lot of photos, but its from about 3 or 4 visits so put them in one uber report rather than a few minor reports.
more on my flicR
So 2yrs on from its last use and st georges stands fairly good condition!
there was a period before the proper boarding went up that people got in and made a mess of some of the lower front wards. However the main damage is as ever, damp.
Almost the entire lower floor of the whole site is decked out in solid wood herringbone pattern floors (teak?), which smells really nice!
The damp has made the floor expand leaving great mountains of floor pitched up between 1-4feet! Ok the piccies are from a number of visits during 2008. Theres more on film, but I haven't dev'd it yet
And theres LOADS of them!
http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/images/006049.jpg
c1890 view across parkland.
Ok no new externals as security are pretty much on the ball.
guess where from!!
mmm symmetry
there isn't much space to tuck in behind up on the clock tower, and the clock had been removed in the 1980s (from what I've heard), but the views over the old and new hospital and this part of northumberland were stunning!
back down from the top in the projection room, this was my favourite bit!
the hall!
sorry no projectors, reckon they were removed in 2004.
projectionist art!! LOL
the cast iron staircase in the tower, really like these small footprint iron spirals, would love one in my house!
the hall! quite a bit bigger than the other two NE asylums of st marys and cherry knowles, and a bit different. the stage is IN the hall rather than in its own area with an opening into the main hall.
it really is in stunning condition, although it should be, its only been derelict 2yrs!
still got the stone fireplaces intact to heat the audiance. ah la high royds
prettty typical overhead lights, you see them all over UK asylums, in the wards, in the halls, in admin, in corridoors, but I think they're great, esp when all in tact like these.
Note the damp on the roof, thats due to the two holes in the roof! could be easily fixed in 30mins, but english partnerships who now own the site (?) obviously don't give a toss, which is pretty typical of them
in the attic above the hall, its pigeon infested and got two holes. EP sort it out you lazy gits!
moving away from the main hall into the 'unoccupied west wing'
and it gets dark, really dark, pitch black in some wards because of the boarding and lack of natural light into the corridoors (no windows, just little plastic skylights)
nope, no picture of that damn angel, I saw it before security damaged it, this is the opposite wall, same lighting, same ward, but I like it more lol.
yup, and it was pitch black, really grim in these units, built badly in the 50/60's and damp, and rotton and in generally bad nick.
little look outside from upstairs, totally want to climb that water tower and ride the washing line!!
dimm little additional ward, I think this was the wensleydale unit, behind here is the laundry/kitchens but after numerous attempts I couldn't figure out how to get in.
on the way back into the main ward from the side ward, really liked this corridoor, its dark, poorly lit (no boarding here, this is as much light as it would have ever received!) and leads to the additional ward (above) theres a very large toilet block just off to the right aswell.
heading back towards the centre, I missed out the nasty 'orange' ward which spans both floors, some parts of it used right up until the end as a staff kitchen/cafe/refreshment area for events held in the lecture theatre?
can't cross over into the east wing without seeing the crazy upside down board room. It was decorated as part of the 'wire in teh blood' tv series (ITV?). This image was a nightmare, its a stitch of 4/5images, but there were bits missing, so had to 'paint' in the missing tiles
light at the end of the tunnel!! What I noticed about st georges that st marys and cherry knowle don't have is the number of lockable doors with wired glass in the corridoors, seperating the wards, stairwells, lifts, junctions, everything, doors everywhere! maybe something more to do with fire protection than containing patients.
modernised wing used for physcology up until 2004. The smell of modern office carpet is overpowering.
far east wing, female (?), called brinkburn I think. This is my favourite ward because of the hospital blue paint, crazy design of roof tiles and the 50/60's dividers.
more of those dividers, you can see the crazy tile arrangement!
the best bit!! the toilet block off brinkburn ward (?) is lush, the curtain rails suspended on wires and the nasty old curtains, and behind me is a row of toilets with patterned windows and nice little brass fittings etc.
hospital property!
more gorgous corridoors back to the central area with the crazy floors and tiny amount of lighting, but the colours!
into the cloakroom, just off the main hall, in here is a few racks for patients coats, and in a lockable cage hangers for visitors and staffs coats?
mmm rejected numbers
more hangers, so photogenic these things!
the basement!
a felt fairy, added just for rooks
'handy andy' upright 'electronic hand towel' added just for dweeb!
in the childrens ward in the stairwell was some typical childrens hospital type paintings, then inbetween them and some of them modified by some previous visitors! really like the drawings, and theres loadsof them!
and thats it! I know its a lot of photos, but its from about 3 or 4 visits so put them in one uber report rather than a few minor reports.
more on my flicR
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