In visiting this place I can describe myself nothing more than a tourist but in being a tourist if I get to see this place its fine and I apologies if you are fed up of seeing Springfield Hospital.
OK so there's quite a few reports on this place from 10 years ago and there are a few cropping up now but the access to this place is fun and the timings to get in without being seen is even better especially when you live in the north west, no sleep for us... 3.30am in the morning and we are in. just a bit of advice for anyone thinking of going, try and time it so your not attempting to get in a 7am as there is a shift change over, we noticed this when we were in the car cleaning ourselves up.
There are parts of the hospital still live so even at 3.30am you see people knocking about. and you can hear the patients in the not so far away wards what seem to be talking very loud at that time in the morning perhaps they had the windows open with it being the summer months.
Springfield hospital doesn't seem to get very good reviews on google.
The wing that is abandoned and obviously has been for sometime is absolutely lovely I saw stickers on some of the doors sealing the door off stating 1995 which maybe the time this part was closed.
There is quite a bit of demolition going on at the moment there and they are building some new houses on the land. you can see out of some of the windows directly behind this block there is a demolition site and a few of the building were either starting to be pulled down or ready to come down.
After now visiting this small section of the hospital I'm surprised I've not seen anything new crop up from here.
Even on Wikipedia it states "Much of the original hospital building is now disused"
I'd actually be tempted to go back and have a proper look round maybe in a hi viz jacket. but we were knackered after traveling through the night and were happy with what we had gotten away with on this trip.
I had found the Mortuary on old maps dot co dot uk but from what I could see on google it was still live and had a modern looking code lock on the door.
History Stolen from Lost Hospitals of London.
Its worth a full read if you have 5 minutes.
http://www.ezitis.myzen.co.uk/springfield.html
In 1838 the Surrey magistrates finally decided to establish a county asylum for the mentally ill poor. To this end, they purchased Springfield Park for £8,985 from Mr Henry Perkins (1779-1855), a wealthy brewer and partner in the firm of Barclay Perkins, who had decided to move to Dover. The estate, with 97 acres of land, was considered an ideal location for the Asylum because of its nearness to population centres, its southerly aspect and clean air, and a suitable water supply. Springfield Park contained an 18th century mansion house, stables and a coach house, as well as farm buildings. The entrance drive was from Aboyne Road. A well was bored in 1839.
Staff were hired and the Surrey County Lunatic Asylum opened on 14th June 1841, with 299 patients being admitted that day from other asylums in London and Surrey, mainly from Peckham House (172 patients), Hoxton (54 patients) and Bethnal Green (51 patients). The Asylum had four principal officers - a visiting physician, a Resident Medical Superintendent on a salary of £250 a year, a Matron (£80 a year) and a Steward (£150 a year). An attendant (as nurses were called then) earned £26 a year. The cost of keeping an in-patient per week was 9s (45p).
In 1893 a new entrance was made at Glenburnie Road, thus making the back of the Asylum the front. A lodge was built by the new entrance, as well as spacious accommodation for the Medical Superintendent and his family - the new buildings being lit from the first by electricity. An extra lodge was built in 1897.
The Lunacy Act, 1890, sought to separate mentally handicapped children from mentally ill adults and, in October 1897, an Annexe for Idiot Children with 260 beds opened in a separate building, advocated by the Medical Superintendant, Dr Hugh Gardiner-Hill (1856-1925). Visiting rooms and toilets were located at the front of the building, while the ward accommodation was at the rear (where visitors were not allowed to enter).
During WW1 the Asylum became the Springfield War Hospital.
The Wandsworth Asylum was renamed Springfield Mental Hospital after the war. In 1927 an association was formed with the Westminster Hospital and Medical School. Clinicians at Springfield taught medical students in their Out-Patient clinics, while the Westminster Hospital consultants provided a service to Springfield patients (this arrangement lasted until after WW2).
The Hospital joined the NHS in 1948 with 1,856 beds. under the control of the Springfield Tooting Hospital Management Committee, part of the South West Metropolitan Regional Health Board. It was by now providing the usual treatments for mental illness - Cardiazol convulsion therapy, electroplexy (ECT) and deep insulin treatment, as well as neurosurgery. Out-Patient clinics were held at Westminster Hospital, St Charles Hospital and West Middlesex Hospital.
Present status (July 2010)
The site, which contains some 67 buildings, is currently the headquarters of the Trust.
Many of the original Hospital buildings are now disused and the Trust hopes to sell most of the site for redevelopment. The old buildings would be converted into 262 apartments, and new family housing built. This residential area would be known as 'Springfield Garden Village'.
The Trust plans to build new mental health facilities in the northern part of the vast sprawling campus.
The main building, built in 1840, is Grade II listed and is currently on English Heritage's 'At Risk' register. The Elizabeth Newton Wing, built in 1897, is also Grade II listed.
The mortuary (now called Island House) had been converted into an exhibition centre, while the chapel had become the Mayfield Gymnastics Club.
Update: January 2011
Planning permission for the redevelopment of the site was refused in December 2010.
Update: July 2013
Planning permission was granted in June 1012. The project is now called Springfield Park
Visited with Camerashy one lovely June morning. on with the pictures...
Male wards were named after trees and Female wards after Flowers
Lambert and Butler
OK so there's quite a few reports on this place from 10 years ago and there are a few cropping up now but the access to this place is fun and the timings to get in without being seen is even better especially when you live in the north west, no sleep for us... 3.30am in the morning and we are in. just a bit of advice for anyone thinking of going, try and time it so your not attempting to get in a 7am as there is a shift change over, we noticed this when we were in the car cleaning ourselves up.
There are parts of the hospital still live so even at 3.30am you see people knocking about. and you can hear the patients in the not so far away wards what seem to be talking very loud at that time in the morning perhaps they had the windows open with it being the summer months.
Springfield hospital doesn't seem to get very good reviews on google.
The wing that is abandoned and obviously has been for sometime is absolutely lovely I saw stickers on some of the doors sealing the door off stating 1995 which maybe the time this part was closed.
There is quite a bit of demolition going on at the moment there and they are building some new houses on the land. you can see out of some of the windows directly behind this block there is a demolition site and a few of the building were either starting to be pulled down or ready to come down.
After now visiting this small section of the hospital I'm surprised I've not seen anything new crop up from here.
Even on Wikipedia it states "Much of the original hospital building is now disused"
I'd actually be tempted to go back and have a proper look round maybe in a hi viz jacket. but we were knackered after traveling through the night and were happy with what we had gotten away with on this trip.
I had found the Mortuary on old maps dot co dot uk but from what I could see on google it was still live and had a modern looking code lock on the door.
History Stolen from Lost Hospitals of London.
Its worth a full read if you have 5 minutes.
http://www.ezitis.myzen.co.uk/springfield.html
In 1838 the Surrey magistrates finally decided to establish a county asylum for the mentally ill poor. To this end, they purchased Springfield Park for £8,985 from Mr Henry Perkins (1779-1855), a wealthy brewer and partner in the firm of Barclay Perkins, who had decided to move to Dover. The estate, with 97 acres of land, was considered an ideal location for the Asylum because of its nearness to population centres, its southerly aspect and clean air, and a suitable water supply. Springfield Park contained an 18th century mansion house, stables and a coach house, as well as farm buildings. The entrance drive was from Aboyne Road. A well was bored in 1839.
Staff were hired and the Surrey County Lunatic Asylum opened on 14th June 1841, with 299 patients being admitted that day from other asylums in London and Surrey, mainly from Peckham House (172 patients), Hoxton (54 patients) and Bethnal Green (51 patients). The Asylum had four principal officers - a visiting physician, a Resident Medical Superintendent on a salary of £250 a year, a Matron (£80 a year) and a Steward (£150 a year). An attendant (as nurses were called then) earned £26 a year. The cost of keeping an in-patient per week was 9s (45p).
In 1893 a new entrance was made at Glenburnie Road, thus making the back of the Asylum the front. A lodge was built by the new entrance, as well as spacious accommodation for the Medical Superintendent and his family - the new buildings being lit from the first by electricity. An extra lodge was built in 1897.
The Lunacy Act, 1890, sought to separate mentally handicapped children from mentally ill adults and, in October 1897, an Annexe for Idiot Children with 260 beds opened in a separate building, advocated by the Medical Superintendant, Dr Hugh Gardiner-Hill (1856-1925). Visiting rooms and toilets were located at the front of the building, while the ward accommodation was at the rear (where visitors were not allowed to enter).
During WW1 the Asylum became the Springfield War Hospital.
The Wandsworth Asylum was renamed Springfield Mental Hospital after the war. In 1927 an association was formed with the Westminster Hospital and Medical School. Clinicians at Springfield taught medical students in their Out-Patient clinics, while the Westminster Hospital consultants provided a service to Springfield patients (this arrangement lasted until after WW2).
The Hospital joined the NHS in 1948 with 1,856 beds. under the control of the Springfield Tooting Hospital Management Committee, part of the South West Metropolitan Regional Health Board. It was by now providing the usual treatments for mental illness - Cardiazol convulsion therapy, electroplexy (ECT) and deep insulin treatment, as well as neurosurgery. Out-Patient clinics were held at Westminster Hospital, St Charles Hospital and West Middlesex Hospital.
Present status (July 2010)
The site, which contains some 67 buildings, is currently the headquarters of the Trust.
Many of the original Hospital buildings are now disused and the Trust hopes to sell most of the site for redevelopment. The old buildings would be converted into 262 apartments, and new family housing built. This residential area would be known as 'Springfield Garden Village'.
The Trust plans to build new mental health facilities in the northern part of the vast sprawling campus.
The main building, built in 1840, is Grade II listed and is currently on English Heritage's 'At Risk' register. The Elizabeth Newton Wing, built in 1897, is also Grade II listed.
The mortuary (now called Island House) had been converted into an exhibition centre, while the chapel had become the Mayfield Gymnastics Club.
Update: January 2011
Planning permission for the redevelopment of the site was refused in December 2010.
Update: July 2013
Planning permission was granted in June 1012. The project is now called Springfield Park
Visited with Camerashy one lovely June morning. on with the pictures...
Male wards were named after trees and Female wards after Flowers
Lambert and Butler
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