Report - Denbigh Asylum, North Wales, Jan 2014

[Degenatron]

Yes, yet another Denbigh report I'm afraid. Every explorer has to do it sometime so heres my go of it.

We arrived quite late in the afternoon after a good explore round the near by Pool Park. Myself, Trancentral and rox had to get around the place as quick as we could before we ran out of daylight. We got to see a large amount of it but this is a place that takes numerous visits to see it all as most of you know.

History

The North Wales Hospital (locally known as Denbigh Mental or Denbigh Asylum)[1] is a Grade II listed building. Designed by architect Thomas Full James, building started in 1844 and completed in 1848. Once a hospital for people with psychiatric illnesses, at its maximum capacity it could house 200 patients. It is located in Denbigh, Denbighshire, Wales.

Designed by architect Thomas Full James to originally accommodate between 60 and 200 patients, the building dates back to 1848. The hospital originally had its own farm and gasworks. Planned for closure by Enoch Powell from the 1960s, it was closed in sections from 1991 to 2002.
In Popular Culture

Now derelict, on October 31, 2008, Living TV's Most Haunted did a live series, The Village of the Damned on location in the North Wales Hospital which spanned over the course of a week. The producers of the show were criticized by residents of Denbigh for slurs against the town and the hospital.
Present

On 22 November 2008, during work to renovate the building site and convert it to apartments and residential properties, the building caught fire; it was later confirmed that the main hall of the hospital was destroyed. Arson is suspected.

Currently on the buildings at risk register, planning permission has currently lapsed. In 2011 the building was at risk of collapsing and no action was taken by the owners after an urgent works notice was issued, Denbighshire Council had no choice but to carry out repairs on the building which has reached £930,000. In 2013, Denbighshire Council voted to press ahead with a compulsory purchase order on the building; the council, however, wish to reach an agreement with the owners before taking legal action. An estimated cost of repairing the building is £1 million.

After getting onto the site without being seen by the bearded one we headed straight for the chapel first before heading into the maze of buildings.

The front, taken from the top of Denbigh Castle near by.

First up was the chapel

Trancentral sees the light

and the dark

The canteen

It was fun navigating this room

Strategically placed wheelchair.

Stripped bare in the main building

The hole where the main hall once stood

It got almost completely dark which was when we called it a day. Thanks for looking.