Semi failed, but fun visit this one.
Quick bit of history - but from what I've heard from friends who worked there before it closed - it was quite an unpleasant place, especially for single mums:
Also, interesting three part doc on YouTube:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
We went a fortnight ago but as we're new to UE, we weren't sure how to both get to the entrance we’d found (I managed to get in and got a few internal pics, but didn't hang around solo for too long) so after coming up with, and testing, a few different ideas, last night we came back prepared (ish).
As soon as we got on site, we heard a loud crash from within the nearest building so hung back for a bit to see if it continued - which it didn't, so set off to find the entrance we'd found earlier.
Once there, we spent a good while trying to get in - but kept getting distracted by sounds in the woods and we struggled to get to where we needed to be - the missus won't kill me for saying, but when she started to have a panic attack perched on a lintel - we thought we were maybe pushing our luck.
Good timing though as we heard a gate open and a white van drive into the perimeter so ducked behind a wall and held back for a while, then decided to wander back the way we came - straight into two security guards.
They were the nicest guys, walking us back to open the gate we came through while chatting about the problems they've been having with some major theft at from the part of the hospital still open – so police are all over the site at the moment.
They were telling us how they've had kids throwing slates at them from the roof, so they’re on guard a bit more now and the building is basically a death trap. They also explained what they’re building at the rear of the hospital (which we’d passed on the way in) which is going to be a bat house to move the bats from the building before they start to clear it out.
Finally, they showed us a much easier way across the fields back to the car – helping us avoid most of the cow poop.
Pics (mostly from the first attempt when I did get inside for a few rooms):
Quick bit of history - but from what I've heard from friends who worked there before it closed - it was quite an unpleasant place, especially for single mums:
Also, interesting three part doc on YouTube:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
We went a fortnight ago but as we're new to UE, we weren't sure how to both get to the entrance we’d found (I managed to get in and got a few internal pics, but didn't hang around solo for too long) so after coming up with, and testing, a few different ideas, last night we came back prepared (ish).
As soon as we got on site, we heard a loud crash from within the nearest building so hung back for a bit to see if it continued - which it didn't, so set off to find the entrance we'd found earlier.
Once there, we spent a good while trying to get in - but kept getting distracted by sounds in the woods and we struggled to get to where we needed to be - the missus won't kill me for saying, but when she started to have a panic attack perched on a lintel - we thought we were maybe pushing our luck.
Good timing though as we heard a gate open and a white van drive into the perimeter so ducked behind a wall and held back for a while, then decided to wander back the way we came - straight into two security guards.
They were the nicest guys, walking us back to open the gate we came through while chatting about the problems they've been having with some major theft at from the part of the hospital still open – so police are all over the site at the moment.
They were telling us how they've had kids throwing slates at them from the roof, so they’re on guard a bit more now and the building is basically a death trap. They also explained what they’re building at the rear of the hospital (which we’d passed on the way in) which is going to be a bat house to move the bats from the building before they start to clear it out.
Finally, they showed us a much easier way across the fields back to the car – helping us avoid most of the cow poop.
Pics (mostly from the first attempt when I did get inside for a few rooms):
