I thought it was time to take a revisit to Talgarth. A quick check on reports on here seemed to indicate that nobody had visited since my last visit in late December. I found that quite surprising at a time when the asylum is a rare sight. Mid Wales while seen better days certainly must be amongst the best left amongst the derelict few. It was my first asylum back in 2007 and with the total now over 30 it still remains a firm favourite. It surprises me that not more people visit it and opt for more the more trashed remains of Whitingham & Denbigh. It's less than an hour from the Welsh Tax/Seven Bridge Toll booths. Access isn't particularly tricky and it's back to the security-less state of old.
Visited with Seffy & WhoDaresWins - Photos shot on Canon EOS 5, Canon 17-40L & Kodak Pro B&W C41 Film
The Mid Wales Hospital was a psychiatric hospital in Talgarth, Wales. It opened in 1906 and was formerly known as the Brecon and Radnor Joint Asylum or Mid Wales Counties Mental Hospital. It is in echelon style (narrow arrow)and at its peak could serve 1,000 patients. However, nearer the end of its life, in 1995, this had dwindled to 168. The site was also home to the Mid and West Wales College of Nursing and Midwifery and the Powys Drugs & Alcohol Council for substance misuse
The Mid Wales Hospital was sold in October 1999. It was closely related to the Welsh Office/Assembly as they were the official owners. For a number of years it was occupied and used by the local Health Authority as a mental health hospital. The sale seemed to have had all the hall marks of inside trading. It was sold to one of its former chief medical officers and his wife. Alun Michael MP, who was the Secretary of State for Wales and then the Assembly First Minister, was implicated with having a direct involvement with the disposal and sale to the successful purchasers. Although this was later refuted, it was found that all normal procedures, including sealed bids, inventories and district valuations were abandoned by the authorities involved with the disposal. The AGW investigation also uncovered what appeared to be a pay back scheme , whereby the Health Trust arranged a compensation payment of £128,000 to be paid to the new owners a few months after completion. This meant that a 43 acre site with 200,000 square feet of hospital buildings and floor space, plus 5 large family sized houses, a chapel, tennis court and cricket pitch, was bought for a cost of only £227,000
The hospital was flogged off for a completely joke amount to a group interested in little other than a few of the external buildings. The proposed business park and business centre never really got off the ground and went into liquidation in 2009. If this wasn't enough the last acts of the owners was to strip the buildings of their valuable welsh slate tiles. Sold for paltry £30k they were the beginning of the end for the buildings. No owners, no security, 3 very wet summers and the total destruction of the site was pretty much complete.
New owners have since tried and failed to get planning permission through to demolish the majority of the buildings. The locals are proud of their hospital, they'd have liked to seen it used better in the first instance and they aren't giving up the fight now. The truth is if nobody gives way before long there will be nothing left to fight for. For the sake of losing some of the buildings the locals might have to accept it's better than nothing at all.
You can find more shots from this visit and other visits on my website. Thanks for looking
Visited with Seffy & WhoDaresWins - Photos shot on Canon EOS 5, Canon 17-40L & Kodak Pro B&W C41 Film
The Mid Wales Hospital was a psychiatric hospital in Talgarth, Wales. It opened in 1906 and was formerly known as the Brecon and Radnor Joint Asylum or Mid Wales Counties Mental Hospital. It is in echelon style (narrow arrow)and at its peak could serve 1,000 patients. However, nearer the end of its life, in 1995, this had dwindled to 168. The site was also home to the Mid and West Wales College of Nursing and Midwifery and the Powys Drugs & Alcohol Council for substance misuse
The Mid Wales Hospital was sold in October 1999. It was closely related to the Welsh Office/Assembly as they were the official owners. For a number of years it was occupied and used by the local Health Authority as a mental health hospital. The sale seemed to have had all the hall marks of inside trading. It was sold to one of its former chief medical officers and his wife. Alun Michael MP, who was the Secretary of State for Wales and then the Assembly First Minister, was implicated with having a direct involvement with the disposal and sale to the successful purchasers. Although this was later refuted, it was found that all normal procedures, including sealed bids, inventories and district valuations were abandoned by the authorities involved with the disposal. The AGW investigation also uncovered what appeared to be a pay back scheme , whereby the Health Trust arranged a compensation payment of £128,000 to be paid to the new owners a few months after completion. This meant that a 43 acre site with 200,000 square feet of hospital buildings and floor space, plus 5 large family sized houses, a chapel, tennis court and cricket pitch, was bought for a cost of only £227,000
The hospital was flogged off for a completely joke amount to a group interested in little other than a few of the external buildings. The proposed business park and business centre never really got off the ground and went into liquidation in 2009. If this wasn't enough the last acts of the owners was to strip the buildings of their valuable welsh slate tiles. Sold for paltry £30k they were the beginning of the end for the buildings. No owners, no security, 3 very wet summers and the total destruction of the site was pretty much complete.
New owners have since tried and failed to get planning permission through to demolish the majority of the buildings. The locals are proud of their hospital, they'd have liked to seen it used better in the first instance and they aren't giving up the fight now. The truth is if nobody gives way before long there will be nothing left to fight for. For the sake of losing some of the buildings the locals might have to accept it's better than nothing at all.
You can find more shots from this visit and other visits on my website. Thanks for looking
