Report - Mid wales hospital, Talgarth- June 2022

[ick]

Okay first backpost: obviously no-one has ever seen this rarely seen location )
History
Black Mountain Business park... ahem Brecon and Radnor Joint Asylum opened in 1903, taking 3 years to build designed by Giles, Gough and Trollope in a plan that gave a ring of wards around a central yard with service buildings on the back dividing 12 wards for men and women, at the front of the complex an adminstration black, a tuberculosis isplation hospital, chapel and mourtuary were also built on site.
Originally built for 352 people this soon fell into overcrows ment, partially caused by the affect on soldiers from ww1, a grave of J Lewis of the Welsh regiment can be found behind the hospital.

In 1921 the hospital became Mid Wales Counties Mental Hospital.
Come the second world war 315 beds were put towards the war effort (later on in the war these became for POWs) most being given back to the hospital in 1946. Come 1955 overcrowding got worse as poulation hit almost 500, 40 years later this had died down averaging at about 140. Shutting in 1999, it was then sold off. Later becoming black mountain business park eventully going into liquidation in 2008 and falling into the state its in now.
Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the photos, being my first report any feedback would be gladly appreciated!

Some stairs because i'm a huge fan of stairs...🤦‍♀️

 

[HughieD]

Still lots of great decay to be shot. Good effort there.

 

[ick]

Still lots of great decay to be shot. Good effort there.

I definatately agree, i found that most of my photos with more of it, the quality wasn't as crisp sadly ://
Thank you!

 

[Fuzzball]

I always enjoy seeing Talgarth, probably because it's this big fug of accelerated entropy., where there's extra decay every time someone visits. You went on a day when it all looks particularly lush. Nice to see a side order of extra history - regarding the memorial. It's a chocolate box of textures and decay colours, this place, nicely conveyed. It really does mostly look like some wrecked village of houses than a hospital now.

This shoe-horned corridor behind the stage is a weird one. It's barely accessible now isn't it? I initially thought it was a projector room, but it's at the opposite end of the hall and doesn't overlook the hall at all. It's some weird office I think.

There's supposed to be pipe tunnels under the hospital, but perhaps they've all been filled in?

 

[ick]

I always enjoy seeing Talgarth, probably because it's this big fug of accelerated entropy., where there's extra decay every time someone visits. You went on a day when it all looks particularly lush. Nice to see a side order of extra history - regarding the memorial. It's a chocolate box of textures and decay colours, this place, nicely conveyed. It really does mostly look like some wrecked village of houses than a hospital now.

I agree completely, even before I was a member here checking the reports going back in time from other people was really interesting which brought a whole new depth to when I finally managed to do so myself being able to compare it! I originally didn't know about it the first time, It wasn't until months later in Nov that I saw about it and went up the day after remembrance Sunday to see for myself!

Fuzzball:

This shoe-horned corridor behind the stage is a weird one. It's barely accessible now isn't it? I initially thought it was a projector room, but it's at the opposite end of the hall and doesn't overlook the hall at all. It's some weird office I think

I think I remember the room you mean, to my knowledge I think it was just about do-able when I went, if it's not the same I may have missed it due to being a little pressed for time.

In relation to the subterranean levels of the hospital, I do seem to remember seeing a way into them. We missed then out again for time, however I saw a short on YouTube where someone had been down them recently so we had planed to go in Nov specially alongside the grave however due to fresh boards and having a man in a car drive up and down the road while taking exterior photos we were unable to get inside. Perhaps this year will be a revisit as there was so much more that we didn't get a chance to see ://

 

[ick]

I have just found these on the High Royds Hospital website

 

[Fuzzball]

Oh, thanks for the heads-up. I shall have a ganders at Youtube and have a look.

Ahh yes! The High Royds site, there's bits and bobs from different asylums on that site. Wasn't expecting to find Talgarth on it! Thanks for posting. I've added a red line where that 1st floor concrete spur is. The 1st floor corridor accessible from the staircase is proper naffed, and that's why we didn't try and access the spur on our trip. Picture 11 in your post shows that corridor las if you were at the top of the stairs and looking left (?) If I remember correctly, and then the spur would be straight in front.

Yes, same, it's really interesting to see the progression in the different posts, especially in a recent one which actually focused on the decline and the comparisons. Crazy how quickly it all disintegrated. One giant petri dish as well.

 

[ick]

Oh, thanks for the heads-up. I shall have a ganders at Youtube and have a look.

Ahh yes! The High Royds site, there's bits and bobs from different asylums on that site. Wasn't expecting to find Talgarth on it! Thanks for posting. I've added a red line where that 1st floor concrete spur is. The 1st floor corridor accessible from the staircase is proper naffed, and that's why we didn't try and access the spur on our trip. Picture 11 in your post shows that corridor las if you were at the top of the stairs and looking left (?) If I remember correctly, and then the spur would be straight in front.

Yes, same, it's really interesting to see the progression in the different posts, especially in a recent one which actually focused on the decline and the comparisons. Crazy how quickly it all disintegrated. One giant petri dish as well.

I had a little look and couldn't see it, but we all know how bad the algorithm is for finding things we actually want to see on there so I will have a further look.
It's a great website, I would be a dream at somepoint to be able to spend time just sat looking though the vastness of the plans in person
Looking back through my photos from around that point, I'm pretty sure that's exactly where I was in that photo, as the spur is 6 after in my roll. The pictures I have from there look very worse for wear. I had thought about using a plank of wood or something to make a bridge for the gap to try and access the other side but I feel even with that it would still be a deathtrap.
I found it rather interesting to compare to Denbigh of which I went to many times as a kid how it was this medium of being in better condition yet just as derelict the same time. And even from corridor to corridor. I like that analogy!

 

[GRONK]

Great report mate, what a fall from grace that place has had :/

 

[tumbles]

Oh, thanks for the heads-up. I shall have a ganders at Youtube and have a look.

Ahh yes! The High Royds site, there's bits and bobs from different asylums on that site. Wasn't expecting to find Talgarth on it! Thanks for posting. I've added a red line where that 1st floor concrete spur is. The 1st floor corridor accessible from the staircase is proper naffed, and that's why we didn't try and access the spur on our trip. Picture 11 in your post shows that corridor las if you were at the top of the stairs and looking left (?) If I remember correctly, and then the spur would be straight in front.

Yes, same, it's really interesting to see the progression in the different posts, especially in a recent one which actually focused on the decline and the comparisons. Crazy how quickly it all disintegrated. One giant petri dish as well.

Many years ago we saved the entire set of original plans from mid wales that were just left rotting away in a cupboard of admin. Mark has scanned/photographed a fair few as you’ll see on his HR site

Re projector room they installed a later one, no idea why, at the stage end of the hall. So effectively you had one at each end. I think I probably have a photo of both rooms somewhere.

 

[ick]

Great report mate, what a fall from grace that place has had :/

Thank you! I agree, My only regret is not seeing it years before before it got so bad.

Many years ago we saved the entire set of original plans from mid wales that were just left rotting away in a cupboard of admin. Mark has scanned/photographed a fair few as you’ll see on his HR site

Re projector room they installed a later one, no idea why, at the stage end of the hall. So effectively you had one at each end. I think I probably have a photo of both rooms somewhere.

That's brilliant, I'm glad that they were found and saved before the inevitable could happen to them. Just looking at the photos on his site the plans look absolutely huge!

Ooo okay thank you very much for the information that's very interesting to know as I had been in a conversation with fuzzball trying to work it out a couple of days ago! If you happened to find the pictures I would love to see them!

 

[Fuzzball]

I had a little look and couldn't see it, but we all know how bad the algorithm is for finding things we actually want to see on there so I will have a further look.
It's a great website, I would be a dream at somepoint to be able to spend time just sat looking though the vastness of the plans in person
Looking back through my photos from around that point, I'm pretty sure that's exactly where I was in that photo, as the spur is 6 after in my roll. The pictures I have from there look very worse for wear. I had thought about using a plank of wood or something to make a bridge for the gap to try and access the other side but I feel even with that it would still be a deathtrap.
I found it rather interesting to compare to Denbigh of which I went to many times as a kid how it was this medium of being in better condition yet just as derelict the same time. And even from corridor to corridor. I like that analogy!

Yes. Denbigh and Talgarth have passed each on the way down / up due to their respective situations. Denbigh closed earlier and therefore had longer to decay, but Talgarth had the roofing stripped quickly so Talgarth now looks like its been abandoned for far longer while Denbigh has had new roofing placed over it and the decay has slowed. It's still all go for Talgarth though. It's like the Titanic now - just waiting for it to collapse in on itself.