St Martins Hospital
This site has been well covered in recent times, there are several reports on here about it, but I thought I'd chuck mine on here too, because why not…
The site originally was home to a manor house, called Stone House. This part was utilized and converted to accommodate female patients. William Joseph Jennings and Gray were the architects responsible for designing the layout of the site. It is laid out in what's called a' Compact Arrow Plan'.
The Compact Arrow Plan revolutionized the design and construction of asylums throughout the UK. The Compact Arrow Plan was thought up by architect George Thomas Hine, he specialized in asylum architecture. Hine's asylum designs had several distinguishing features that can be used to identify any of his many projects. All were built in red brick and had grey stonework. His later designs often feature a polychrome white/red brick pattern. There is a long list of asylums he's responsible for designing or redeveloping.
Hine died in 1916, but his legacy lived on, and his design is still used to this day.
Opening around 1902, under the name of Canterbury Borough Asylum, it was one of the smallest lunatic asylums around at the time containing around 250 beds, it's still a big site though, I found myself getting lost quite a few times!
Just after world war one, the site was renamed to Canterbury City Mental Hospital. The term asylum was dropped in favour of mental hospital. This was part of a national trend at the time to modernize the image of mental health institutions.
Few changes were made as far as new buildings were concerned, although numbers of patients increased in the period prior to World War Two. This was partially due to a number of patients from the Kent County Mental Hospital at Chartham being relocated when its new admission's hospital was requisitioned for the War effort.
After the end of World War Two, the site got its name of St Martin's Hospital, named after a local church. Various changes were made to the site over the years, and some services such as the stores and laundry being moved off-site, to the nearby St. Augustine’s Hospital.
After the introduction of 'Care In The Community' in the early 1980s, the hospital went into a period of decline and patient services significantly reduced. The site hung on during the early 2000s, but eventually, in late 2019 it had to shut its doors most of the site was sold off to Homes England, the majority of the site now being used for police training.
Me and @dansgas1000 made the drive to Canterbury after a tip off from a friend, a short walk through some woodland and we were in. We spent the best part of 6 hours inside, only leaving as we run out of daylight (oh the joys of winter!)
There was a security style hut out front, but we didn't see another soul all day.
I'd have preferred a bit more decay, but can't grumble! I'm still glad we managed to get this one done as it was a nice explore.
An old photo from back in the day St Martin's Hospital, Canterbury - County Asylums
This part was very dark, I'm gald I managed to photograph it as I liked the artworks on the walls.
Storage room for information and paperwork
I like the leaves flowing in through the window in this shot.
Ended up having an 'urbex shit' in this toilet. Luckily there was ample toilet paper.
Finally, some proper decay!
This site has been well covered in recent times, there are several reports on here about it, but I thought I'd chuck mine on here too, because why not…
The site originally was home to a manor house, called Stone House. This part was utilized and converted to accommodate female patients. William Joseph Jennings and Gray were the architects responsible for designing the layout of the site. It is laid out in what's called a' Compact Arrow Plan'.
The Compact Arrow Plan revolutionized the design and construction of asylums throughout the UK. The Compact Arrow Plan was thought up by architect George Thomas Hine, he specialized in asylum architecture. Hine's asylum designs had several distinguishing features that can be used to identify any of his many projects. All were built in red brick and had grey stonework. His later designs often feature a polychrome white/red brick pattern. There is a long list of asylums he's responsible for designing or redeveloping.
Hine died in 1916, but his legacy lived on, and his design is still used to this day.
Opening around 1902, under the name of Canterbury Borough Asylum, it was one of the smallest lunatic asylums around at the time containing around 250 beds, it's still a big site though, I found myself getting lost quite a few times!
Just after world war one, the site was renamed to Canterbury City Mental Hospital. The term asylum was dropped in favour of mental hospital. This was part of a national trend at the time to modernize the image of mental health institutions.
Few changes were made as far as new buildings were concerned, although numbers of patients increased in the period prior to World War Two. This was partially due to a number of patients from the Kent County Mental Hospital at Chartham being relocated when its new admission's hospital was requisitioned for the War effort.
After the end of World War Two, the site got its name of St Martin's Hospital, named after a local church. Various changes were made to the site over the years, and some services such as the stores and laundry being moved off-site, to the nearby St. Augustine’s Hospital.
After the introduction of 'Care In The Community' in the early 1980s, the hospital went into a period of decline and patient services significantly reduced. The site hung on during the early 2000s, but eventually, in late 2019 it had to shut its doors most of the site was sold off to Homes England, the majority of the site now being used for police training.
Me and @dansgas1000 made the drive to Canterbury after a tip off from a friend, a short walk through some woodland and we were in. We spent the best part of 6 hours inside, only leaving as we run out of daylight (oh the joys of winter!)
There was a security style hut out front, but we didn't see another soul all day.
I'd have preferred a bit more decay, but can't grumble! I'm still glad we managed to get this one done as it was a nice explore.
An old photo from back in the day St Martin's Hospital, Canterbury - County Asylums
This part was very dark, I'm gald I managed to photograph it as I liked the artworks on the walls.
Storage room for information and paperwork
I like the leaves flowing in through the window in this shot.
Ended up having an 'urbex shit' in this toilet. Luckily there was ample toilet paper.
Finally, some proper decay!
