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Report - - St Cadoc's Hospital, Caerleon - November 2016 | Asylums and Hospitals | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - St Cadoc's Hospital, Caerleon - November 2016

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clebby

( . Y . )
Regular User
St Cadoc's Hospital, née Newport Borough Asylum - South Wales.

Visited with @Salmon.

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Not much to say here really. After all the initial hype that surrounded Whitchurch, I've been a tad disappointed with what's come out of the place so far. No doubt there's epic waiting to be unearthed, but even the more dated wards that got dicked all over the Maily Dail look fairly bland and uninspiring. Secretly, I've been more interested in St Cadoc's, as I remembered a report from 2009 by the perpetually ill-informed @tumbles, and the dated lino and turd-brown NHS signs were much more to my taste.

A brief history:

St Cadoc’s was built in 1906, and was architect Alfred J. Wood’s second asylum project, following St Luke’s in Middlesbrough. Wood had worked with CH Howell on St Lukes, and St Cadoc’s was therefore his first complete asylum project. Opened as the Newport Borough Asylum, the hospital was later named after Saint Cadoc, with Saint Cadoc's church located in nearby Caerleon. The hospital was built to accommodate up to 350 patients, and extensive outbuildings were later added on the site. Since 2005, the number of residents has been very small with the growing emphasis on care in the community.

~


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Today, the original compact-arrow building is occupied by 2 inpatient wards, a couple of clinics and the offices of the local health board. Fortunately for us, pretty much the entire upper floor is derelict, as well as a couple of the lower wards and, to all intents and purposes, the main hall. This report focuses on these upper wards, but a couple of years ago @huey and I had some luck with a ground floor ward which also showed a lot of promise. More to come from here no doubt..

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This ward was a real blast from the past. I'd even go as far to say it's one of the most dated asylum wards I've ever seen, on par with Cane Hill and certainly more oldschool than the likes of Hellingly.

Loving the 30s fireplace and the heated window seat. Not a hint of modern!

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Epic lurking beneath epic:

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This bathroom looked like it had been lifted straight out of Cane Hill, right down to the curtains and coat hooks:

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Groovy 50s lighting:

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Wardage:

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As seems to be a common feature of asylums these days, there was plenty of evidence of filming going on:

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I think this was supposed to represent a bombed Syrian hospital. Not as convincing as the pathology lab at Goodmayes it has to be said.

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More bathrooms:

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Paperwork:

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At first I thought this was a filming prop but an 'SCH' stamp confirms this is original.

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The corridor below would have originally contained the padded cell, judging by the shrunken window in the furthest room. Alas, it is no more, however the downstairs ward (which we didn't explore) is also derelict and also has a small window in the exact same location. Wishful thinking certainly, but one can dream..

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Cont.​
 
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clebby

( . Y . )
Regular User
Moving on to the more 'live' parts now, if you can call them that. The Main Hall's door is unlocked, but judging by the layer of dust on the chairs and floor and the ubiquitous peeling paint it's in a mothballed condition. It's reasonably small but highly decorative, and it was pretty unique to see one with a skylight.

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Gent epic:

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Not much to see under the stage other than a Merry Christmas sign made out of tea chests. If/when the hospital closes for good the projector room could become accessible too, but this time it was firmly locked.

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Also unique to this hall was it's unusual atrium, which was on a raised podium off the main corridor:

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Interesting to see what these places, which used to be staples of the urban exploration diet, looked like when they were operational:

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Departing shot:

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I know I always seem to end my reports with some profound thought piece telling you how this might be your last chance to see a place like this, but I'd definitely advise going here if you missed out on the likes of West Park/Cane Hill etc, if only to see what all the fuss was about.​
 
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Salmon

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
I love the photographs! They put mine to shame. It was an excellent day out. I'm so glad I wasn't too late to see a really good asylum.
 

SpiderMonkey

BrushMonkey
Staff member
Moderator
Well done on this. Was looking at this the other week! May have to follow you with this one, awesome photos too.
 

Speed

Got Epic?
Regular User
I just realised the whole time i was talking to you about this i was actually talking about Cefn Coed haha.. I was wondering for a second if they had unboarded all the windows! That one is worth a look too now i reckon if you're bored..
 

tumbles

Drama Queen
Staff member
Moderator
Good work, nice to see it again. Still my favourite unplanned explore this. Big love for @Winchester as we'd have never swung by if it wasn't for him!

I just realised the whole time i was talking to you about this i was actually talking about Cefn Coed haha.. I was wondering for a second if they had unboarded all the windows! That one is worth a look too now i reckon if you're bored..

My ill informed sources said it's due to close next year but we'll see! Setting myself up again for Clebby to knock me down again.
 
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