History from Wikipedia
The hospital was designed by Frank Whitmore and William Town using an echelon formation layout. The foundation stone was laid by Sir Thomas Barrett-Lennard in June 1910 and it opened as the Second Essex County Asylum in May 1913. Villas were constructed around the main hospital building as accommodation blocks and there was a detached building for the medical superintendent. The nurses' home was extended and the whole facility was renamed the Essex and Colchester Mental Hospital in the 1930s.
In August 1942 the hospital was subjected to a bombing by the Luftwaffe. Three 500lb bombs were dropped on the west wing of the hospital and 38 patients were killed, many of which were buried in nearby Colchester Crematorium. Immediately after the bombing a 21-year-old nurse of the hospital, Murial Jackson, attempted to save patients and was able to direct doctors to the injured using just a torch.
Psychiatric experiments
In the 1950s psychiatrists experimented with new treatments on patients using practices now considered unsuitable such as the use of frontal lobotomy. A project was subsequently initiated by the North East Essex Mental Health Trust to research this. Joan Busfield, Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex, proposed a former research student of hers, Diana Gittins. Funding was secured by the Trust and the study commenced in May 1995 for a two-year period.
In her book Madness in Its Place: Narratives of Severalls Hospital, 1913–1997, Gittins, summarised her research, noting that often women were admitted by their own family, sometimes as the result of bearing illegitimate children or because they had been raped. As they would not always (or were unable to) carry out daily tasks, they were considered to be insane and some were even subjected to electroconvulsive therapy and lobotomy.
Closure and redevelopment
The hospital joined the National Health Service in 1948. After the introduction of Care in the Community in the early 1980s the hospital went into a period of decline and eventually closed in March 1997. The North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust announced the sale of the site to a consortium of Bellway, Taylor Wimpey and Bloor Homes in February 2016.
By summer 2017 the site had been cleared and work had started on 730 new homes.
The explore
I know this site has been done to death but it was my local and my first ever big explore that got me addicted to this hobby.
Sadly in 2016 95% of the place was flattened.
After many visits to sevs in the past managed to see everything except inside the admin building. Driving past summer 2019 the site was unrecognizable but could see the water tower and admin still standing so decided to go for a mooch.
Managed to get to admin building that now stands on it own and finally got to see this beauty thats currently being restored.
Then headed for the water tower but no luck due to builders tarmacking the road close to it.
Returned in October with the intention to clime the tower its not hard to spot the access point but was in full view of the show home thats right next to it.
Got caught twice by matey in the show home so buggered off for a few hours to try again to catch the sun set ffs busted again. after a bit a googleing there was only 20 mins until the sales office was due to close so parked up close by and staked it out the second he left we went for it finally 4th time lucky.
Missed the sun set and was nearly dark but well worth it.
Have been through my old photos and done some before and afters.
The old metal walk way round the outside has been replaced also all the tanks have been removed and the lower level has been filled with rubble to almost the height of the doors.
oct 2019
2016
2019
2016
2019
2016
2019
2016
2019
2016
2019
2016
2019
2019
2019 inside
2019 around the site
2016 this was demolished but rebuilt to the same design in the same place
2019
The hospital was designed by Frank Whitmore and William Town using an echelon formation layout. The foundation stone was laid by Sir Thomas Barrett-Lennard in June 1910 and it opened as the Second Essex County Asylum in May 1913. Villas were constructed around the main hospital building as accommodation blocks and there was a detached building for the medical superintendent. The nurses' home was extended and the whole facility was renamed the Essex and Colchester Mental Hospital in the 1930s.
In August 1942 the hospital was subjected to a bombing by the Luftwaffe. Three 500lb bombs were dropped on the west wing of the hospital and 38 patients were killed, many of which were buried in nearby Colchester Crematorium. Immediately after the bombing a 21-year-old nurse of the hospital, Murial Jackson, attempted to save patients and was able to direct doctors to the injured using just a torch.
Psychiatric experiments
In the 1950s psychiatrists experimented with new treatments on patients using practices now considered unsuitable such as the use of frontal lobotomy. A project was subsequently initiated by the North East Essex Mental Health Trust to research this. Joan Busfield, Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex, proposed a former research student of hers, Diana Gittins. Funding was secured by the Trust and the study commenced in May 1995 for a two-year period.
In her book Madness in Its Place: Narratives of Severalls Hospital, 1913–1997, Gittins, summarised her research, noting that often women were admitted by their own family, sometimes as the result of bearing illegitimate children or because they had been raped. As they would not always (or were unable to) carry out daily tasks, they were considered to be insane and some were even subjected to electroconvulsive therapy and lobotomy.
Closure and redevelopment
The hospital joined the National Health Service in 1948. After the introduction of Care in the Community in the early 1980s the hospital went into a period of decline and eventually closed in March 1997. The North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust announced the sale of the site to a consortium of Bellway, Taylor Wimpey and Bloor Homes in February 2016.
By summer 2017 the site had been cleared and work had started on 730 new homes.
The explore
I know this site has been done to death but it was my local and my first ever big explore that got me addicted to this hobby.
Sadly in 2016 95% of the place was flattened.
After many visits to sevs in the past managed to see everything except inside the admin building. Driving past summer 2019 the site was unrecognizable but could see the water tower and admin still standing so decided to go for a mooch.
Managed to get to admin building that now stands on it own and finally got to see this beauty thats currently being restored.
Then headed for the water tower but no luck due to builders tarmacking the road close to it.
Returned in October with the intention to clime the tower its not hard to spot the access point but was in full view of the show home thats right next to it.
Got caught twice by matey in the show home so buggered off for a few hours to try again to catch the sun set ffs busted again. after a bit a googleing there was only 20 mins until the sales office was due to close so parked up close by and staked it out the second he left we went for it finally 4th time lucky.
Missed the sun set and was nearly dark but well worth it.
Have been through my old photos and done some before and afters.
The old metal walk way round the outside has been replaced also all the tanks have been removed and the lower level has been filled with rubble to almost the height of the doors.
oct 2019
2016
2019
2016
2019
2016
2019
2016
2019
2016
2019
2016
2019
2019
2019 inside
2019 around the site
2016 this was demolished but rebuilt to the same design in the same place
2019