My first 28DL report, so I apologise for anything you don't like - I'd appreciate your criticism, preferably constructive but I'll listen to whatever you suggest...
I'd seen a couple of other reports on here about this place and couldn't resist the opportunity to return the hospital where I (and most of Chelmsford) was born. I visited, briefly, on a warm sunny day in early April. A short wander around the perimeter and entry was fairly straightforward.
I reached the admin block first - this place has clearly been empty for a long time, it's pretty much stripped, the floors have been pulled up, ceilings are collapsing, every washbasin has been smashed and the place reeks of pigeon shit. It's also quite heavily boarded up - access to this block wasn't easy - as there have obviously been some residents here from time to time. I did have to stop and admire the large-scale graffiti in one room... whoever "Cam" is, I hope he finds better recognition.
The maternity block was next and, due to time constraints, last on this visit. It was closed in November 2010, boarded up and all the drains sealed with green foam, and left, and that's pretty much how I found it. It's actually a lovely place to visit at the moment, just empty and more or less untouched. The clocks are still ticking, all glass is still intact and it feels very "fresh". It was refreshing to wander round somewhere un-vandalised and un-decayed, with plenty of equipment and interesting stuff still left lying around.
As a consequence a lot of the photos I took were with an eye to comparing them to future photos; I've been fascinated and sometimes saddened to watch the decay of some very interesting hospitals and asylums as they've succumbed over the years to time or, worse, thieving pikeys and vandals. In fact I left here wishing that perhaps security was a little stronger!
So, enough ramble, on to the photos. I only took a £9 tripod and a £30 eBay-purchase camera with me, so nothing too dramatic I'm afraid - and having looked through them again, I realise I haven't taken a lot of "big" shots to give the atmosphere of the place:
Old hall at the top of the admin block. Lots of flapping pigeons and another of those weird pipe loops on the far wall.
Cam.
Reception area. TVs, phones, CCTV server all untouched. I hope it stays this way but I doubt it.
The sticker makes this one sound even more lonely!
I was fascinated by these little guys and very pleased to see them undamaged - cue some arty photo farting around. And, yes, I know what they've spent most of their lives staring at.
I got a very strange feeling when I walked into the room where this shot was taken; there's a good chance that this is exactly where I was delivered into this world.
The pool birth room. Pool now removed, but 90s purple swirly decor remains.
And that's it. I'd really like to go back and explore more of the rest of the hospital, I get the feeling there's a lot more to see, and now's a good time to see it. Yet more photos can be seen at Photobucket | The safer way to store your photos.
I'd seen a couple of other reports on here about this place and couldn't resist the opportunity to return the hospital where I (and most of Chelmsford) was born. I visited, briefly, on a warm sunny day in early April. A short wander around the perimeter and entry was fairly straightforward.
I reached the admin block first - this place has clearly been empty for a long time, it's pretty much stripped, the floors have been pulled up, ceilings are collapsing, every washbasin has been smashed and the place reeks of pigeon shit. It's also quite heavily boarded up - access to this block wasn't easy - as there have obviously been some residents here from time to time. I did have to stop and admire the large-scale graffiti in one room... whoever "Cam" is, I hope he finds better recognition.
The maternity block was next and, due to time constraints, last on this visit. It was closed in November 2010, boarded up and all the drains sealed with green foam, and left, and that's pretty much how I found it. It's actually a lovely place to visit at the moment, just empty and more or less untouched. The clocks are still ticking, all glass is still intact and it feels very "fresh". It was refreshing to wander round somewhere un-vandalised and un-decayed, with plenty of equipment and interesting stuff still left lying around.
As a consequence a lot of the photos I took were with an eye to comparing them to future photos; I've been fascinated and sometimes saddened to watch the decay of some very interesting hospitals and asylums as they've succumbed over the years to time or, worse, thieving pikeys and vandals. In fact I left here wishing that perhaps security was a little stronger!
So, enough ramble, on to the photos. I only took a £9 tripod and a £30 eBay-purchase camera with me, so nothing too dramatic I'm afraid - and having looked through them again, I realise I haven't taken a lot of "big" shots to give the atmosphere of the place:
Old hall at the top of the admin block. Lots of flapping pigeons and another of those weird pipe loops on the far wall.
Cam.
Reception area. TVs, phones, CCTV server all untouched. I hope it stays this way but I doubt it.
The sticker makes this one sound even more lonely!
I was fascinated by these little guys and very pleased to see them undamaged - cue some arty photo farting around. And, yes, I know what they've spent most of their lives staring at.
I got a very strange feeling when I walked into the room where this shot was taken; there's a good chance that this is exactly where I was delivered into this world.
The pool birth room. Pool now removed, but 90s purple swirly decor remains.
And that's it. I'd really like to go back and explore more of the rest of the hospital, I get the feeling there's a lot more to see, and now's a good time to see it. Yet more photos can be seen at Photobucket | The safer way to store your photos.
