Essex County Hospital
This report is only looking at the theatre building, I had a look round the rest of the site but found it mostly stripped and uninteresting compared to the untouched theatres. Thanks to @slayaaaa for the tip off and @mockney reject has a proper report on the place, this is mostly just sharing my own snaps.
History
The Essex County Hospital was originally called ‘The Essex & Colchester Hospital’ when it opened in 1820. Two years earlier, in 1818, Colchester’s Archdeacon Joseph Jefferson had the foresight to launch the idea of a general hospital for the poor. He convinced seven other men to subscribe to his vision. When large army barracks were being demolished at the end of the Napoleonic War, the old Colchester Military Hospital building was purchased. In 1819, a three acre plot of land (on the Lexden Road’s south side) was purchased by these eight men and, when the old Colchester Military Hospital was taken down, it was rebuilt on Lexden Road. It was one of Great Britain’s first hospitals for the poor.
The main Hospital building, seen today, was not how it looked originally – there was no portico at the front entrance; no central third floor; no side wings; and, thus, no square projections at the two opposing corners of those wings. The portico was added in 1825; the two wings were added in 1839; and, in 1879-1880, the square projections to those wings (for washrooms, with baths and toilets) and the central third floor were added.
To commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, in 1897, further changes occurred: a Nurses’ Home was built to the west of the plot; the original nurses’ accommodation became a Children’s Ward; the original nurses’ Dining Room became an Isolation Ward; the Operating Theatre was modernised; the Porter’s Rooms became a Casualty Room; and a new Laundry was built. In 1907, a new Children’s ward was added and the hospital was renamed ‘Essex County Hospital’ – although it was still being found under its old name several years after e.g. see Matron Bickham’s British Journal of Nursing entries of 1911 & 1912.
Further History: https://greatwarhomehospitals.wordpress.com/home/colchester-essex-county-hospital-lexden-road/
The Explore
The explore was surprising easy for the amount of stuff still in there, the first two times i went there wasn't even security on site. No alarms and no locked interior doors, they were even courteous enough to leave most of the lights on. Not even the fire doors were alarmed so you could have quite easily lifted the whole lot out of there if you decided to open your own pharmaceutical company. With the theatres building being a newer build, there wasn't anything structurally interesting but there was plenty of other bits and bobs to snoop though; I gave the patient data a miss though. Only had one encounter with security but that was after looking round the main building which was pretty much empty. Other than that, there isn't much to say, it was quite unique (for me at least) to waltz around snapping somewhere untouched without a care in the world.
Photos
Thanks For Reading
Exxperious
This report is only looking at the theatre building, I had a look round the rest of the site but found it mostly stripped and uninteresting compared to the untouched theatres. Thanks to @slayaaaa for the tip off and @mockney reject has a proper report on the place, this is mostly just sharing my own snaps.
History
The Essex County Hospital was originally called ‘The Essex & Colchester Hospital’ when it opened in 1820. Two years earlier, in 1818, Colchester’s Archdeacon Joseph Jefferson had the foresight to launch the idea of a general hospital for the poor. He convinced seven other men to subscribe to his vision. When large army barracks were being demolished at the end of the Napoleonic War, the old Colchester Military Hospital building was purchased. In 1819, a three acre plot of land (on the Lexden Road’s south side) was purchased by these eight men and, when the old Colchester Military Hospital was taken down, it was rebuilt on Lexden Road. It was one of Great Britain’s first hospitals for the poor.
The main Hospital building, seen today, was not how it looked originally – there was no portico at the front entrance; no central third floor; no side wings; and, thus, no square projections at the two opposing corners of those wings. The portico was added in 1825; the two wings were added in 1839; and, in 1879-1880, the square projections to those wings (for washrooms, with baths and toilets) and the central third floor were added.
To commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, in 1897, further changes occurred: a Nurses’ Home was built to the west of the plot; the original nurses’ accommodation became a Children’s Ward; the original nurses’ Dining Room became an Isolation Ward; the Operating Theatre was modernised; the Porter’s Rooms became a Casualty Room; and a new Laundry was built. In 1907, a new Children’s ward was added and the hospital was renamed ‘Essex County Hospital’ – although it was still being found under its old name several years after e.g. see Matron Bickham’s British Journal of Nursing entries of 1911 & 1912.
Further History: https://greatwarhomehospitals.wordpress.com/home/colchester-essex-county-hospital-lexden-road/
The Explore
The explore was surprising easy for the amount of stuff still in there, the first two times i went there wasn't even security on site. No alarms and no locked interior doors, they were even courteous enough to leave most of the lights on. Not even the fire doors were alarmed so you could have quite easily lifted the whole lot out of there if you decided to open your own pharmaceutical company. With the theatres building being a newer build, there wasn't anything structurally interesting but there was plenty of other bits and bobs to snoop though; I gave the patient data a miss though. Only had one encounter with security but that was after looking round the main building which was pretty much empty. Other than that, there isn't much to say, it was quite unique (for me at least) to waltz around snapping somewhere untouched without a care in the world.
Photos
Thanks For Reading
Exxperious
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