West Park Hospital, Epsom
West Park Hospital was erected by London County Council during the years 1913-1924 and officially opened on 20 June 1924. It provided for 2096 patients and was the last hospital in the program to establish five large psychiatric and mental handicap hospitals on the Horton estate in Epsom. West Park was managed by the West Park Hospital Sub-Committee of the LCC's Mental Hospitals Committee and was transferred to the National Health Service in July 1948, when responsibility passed to its own Hospital Management Committee under the South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board.
The architectural construction of West Park was based on a 'colony' design, an idea imported form America where several wards were grouped together within the same building. Each building has its own communal integrity but is linked to the others by long, connecting corridors that stretch out across the site.
In the early 1960s the Minister of Health reorganised the hospitals with the amalgamation of management committees of hospitals caring for the mentally ill with general hospital management committees. As a result, the Epsom District and West Park Hospital Management Committees were merged to form the Epsom and West Park Group Hospital Management Committee in November 1969. A review of catchment areas undertaken at the same time led to West Park losing Lambeth and Southwark, and gaining Epsom. After 1974, this process of losing the London catchment areas continued with the last part of the old London catchment areas for which it was responsible being transferred to Springfield Hospital early in 1981. West Park's catchment area then became wholly that area covered by the Mid Surrey District.
West Park Hospital became part of the newly formed Surrey Heartlands NHS Trust in 1995 but much of the hospital is now closed, except for a few administration buildings, and had now been redeveloped.
THE EXPLORE
thought I'd put a post up off one on my favorite places to explore over the years I must have gone back to this amazing site at least 50 times I just couldn't stay and it seemed that every time I went I always found something new. unfortunately, i also watched the place go down hill in the early days the security was on the ball with laser fences and predator cameras and regular patrols but it seemed that when the security firm that runs that setup changed and all the hi-tech gear went with them. After that, you had a security guard called the hammer man and I meet this guy quite a few time's he actually boarded us in the nursery one time and the only way out was from a first-floor fire escape only thing was the bottom half of the stairs were missing and the top was covered in nasty black grease all good fun though. The problem was there were times it was just a free for all and it went down hill fast and it was a shame. Anyway enough rambling and on with the pics hope you enjoy
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West Park Hospital was erected by London County Council during the years 1913-1924 and officially opened on 20 June 1924. It provided for 2096 patients and was the last hospital in the program to establish five large psychiatric and mental handicap hospitals on the Horton estate in Epsom. West Park was managed by the West Park Hospital Sub-Committee of the LCC's Mental Hospitals Committee and was transferred to the National Health Service in July 1948, when responsibility passed to its own Hospital Management Committee under the South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board.
The architectural construction of West Park was based on a 'colony' design, an idea imported form America where several wards were grouped together within the same building. Each building has its own communal integrity but is linked to the others by long, connecting corridors that stretch out across the site.
In the early 1960s the Minister of Health reorganised the hospitals with the amalgamation of management committees of hospitals caring for the mentally ill with general hospital management committees. As a result, the Epsom District and West Park Hospital Management Committees were merged to form the Epsom and West Park Group Hospital Management Committee in November 1969. A review of catchment areas undertaken at the same time led to West Park losing Lambeth and Southwark, and gaining Epsom. After 1974, this process of losing the London catchment areas continued with the last part of the old London catchment areas for which it was responsible being transferred to Springfield Hospital early in 1981. West Park's catchment area then became wholly that area covered by the Mid Surrey District.
West Park Hospital became part of the newly formed Surrey Heartlands NHS Trust in 1995 but much of the hospital is now closed, except for a few administration buildings, and had now been redeveloped.
THE EXPLORE
thought I'd put a post up off one on my favorite places to explore over the years I must have gone back to this amazing site at least 50 times I just couldn't stay and it seemed that every time I went I always found something new. unfortunately, i also watched the place go down hill in the early days the security was on the ball with laser fences and predator cameras and regular patrols but it seemed that when the security firm that runs that setup changed and all the hi-tech gear went with them. After that, you had a security guard called the hammer man and I meet this guy quite a few time's he actually boarded us in the nursery one time and the only way out was from a first-floor fire escape only thing was the bottom half of the stairs were missing and the top was covered in nasty black grease all good fun though. The problem was there were times it was just a free for all and it went down hill fast and it was a shame. Anyway enough rambling and on with the pics hope you enjoy
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