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Report - - Headley Court - Epsom - July 2019 | Military Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Headley Court - Epsom - July 2019

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DustySensorPhotography

28DL Regular User
Regular User
The History:
Headley Court (full name: Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court) was a Ministry of Defence facility used as a rehab post for injured British troops from 1985 to 2018.
The mansion block built in 1899 was bought by the at-the-time-Chairman of the Bank of England, Lord Cunliffe.
Headley has also had a high profile visit from Prince Charles & Camilla in November 2005 when they visited the site to meet patients convalescing there, notably including Major David Bradley who remarkably survived a blast from an RPG in Iraq.

In July 2014 the serving Secretary of State for Defence Philip Hammond ordered the services provided at Headley Court to cease and would be transferred to a new DMRC site instead, with these decisions being finally implemented in 2018 when Headley closed for good, before being bought by a Angle Property in May 2019.

That wasn't quite the end of the road for Headley though. In April 2020 it was offered to the NHS for extra COVID-19 bed capacity to cope with the influx of new patients taking up both normal and ICU beds in hospitals. On 4th May 2020 Headley officially opened again, this time as the "NHS Seacole Centre" (in tribute to Mary Seacole) and speaking on this, Health Secretary Matt Hancock offered his thanks directly to Headley, saying "...while we continue to battle with Covid-19, we have opened our first NHS Seacole centre to provide dedicated rehabilitation services.”.

The Explore:
After a long train ride out to Leatherhead @xplorer.x and I, along with a couple others, made our way into the site through a surprisingly easy access route, considering it had been guarded by armed MoD only weeks beforehand. There wasn't too much left inside and I didn't get as many photos as I may have wished to because we were slightly disquieted by the idea there could be guards inside, though there turned out not to be any, and except for seeing one guard right outside a window I was next to at one point we were perfectly fine!

The first room we came to after traversing the stairs to the top floor was this. The lights looked very odd though made for nice photographs. The power didn't turn on in this building, though it in the mansion/manor part.
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The kitchen area was immaculate, if not slightly bare.
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The colours in the gym made it seem extremely vibrant, especially with the afternoon sun scintillating in through the windows.
This clearly would have been used as an opportunity for those attempting to regain their strength to practice and exercise their skills once again.
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The assembly/sports hall here still had the advertisements on the walls encouraging positive thinking with the generally-otiose inspirational quotes strewn distressingly all around the hall.
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Moving onto the mansion part of the explore now, it's clear this section is both much more antiquated and more palatial.
The rather deluxe carpet and pool table really made this building sparkle with lavishness.
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The wooden architecture added exquisitely and impeccably to the archaic and dated nature of the building; even the lights seemed grand and expensive compared to the main block.
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The wooden engravings in the wall really made the place feel homely and extravagant.
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The view, however distorted it may be in the photo, was incredible. Green scenery was visible for miles out in the notorious London green belt; it's easy to see why a Lord would have purchased this property!
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The upper corridor led to further bedrooms such as the one above, though were unfortunately devoid of any domestic furnishings of note.
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I particularly liked the ceiling in this room because of its rose architecture, along with the ubiquitous red carpet that has become a recurring characteristic of this place by now.
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Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this somewhat blast from the past explore :)
 

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Calamity Jane

i see beauty in the unloved, places & things
Regular User
Very nice shots and showcased lovely. That first shot looks rather futuristic . I know this was last year, and a few went last year, dont know what its current status is? has it been gooned? If not. Should we really have it in public section. Idk as never been, and dont know updates?
 

DustySensorPhotography

28DL Regular User
Regular User
Very nice shots and showcased lovely. That first shot looks rather futuristic . I know this was last year, and a few went last year, dont know what its current status is? has it been gooned? If not. Should we really have it in public section. Idk as never been, and dont know updates?
Thank you!
It was a long time ago and to be honest I’m not too sure if it’s current status, though I know security did get more tough and obviously it was used by the NHS from April anyway.
It’s been public for ages strangely; personally would have said it’s a special location but a few people posted it a year ago and it just sort of became public..
 

Calamity Jane

i see beauty in the unloved, places & things
Regular User
Thank you!
It was a long time ago and to be honest I’m not too sure if it’s current status, though I know security did get more tough and obviously it was used by the NHS from April anyway.
It’s been public for ages strangely; personally would have said it’s a special location but a few people posted it a year ago and it just sort of became public..
Thank you for answering, I did read the history but the NHS thing must of not gone in. Im glad its being repurposed for a good reason.
 

Anyface

28DL Member
28DL Member
Had the pleasure of staying there several times and playing on that very snooker table. There were some new accommodation blocks I stayed in as well as the main house.
When staying there you were put on the orderly officer / sgt roster, the day I got it there was a VIP visit and we had to put up a huge union jack!
I also remember some very nice British Airways stewardess there for rehab, back then it was only for Officer and aircrew only so very pleasant. he great unwashed went to Chessington.........
 

gingaurb

Don't be a melt just get out there be for it's gon
28DL Full Member
I v had game of snooker there but it's a covid Hospital now
 

julesmctrainspotter

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Audley Group adds Headley Court to its stable

May 25, 2022 (The Care Home Environment website)


Retirement village provider Audley Group has exchanged on the historic Headley Court mansion and stables in Leatherhead, Surrey.

The 23-acre site was most recently home to The Help for Heroes Rehabilitation Complex, now relocated to state-of-the-art facilities at Stanford Hall, Lincolnshire.

Subject to planning, Headley Court’s Jacobean-style Grade II listed mansion and stables will, according to Audley Group, undergo a ‘sensitive heritage conversion’ into an integrated retirement community. The village will feature communal facilities such as a swimming pool, restaurant, and a health and wellness centre.

Audley has experience of converting listed buildings into retirement villages. It promises to consult with both the local planning authority and the local community before submitting a planning application.

John Nettleton, Audley Group’s land director, said: “Headley Court is an exceptional and striking property, steeped in military history and with fantastic grounds. Audley already has an extensive portfolio of villages located both in sites of historic significance and new developments, and Headley Court will be a fabulous addition as we aim to deliver on our purpose of providing much needed retirement living options to meet demand in this growing market.

“The provision of high quality, later life living options with on-site wellbeing and care options helps people live better for longer in thriving communities. It is also becoming increasingly well recognised amongst policy makers and investors as a critical component when it comes to addressing the social care crisis. We are looking forward to working with local stakeholders and helping ensure that Headley Court is sympathetically converted and becomes a benefit to both future owners and the wider surrounding community.”
 

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