Apologise as some of the photos are very poor.
To many Hellingly was just another derp, but for me it ranks in one of my top three explores, actually if I could go back and have one more walk around anywhere it's top of the list.
Like many children who have lived near these great big hospitals you'd always here talk of them, outrageous stories from friends of the horrors that some friends mums uncles brother had witnessed, it was stuff of legends as kids & know child I doubt escaped the threat of being "carted off to the funny farm"
The mystery of the place gripped me even more when a very good friend of my mums ended up as a resident for a while, my parents were allowed to visit but I wasn't, even back then I remember desperately wanting to have just one look inside, but I'd have to wait, at least another ten years.
Back in its day
I didn't realise at the time but managed to take a almost identical photo many years later.
A few bits from the Hospital.
Canteen money
If you know you know
Fast forward and we're in the 90s, the firm my dad works for had the contract for glass repairs in the hospital, many dinner times was spent with my dad moaning about the place, he loathed it, the whole firm of workers did, to the point they'd draw straws to see who'd attend if a job come through.
I was told of a couple of incidents, one where a hammer where they was working went missing and the ward was locked down, and the second, a patient managed to get inside the work van, he was harmless and simply wanted a ride, obviously this didnt happen.
The one thing my dad was really angry about though was the spending of 60k on one of the wings just months before they announced it's closure.
By now I'd passed my driving, I spent most nights in town being harassed by the local police for being a boy racer, some of the lads who we used to knock around with had gone for a drive out into the sticks, when we met up they told us they'd ended up at the old "mental home" my reply, "oh shit I'd totally forgot about the place, did you go in?" I was met with a fuck that!... it's haunted.
Well let's go in the day then, ghosts only come out at night.....
Most will know Hellingly as a very easy explore, and it was in latter years, it wasn't the case years back however, L G Edwards coach company still rented the grounds at the back & maybe the old maintance garage, formally the train shed, some may remember the burnt out shed that was loaded with exhaust pipes? That bit.
This made actually getting in a bit tricky, everything was well screwed shut and boarded, the gardens were still well kept, no thorn bushes to hide behind, security back then would also patrol inside.
Eventually we worked out that we could slide the Georgian wire glass panel down from the sloped conservatory roof and drop in, from there we could climb inside the main building through a small window.
We had this secret way in for quite a time and only once did we come close to being caught inside, three men all suited up walking the corridors, to give you a idea of how clean it was we heard their posh shoes clipping down the corridor as the walked, just enough time to dive into a empty room and hide, they walked past and we didn't see them again.
One of my biggest regrets is back in the early days we didn't take photos, I'd love to have a decent set of pictures from back then, however I did take a old camera in a couple of years after it closed and took some very ropey pics.
1997
Over the following years we visited many times, sometimes we wouldn't see a sou on a visit other times not so lucky.
One particular time we was walking through a dark ward when we ended face to face with a fella on his own, he was pretty hostile at first asking who we were and what we was up to? We quickly explained that we were just being nosey and was no threat, he calmed down and called his mate out who was hiding behind us wielding a spade "I was gonna bash you over the fucking head lads, thought you was security"
They were stripping the copper out the old cables.
One run in we did have with security was the time he drove around in his 4x4, he just happened to catch us walk out a door around the back, we ran across the court yard into a toilet block, only way out was a small window above a cistern, myself & a mate held the door to the toilet as he tried to get in while the others escaped out the window, me managed to jam the door also and make a escape.
2004 -06
Sometimes you gotta break the rules
A observation cell with one way viewing glass, unfortunately was smashed completely out in latter years.
By the end of 2005 I'd moved to South Wales, I found myself missing certain things from the South, one was the sun, the second was Hospital, is it possible to miss a derelict building? I think so.
I decided to have a look on line to see if I could maybe find some pictures of Hellingly, was the first time online and after a couple of searches I found some photos.
I was pretty surprised as I didnt think any one else would be interested in the place, not only that this guy was "exploring" derelict buildings and documenting them...
Strange fellow.
Turns out he wasn't the only one, I quickly found this site not long after, after observing 28dl for a while myself and my mate decided to join up, could be a laugh, he named himself Jackel.
On a visit down South we decided to grab some pics of the old place to maybe throw a report up on this old place.
2007
Continued....
To many Hellingly was just another derp, but for me it ranks in one of my top three explores, actually if I could go back and have one more walk around anywhere it's top of the list.
Like many children who have lived near these great big hospitals you'd always here talk of them, outrageous stories from friends of the horrors that some friends mums uncles brother had witnessed, it was stuff of legends as kids & know child I doubt escaped the threat of being "carted off to the funny farm"
The mystery of the place gripped me even more when a very good friend of my mums ended up as a resident for a while, my parents were allowed to visit but I wasn't, even back then I remember desperately wanting to have just one look inside, but I'd have to wait, at least another ten years.
Back in its day
I didn't realise at the time but managed to take a almost identical photo many years later.
A few bits from the Hospital.
Canteen money
If you know you know
Fast forward and we're in the 90s, the firm my dad works for had the contract for glass repairs in the hospital, many dinner times was spent with my dad moaning about the place, he loathed it, the whole firm of workers did, to the point they'd draw straws to see who'd attend if a job come through.
I was told of a couple of incidents, one where a hammer where they was working went missing and the ward was locked down, and the second, a patient managed to get inside the work van, he was harmless and simply wanted a ride, obviously this didnt happen.
The one thing my dad was really angry about though was the spending of 60k on one of the wings just months before they announced it's closure.
By now I'd passed my driving, I spent most nights in town being harassed by the local police for being a boy racer, some of the lads who we used to knock around with had gone for a drive out into the sticks, when we met up they told us they'd ended up at the old "mental home" my reply, "oh shit I'd totally forgot about the place, did you go in?" I was met with a fuck that!... it's haunted.
Well let's go in the day then, ghosts only come out at night.....
Most will know Hellingly as a very easy explore, and it was in latter years, it wasn't the case years back however, L G Edwards coach company still rented the grounds at the back & maybe the old maintance garage, formally the train shed, some may remember the burnt out shed that was loaded with exhaust pipes? That bit.
This made actually getting in a bit tricky, everything was well screwed shut and boarded, the gardens were still well kept, no thorn bushes to hide behind, security back then would also patrol inside.
Eventually we worked out that we could slide the Georgian wire glass panel down from the sloped conservatory roof and drop in, from there we could climb inside the main building through a small window.
We had this secret way in for quite a time and only once did we come close to being caught inside, three men all suited up walking the corridors, to give you a idea of how clean it was we heard their posh shoes clipping down the corridor as the walked, just enough time to dive into a empty room and hide, they walked past and we didn't see them again.
One of my biggest regrets is back in the early days we didn't take photos, I'd love to have a decent set of pictures from back then, however I did take a old camera in a couple of years after it closed and took some very ropey pics.
1997
Over the following years we visited many times, sometimes we wouldn't see a sou on a visit other times not so lucky.
One particular time we was walking through a dark ward when we ended face to face with a fella on his own, he was pretty hostile at first asking who we were and what we was up to? We quickly explained that we were just being nosey and was no threat, he calmed down and called his mate out who was hiding behind us wielding a spade "I was gonna bash you over the fucking head lads, thought you was security"
They were stripping the copper out the old cables.
One run in we did have with security was the time he drove around in his 4x4, he just happened to catch us walk out a door around the back, we ran across the court yard into a toilet block, only way out was a small window above a cistern, myself & a mate held the door to the toilet as he tried to get in while the others escaped out the window, me managed to jam the door also and make a escape.
2004 -06
Sometimes you gotta break the rules
A observation cell with one way viewing glass, unfortunately was smashed completely out in latter years.
By the end of 2005 I'd moved to South Wales, I found myself missing certain things from the South, one was the sun, the second was Hospital, is it possible to miss a derelict building? I think so.
I decided to have a look on line to see if I could maybe find some pictures of Hellingly, was the first time online and after a couple of searches I found some photos.
I was pretty surprised as I didnt think any one else would be interested in the place, not only that this guy was "exploring" derelict buildings and documenting them...
Strange fellow.
Turns out he wasn't the only one, I quickly found this site not long after, after observing 28dl for a while myself and my mate decided to join up, could be a laugh, he named himself Jackel.
On a visit down South we decided to grab some pics of the old place to maybe throw a report up on this old place.
2007
Continued....
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