Visited with Alir147 and Meowmix on our trip up north round Imperial Distillery, Ladysbridge and a brief visit to Broadford works back in Aberdeen on the way home. We got to Ladysbridge a bit later than I had hoped, so this was more of a quick tour around the highlights of the newer buildings while there was still some light left, and then later a wander through the older part of the hospital once the builders had left (though from the last visit they would have been happy enough had we seen them anyway 
) I wanted to get in while there is something still standing, even if it has been gutted and partly turned over to the builders, hence the whistle-stop tour as the sun disappeared from the sky.
Ladysbridge hospital was a hospital used for the care of people with learning difficulties, with both residential patients living on site and day patients staying in the local community. It consists of the old Ladysbridge hospital buildings, which were constructed in 1861, alongside a selection of more 'modern' blocks spread around the site, each with a variety of patients rooms, common rooms and the clinical rooms needed to support the patients. The blocks are spread over a fairly large area and seem completely separate from each other, so there was quite a lot of green space for the patients to enjoy when they could get outside. The hospital closed its doors in 2003, with the patients spread out through the area for community care or to other hospitals.
lately there has been a bit of a furore about the terms of the sale of the land, with the majority of the land being bought by a developer at market cost (with the intention of flattening the modern buildings to create new housing) while another area of the site (of around 3/4 of an acre) and also an area containing some of the nurses housing being sold for £1 each to a company owned by Robert McLuckie, brother in law of Scottish First Minister Jack McConnell, the sale going through because of him being a community care provider. From what I have read this was under the requirement of the area being used for care of the disabled (or face a fine of £255,000 - still below the market value of the land) but I will admit I am not entirely sure on the latest news on what has happened.
On to some pictures for you...
External views of some of the blocks, all pretty bleak 60's/70's architecture nowadays, and not in the best state with broken windows and some other mindless damage.
Moving inside, into what would have been the main reception hall in the main building.
A room to the side of the main hall, which looked to be some form of meeting room, with a nice lowered section in the centre of the roof continuing all the lighting, and some fancy wooden panelling
Moving through to the kitchen, a large open plan area, now completely gutted apart from a couple of cookers still standing in the middle of the room on their own.
Some very clean wiring...
A nice Jacuzzi type bath, everywhere else just has the typical white ceramic/metal versions.
The children outside, sadly vandalised with a selection of missing limbs (including all their noses) and a lovely spray painted motif on the foremost figures chest...
In one of the further afield buildings, which would have housed the patients and some of the treatment and clinic rooms, sadly by this time the light was going fast, so only a couple of shots - the previous reports on Ladysbridge should have some pictures to document these buildings a bit better.
A nice au natural room
What would have been one of the clinic rooms, which we initially thought might have been a cell due to the large door with only a wee window, but apart from the door it is a fairly standard room with a nice big window to the outside - presumably a clinic room or similar.
One of the records left lying in the locker room amongst an odd selection of magazines and other rubbish.
Moving on to the older buildings, by this time the light was completely gone, so I don't have too many photos other than those we could set up without being seen from outside.
The reception desk
The glass corridor (the window looking out to a hidden courtyard.
One of the bathrooms
If this is only the door to the poisons cupboard, I hope the contents have been removed from the rest of the cupboard...
View attachment 92990
I would have loved to have spent a lot more time here during the daytime when it was still light, sadly our schedule for the day meant we only got here later on, but a great explore non e the less, and I am happy I got to see something of the site before it is flattened/converted.
) I wanted to get in while there is something still standing, even if it has been gutted and partly turned over to the builders, hence the whistle-stop tour as the sun disappeared from the sky.Ladysbridge hospital was a hospital used for the care of people with learning difficulties, with both residential patients living on site and day patients staying in the local community. It consists of the old Ladysbridge hospital buildings, which were constructed in 1861, alongside a selection of more 'modern' blocks spread around the site, each with a variety of patients rooms, common rooms and the clinical rooms needed to support the patients. The blocks are spread over a fairly large area and seem completely separate from each other, so there was quite a lot of green space for the patients to enjoy when they could get outside. The hospital closed its doors in 2003, with the patients spread out through the area for community care or to other hospitals.
lately there has been a bit of a furore about the terms of the sale of the land, with the majority of the land being bought by a developer at market cost (with the intention of flattening the modern buildings to create new housing) while another area of the site (of around 3/4 of an acre) and also an area containing some of the nurses housing being sold for £1 each to a company owned by Robert McLuckie, brother in law of Scottish First Minister Jack McConnell, the sale going through because of him being a community care provider. From what I have read this was under the requirement of the area being used for care of the disabled (or face a fine of £255,000 - still below the market value of the land) but I will admit I am not entirely sure on the latest news on what has happened.
On to some pictures for you...
External views of some of the blocks, all pretty bleak 60's/70's architecture nowadays, and not in the best state with broken windows and some other mindless damage.
Moving inside, into what would have been the main reception hall in the main building.
A room to the side of the main hall, which looked to be some form of meeting room, with a nice lowered section in the centre of the roof continuing all the lighting, and some fancy wooden panelling
Moving through to the kitchen, a large open plan area, now completely gutted apart from a couple of cookers still standing in the middle of the room on their own.
Some very clean wiring...
A nice Jacuzzi type bath, everywhere else just has the typical white ceramic/metal versions.
The children outside, sadly vandalised with a selection of missing limbs (including all their noses) and a lovely spray painted motif on the foremost figures chest...
In one of the further afield buildings, which would have housed the patients and some of the treatment and clinic rooms, sadly by this time the light was going fast, so only a couple of shots - the previous reports on Ladysbridge should have some pictures to document these buildings a bit better.
A nice au natural room
What would have been one of the clinic rooms, which we initially thought might have been a cell due to the large door with only a wee window, but apart from the door it is a fairly standard room with a nice big window to the outside - presumably a clinic room or similar.
One of the records left lying in the locker room amongst an odd selection of magazines and other rubbish.
Moving on to the older buildings, by this time the light was completely gone, so I don't have too many photos other than those we could set up without being seen from outside.
The reception desk
The glass corridor (the window looking out to a hidden courtyard.
One of the bathrooms
If this is only the door to the poisons cupboard, I hope the contents have been removed from the rest of the cupboard...
View attachment 92990
I would have loved to have spent a lot more time here during the daytime when it was still light, sadly our schedule for the day meant we only got here later on, but a great explore non e the less, and I am happy I got to see something of the site before it is flattened/converted.
