History
Costing £350,000 and ten years to build, the Cardiff City Asylum opened on 15 April 1908. The main hospital building covered 5 acres (2.0 ha), designed to accommodate 750 patients across 10 wards, 5 each for men and women. Like many Victorian institutes, it was designed as a self-contained institute, with its own 150 feet (46 m) water tower atop a power house containing two Belliss and Morcom steam engine powered electric generator sets, which were only removed from standby in the mid-1980s. The site also contained a farm, which provided both food supplies and therapeutic work for the patients.
The first medical superintendent was Dr Edwin Goodhall, whose then advanced approaches and therapies resulted in the hospital acquiring a reputation at the forefront of mental health care. Patients were also encouraged to take work and supervised tours outside the institute.
During World War I, the facility was called the Welsh Metropolitan War Hospital.
During World War II, part of the hospital was turned over to the military, becoming the largest emergency service hospital in South Wales, treating British, US Army and German personnel. 200 beds were retained for civilian use, which enabled early treatment of post traumatic stress disorder of military patients.
On 5 July 1948, the hospital was taken over by the Ministry of Health as the National Health Service came into existence. It continued to be used through to the mid-1980s, when care in the community began to reduce the number of resident patients.
The decision was made to close the hospital as it was no longer deemed suitable for patients. Closure of the hospital is today, 29th April 2016.
The Explore(s)
Explored with @hamtagger . We visited this place a fair few times, the first the place was still barely open with 90% of it not in use. A single security man who had worked there for 44 years. We were literally just leaving when he caught us, really nice guy actually. Told us how he first got a job there as a groundsman until he found something better. All that time later, he was still there.
By the time we returned a second time the fist security man had disappeared and was replaced by the mitchell brothers lookalikes. We decided to kip in the car park over by a nurses station next to the chapel, they chased us out and we retreated to a nearby doctors surgery for an early start the next morning. Didn't see them at all that time or the time after. Spent quite a bit of time in here completely unnoticed.
Obviously there are bits I haven't reported on and maybe I will get to see them again one day.
Externals
1 : An aerial view of the whole site (not my pic)
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The Internals
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22: Think an old patient must have drawn this
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24 : Dentistry, I believe the door is an original feature
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28 : Kitchens
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30
Thanks for looking!
Costing £350,000 and ten years to build, the Cardiff City Asylum opened on 15 April 1908. The main hospital building covered 5 acres (2.0 ha), designed to accommodate 750 patients across 10 wards, 5 each for men and women. Like many Victorian institutes, it was designed as a self-contained institute, with its own 150 feet (46 m) water tower atop a power house containing two Belliss and Morcom steam engine powered electric generator sets, which were only removed from standby in the mid-1980s. The site also contained a farm, which provided both food supplies and therapeutic work for the patients.
The first medical superintendent was Dr Edwin Goodhall, whose then advanced approaches and therapies resulted in the hospital acquiring a reputation at the forefront of mental health care. Patients were also encouraged to take work and supervised tours outside the institute.
During World War I, the facility was called the Welsh Metropolitan War Hospital.
During World War II, part of the hospital was turned over to the military, becoming the largest emergency service hospital in South Wales, treating British, US Army and German personnel. 200 beds were retained for civilian use, which enabled early treatment of post traumatic stress disorder of military patients.
On 5 July 1948, the hospital was taken over by the Ministry of Health as the National Health Service came into existence. It continued to be used through to the mid-1980s, when care in the community began to reduce the number of resident patients.
The decision was made to close the hospital as it was no longer deemed suitable for patients. Closure of the hospital is today, 29th April 2016.
The Explore(s)
Explored with @hamtagger . We visited this place a fair few times, the first the place was still barely open with 90% of it not in use. A single security man who had worked there for 44 years. We were literally just leaving when he caught us, really nice guy actually. Told us how he first got a job there as a groundsman until he found something better. All that time later, he was still there.
By the time we returned a second time the fist security man had disappeared and was replaced by the mitchell brothers lookalikes. We decided to kip in the car park over by a nurses station next to the chapel, they chased us out and we retreated to a nearby doctors surgery for an early start the next morning. Didn't see them at all that time or the time after. Spent quite a bit of time in here completely unnoticed.
Obviously there are bits I haven't reported on and maybe I will get to see them again one day.
Externals
1 : An aerial view of the whole site (not my pic)
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
The Internals
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22: Think an old patient must have drawn this
23
24 : Dentistry, I believe the door is an original feature
25
26
27
28 : Kitchens
29
30
Thanks for looking!