HISTORY
The estate of Pool Park, or as it is sometimes spelt, Pool Parc, has been around a long, long time and was originally one of several deer parks where the owners of nearby Ruthin Castle could hunt. In the 1500s the Salesbury family bought the estate and divided it in two, one half remaining with the father William Salesbury, and the other part going to his son and heir Charles. Charles died with no male heir so his line stopped. The original house and the estate then passed into the Bagot family when Charles' daughter married Sir Walter Bagot.
In 1862 the original house on the estate was re-built in a mock Tudor, half timbered style. No expense was spared on the interior where elaborate wood panelling graces the rooms and corridors and a magnificent oak staircase, complete with ornamental wood carvings, sweeps majestically down two flights of stairs mirrored left and right, into the grand entrance hall. The staircase is said to have originally come from a former bishop's residence called Clocaenog.
Whilst still remaining in the family's ownership the house was not actually lived in by the Bagots throughout much of the 1800s and then in 1928 they lost it all, lock, stock and barrel, on a bet at the races!
In order to make the sale of the estate quick and easy the land was split into lots but a Llanwrst timber merchant got the lion's share, subsequently felling and selling much of the timber from the surrounding forest. The house was not sold but was eventually leased to Sir Henry Tate of Tate & Lyle's sugar fame.
In the mid 1930's Pool Park was bought by the local health authority with the intention of converting it into a convalescent home for 80 male patients, and then during the war this was increased to 120. A prisoner of war camp was also built in the grounds
In 1949 the house became a mental hospital to take some of the pressure off nearby Denbigh Asylum which was by now creaking at the seams. At this point female patients began to be treated as well. During the late 60s and early 70s lunatic asylums in the UK were progressively closed and Pool Park was no exception, finally closing it's doors in 1989.
EXPLORE
The second explore of the day was pool parc hospital , we quickly found access to the boiler house first of all and inside were some lovely old furnaces and the diesel engine with all the gubbins still attached was proper job
we then made our way to the main house the best thing here was obviously the staircase the rest is trashed big time shame we had such good hopes for this asylum still didn't dampen the visit tho and down in the cellar there were still a few bits left that suggested some body was at one point living down there
my best bit tho was the stables and out buildings those beams up in the loft space were simply beautiful a real treasure to see gutted we didn't get in the little chapel out back tho.
PIKS heavy
The estate of Pool Park, or as it is sometimes spelt, Pool Parc, has been around a long, long time and was originally one of several deer parks where the owners of nearby Ruthin Castle could hunt. In the 1500s the Salesbury family bought the estate and divided it in two, one half remaining with the father William Salesbury, and the other part going to his son and heir Charles. Charles died with no male heir so his line stopped. The original house and the estate then passed into the Bagot family when Charles' daughter married Sir Walter Bagot.
In 1862 the original house on the estate was re-built in a mock Tudor, half timbered style. No expense was spared on the interior where elaborate wood panelling graces the rooms and corridors and a magnificent oak staircase, complete with ornamental wood carvings, sweeps majestically down two flights of stairs mirrored left and right, into the grand entrance hall. The staircase is said to have originally come from a former bishop's residence called Clocaenog.
Whilst still remaining in the family's ownership the house was not actually lived in by the Bagots throughout much of the 1800s and then in 1928 they lost it all, lock, stock and barrel, on a bet at the races!
In order to make the sale of the estate quick and easy the land was split into lots but a Llanwrst timber merchant got the lion's share, subsequently felling and selling much of the timber from the surrounding forest. The house was not sold but was eventually leased to Sir Henry Tate of Tate & Lyle's sugar fame.
In the mid 1930's Pool Park was bought by the local health authority with the intention of converting it into a convalescent home for 80 male patients, and then during the war this was increased to 120. A prisoner of war camp was also built in the grounds
In 1949 the house became a mental hospital to take some of the pressure off nearby Denbigh Asylum which was by now creaking at the seams. At this point female patients began to be treated as well. During the late 60s and early 70s lunatic asylums in the UK were progressively closed and Pool Park was no exception, finally closing it's doors in 1989.
EXPLORE
The second explore of the day was pool parc hospital , we quickly found access to the boiler house first of all and inside were some lovely old furnaces and the diesel engine with all the gubbins still attached was proper job
we then made our way to the main house the best thing here was obviously the staircase the rest is trashed big time shame we had such good hopes for this asylum still didn't dampen the visit tho and down in the cellar there were still a few bits left that suggested some body was at one point living down there
my best bit tho was the stables and out buildings those beams up in the loft space were simply beautiful a real treasure to see gutted we didn't get in the little chapel out back tho.
PIKS heavy
Still one on the list for me.
