The History:
The Explore:
I had attempted this site back in 2018 however this was at night and access was trickier so the explore was postponed. (And to be honest was far too creepy-But we will say that the darkness would have taken away from the explore and not allowed us to have seen the hospital in all its glory)
We had already been to a different spot before this so this explore was later on in the day making for some lovely shots of the hospital at sunset. As widely known the hospital sits in the middle of a housing estate, surrounded by houses on all sides. All things considered access was relatively easy and took no time at all. There was however a fair few walkers that put us slightly on edge.
Access to many of the buildings were blocked off due to the demolition process which looked as though it had stopped for the meantime. We did however get a beautiful look at the outside and architecture of the buildings and managed to get into a couple of the old wards.
During our explore we bumped into a pair of other explorers, very pleasant, they implied that they were locals and had been to the site many times before. We wished each other a good explore and went our separate ways.
The Pictures:
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- The hospital was designed by George Thomas Hine and construction started in 1897 and was concluded five years later when the institution opened in 1902. Kesteven County Council oversaw the hospital and it was renamed the Kesteven Mental Hospital in 1924 and then again in 1933 as the Rauceby Mental Hospital.
- In the early days, from 1902 to the 1930’s, staff at Rauceby worked 14hr shifts from 6am until 8pm, before handing over to the reduced night staff who covered the remaining hours. They had one half-day off per week, and every third Sunday could also be taken off. Even on their days off they had to be back at the asylum by 10pm to be locked back on the ward for the night along with the patients. Female staff would have to leave their job at the asylum if they wanted to get married, while male staff did have the option to marry but had to have formal permission from the Superintendent in advance. Records at Rauceby do indeed show one staff member having been sacked for getting married without seeking permission. Both male and female staff had to request the permission of the Superintendent if they wished to even apply for a job anywhere else.
- The hospital had a close shave with a bomb dropped by a German zeppelin in world war 1 which landed in a near by field. During WW2 the site was requisitioned by the RAF and renamed the No.4 RAF Hospital Rauceby. It was responsible for treating crash and burns patients under the direction of RAF Cranwell. Nurses described patients who were brought in with their skin still sizzling with phosphorous, who were immediately transferred to one of three large submersion baths filled with a saline solution. The nurses who stayed to comfort them and peel away the layers of detaching skin would often get burns themselves from spending so much time in the saline environment.
- Two of the legendary Dambusters, Guy Gibson VC and Flt Lt Hutchinson were both admitted to RAF Rauceby. The former was rehabilitated at Rauceby but left the hospital to be killed during his next mission; the latter, who was described as “practically decapitated” on admission, in fact survived his ordeal. Another noted RAF patient was John Hannah – the youngest person to ever receive the Victoria Cross at just 18 years of age.
- During a gathering in the ornate recreation hall in 1945 for what was most likely a film showing or ball there was a major fire, believed to have started due to a misplaced lit cigarette. The hospital had its own water tower which main purpose was to make in self sufficient, but came in very handy when the fire broke out and prevented extensive damage to the hospital. The hall was later rebuilt and repaired.
- The Hospital then joined the NHS again in 1948 however would officially close its doors in December 1997.
The Explore:
I had attempted this site back in 2018 however this was at night and access was trickier so the explore was postponed. (And to be honest was far too creepy-But we will say that the darkness would have taken away from the explore and not allowed us to have seen the hospital in all its glory)
We had already been to a different spot before this so this explore was later on in the day making for some lovely shots of the hospital at sunset. As widely known the hospital sits in the middle of a housing estate, surrounded by houses on all sides. All things considered access was relatively easy and took no time at all. There was however a fair few walkers that put us slightly on edge.
Access to many of the buildings were blocked off due to the demolition process which looked as though it had stopped for the meantime. We did however get a beautiful look at the outside and architecture of the buildings and managed to get into a couple of the old wards.
During our explore we bumped into a pair of other explorers, very pleasant, they implied that they were locals and had been to the site many times before. We wished each other a good explore and went our separate ways.
The Pictures:
Thanks for scrolling
