Sandhill Mental Asylum - update September 2010

[Saz123]

I visited Sandhill mental asylum today and I was really looking forward to an interesting explore after seeing several threads on here posted on the place. The asylum is situated just outside of Taunton in Bishops Lydeard, Somerset.Moreover, it was first used as a county house built in the 1920s, it was then used as a prisoner of war camp, then shortly after became a childrens mental hospital.

The place had a lot of threatening security signs and and even CCTV cameras everywhere.
Then, after being inside the site for just 2 minutes a man turned up in a truck and told us that the place was now private property and we should leave now. Even when I explained that I wasn't a chav and i wasn't going to torch the place or harm it in anyway he still bluntly refused entrance, so we stuck around for half an hour behind a hedge waiting for the miserable sod to leave. We then heard him setting alarms on and off and then resetting them in almost every building, so decided to leave.

So overall a dissapointing day, apparently it is going to be converted into appartments in the near future.Anyway, here are a few shots i got from the outside of the place, i wish i could have taken more!

Welcome to Sandhill Park, 'Home of blazes'

Thanks for looking!

 

[lizm73]

Always disappointing when you can't get inside, but at least you were there and got some external shots
There's always next weekend!!!!

 

[Foxylady]

Oh bugger! I didn't realise it was such a nice building...don't recall seeing exterior shots of the front before. I should've gone over there ages ago but looks like it's too late now.
Cheers for the update and lovely pics, Saz.

 

[audi-adam]

hi there , im new to this forum , was up at sandhill very very recently, had no problems at all , and didnt set any alarms off , all of the old school blocks (the modern buildings) are smashed up but then they have been since the late 90s , as far as i can make out there isnt a way into the mansion that dosnt fall under breaking and entering so thats a no no, anyway off to the introduction thread to introduce my self ,

 

[Saz123]

Oh bugger! I didn't realise it was such a nice building...don't recall seeing exterior shots of the front before. I should've gone over there ages ago but looks like it's too late now.
Cheers for the update and lovely pics, Saz.

thankyou! me and dad are going to get up there early morning one saturday and have a better look around, it looks such an interesting place!

 

[lost]

Nice work! A better report than many people twice your age. I hope your dad's taken the 'IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR PARENTS' in.

 

[ali69734]

It sounds like this place is getting tighter on security then, i was aware patrols are quite regular. You mention CCTV everywhere can you remember how many cameras there were? Also you mention about alarms being tested, surely these were only in the main building and not the wrecked outer buildings?

I guess the only reason they don't want people up there is because of liability which is fair enough. Went up there about 2 years ago and spent a good couple of hours in the main building and there was no security, CCTV or alarms.

 

[Mad Larkin]

nice report and pics!

the guy was most likely testing the fire alarms, they should be done once a week.
no idea why they'd have cctv on derelict buildings mind you, they usually go up when there's something worth protecting on site

(i work for an alarm company)

 

[ShellyDuckDuck]

Wot a top building,wud b nice 2 get inside b4 they turn it in2 apartments,gud pics

 

[ali69734]

nice report and pics!

the guy was most likely testing the fire alarms, they should be done once a week.
no idea why they'd have cctv on derelict buildings mind you, they usually go up when there's something worth protecting on site

(i work for an alarm company)

There are security sirens fitted throughout the building and i presume the CCTV is to catch anybody in the act of further vandalism perhaps? No fire alarms in there anymore i doubt.

I think its all about liability to be honest and the risk of people getting injured. There are signs plastered around the place stating its unsafe so i guess its to cover their own backs.

 

[tauntonjams]

used to go up there quite a bit, there is ways of getting in to the main building. well was!
Havent been up there for a good few months, so even those access points may have been sealed. Was up for sale for a figure i cant even start to compute, £2,750,000!! I'll take two

I have some pics on my comp somewhere, ill dig them out and post them when i have a bit more time


TJ

 

[krela]

Was up for sale for a figure i cant even start to compute, £2,750,000!!

Yep, that's how much of a premium there is on homebuilding land in the south west...

 

[tumbles]

Yep, that's how much of a premium there is on homebuilding land in the south west...

I notice Bristol General is up for sale.. I reckon that'll go for £10m+

 

[tauntonjams]

Yep, that's how much of a premium there is on homebuilding land in the south west...

Insane... And having seen the inside of the Main Building, you would need that AGAIN to put it right. Had to step OVER one of the floors as it had gone like this... __/\__ was crazy!

 

[krela]

Insane... And having seen the inside of the Main Building, you would need that AGAIN to put it right. Had to step OVER one of the floors as it had gone like this... __/\__ was crazy!

Don't be daft, it'll get bulldozed and turned into a housing estate.

 

[tumbles]

Don't be daft, it'll get bulldozed and turned into a housing estate.

Is it not listed... actually if so it'd probably be torched by now...

 

[tauntonjams]

Don't be daft, it'll get bulldozed and turned into a housing estate.

the main buuilding is grade two listed according to a bit of research. The main buildings going to be converted. The rest of the buildings will probs be flattened.
http://countryhouses.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/when-enabling-development-makes-things-worse-sandhill-park-somerset/