Severalls Hospital -"now & then"

[bobob]

Hairdressers

Great thread Lb - well done! As soon as I saw your first post I realised I had some similar...

These photos were taken on the male side of the hospital but strangely they don't mention 'barber' and some of the fittings look different from the original pic, but the similarities nonetheless are really interesting to see. Shame it's not exactly the same room though!

 

[Philb]

Fascinating thread. Details on the Gittens book are:

Diana Gittins Madness in Its Place: Narratives of Severalls Hospital, 1913-97 (Routledge Studies in Memory & Narrative) ISBN 0415167868 The price is £85. Which of course you don't want to spend. So you have two choices. Order it from your local public library, which may cost a quid and a bit of a wait. Alternatively, visit [ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Madness-Its-Place-Narratives-Severalls/dp/0415167868"]Amazon[/ame] and read the entire thing on line rather more laboriously using the 'search inside this book' function. It's a very interesting read, although harrowing in some places, particularly when she's talking about 'the experiments'.

Can I also make a small plea - the photographs here are first rate, and I administer a Severalls Flickr group and this currently has 720 photographs from 40 members. If you've got photographs that you've not put up there they would be most welcomed. The more photographs the better!

Phil.

 

[Lightbuoy]

Found another couple of now and then type shots, more recent this time. Both are on the east/male side on Wentworth ward. The first is looking east away from the day room.
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This was the nurse's station.
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It was purely by chance that i realise i had comparable photos as i'd only just identified the earlier images from 3,000+ severalls interiors on my pc. The bottom photo is taken from the ward below due to the obvious lack of floor.

Pete

Thanks for these Pete -only just noticed them!

Lb:jimlad:

 

[Lightbuoy]

Great thread Lb - well done! As soon as I saw your first post I realised I had some similar...

These photos were taken on the male side of the hospital but strangely they don't mention 'barber' and some of the fittings look different from the original pic, but the similarities nonetheless are really interesting to see. Shame it's not exactly the same room though!

Hi BB

Thanks for sharing your photo with us
Comparing you pic to mine, I believe you have got the same room -albeit you were there on a sunny day! Amazing how much the weather effects the look of Sevs. Didn't notice the little door sign before -well spotted ol' chap!

Lb:jimlad:

 

[surlygirl]

Doh! Thanks for putting me right on the Location of Tamarisk!
I'm currently editing a copy of a video film that's been kindly lent to me. This shows Severalls Hospital in the final stages of closing down in 1996/1997. This includes Tamarisk Villa during demolition. Apparently the buildings contained a high amount of Asbestos -but the demo' gang certainly didn't look too concerned!

Lb

video? any progress? would love to see it....

 

[Lightbuoy]

video? any progress? would love to see it....

Hi SG,

I WAS working on it, but alas, 'tis on back burner for now
Will give ya the heads-up when done All I can say is I think you'll agree it was worth the wait

How's the old leg these days?

Lb:jimlad:

 

[surlygirl]

getting there! just need a new camera and i'm back out there.

pm'd you last week...

 

[Lightbuoy]

Severalls Hospital -Railings

As mentioned on one of the earlier posts here on this thread, the 1960's was often refered to as the "Decade of change". Here is a photgraph taken around 1960, which shows the iron railings being cut-down. These used to enclose some of the Airing Courts and the Hospital Grounds.

"Cutting-down the railings"

Will dig out a photo from one of me visits, as I did see a part of the cut-down railings.

 

[UrbanX]

Looks like that old boy is gaining access!

 

[Pete]

Thanks for posting that LB. Cutting down the airing court railings was one of those things (along with the gate removal and widening of the main site entrances) that was very symbolic during the 1960's and 70's reforms so it is good to see a photo of it actually taking place. In fact, it was so widespread that very few hospitals retained the airing court railings up to closure. Only a handful of English asylums had any substantial remains - notably at St.Mary's, West Park and Park Prewett hospitals. All are/were lost in hedges or vegetation and only at the latter they appeared to be nearly complete (but have now been removed). At least three good examples survive in Wales. Mid Wales has kept the outer ones at least, some within hedges. But the best survive at Whitchurch and St. Cadoc's hospitals (both still in use) where outer and subdivided areas are still enclosed and the railings are mostly unobscured. St. Cadoc's shows a good example of how shelters could be shared between two courts.

Pete

Ps, why have you got children's creche at the top?

 

[Lightbuoy]

Thanks for sharing your snaps and that info Like those Airing Shelters -can picture one of those out the back of me house!
Saw the railings at Mid Wales Hospital last year. Would be nice to think that they could keep some of it -or at least re-use it somewhere within the re-development.

Lb:jimlad:

 

[Lightbuoy]

............Ps, why have you got children's creche at the top?

Oops -that'll teach me to use cut & paste in a "willy-nilly" type fashion!
Ta for pointing that out. Now correctly titled!

Lb:jimlad:

 

[Lightbuoy]

Severalls Hospital -Railings

As mentioned on one of the earlier posts here on this thread, the 1960's was often refered to as the "Decade of change". Here is a photgraph taken around 1960, which shows the iron railings being cut-down. These used to enclose some of the Airing Courts and the Hospital Grounds.

"Cutting-down the railings"

Will dig out a photo from one of me visits, as I did see a part of the cut-down railings.

Here's a couple of shots of a section of the taken down railings from a recent visit............

Lb:jimlad:

 

[Lightbuoy]

Severalls Hospital -Southern Ward

A Patient on Ward at first floor (originally was Male side, but in later years, Wards became mixed) -dated around 1994

Same Ward, same floor -(looking in opposite direction) -2008

Pretty sure it's the same Ward (note wall bracket removed from above door and where picture hooks used to be).

Lb:jimlad:

 

[Pete]

I'd say that looked to be a pretty accurate identification. Without checking with my own images (on another PC) i think the ward looks to be Defoe. Obviously the walls have been repainted between the picture being taken and closure!

 

[Lightbuoy]

I'd say that looked to be a pretty accurate identification. Without checking with my own images (on another PC) i think the ward looks to be Defoe. Obviously the walls have been repainted between the picture being taken and closure!

Thanks Pete. I guess that's a typical example of spending the Hospital's budget by re-decorating the Ward just before the Hospital closes (and yet I bet before that, nothing had been done for years)!!!
How many times has this been done eh?

Lb:jimlad:

 

[Lightbuoy]

Wintertime at Severalls Hospital

Here's a few photos kindly lent by a Nurse, who worked at Severalls Hospital from the early 1960's up until it closed in 1997. As mentioned before, please respect her Copyright on her photos

Entrance to Elim Ward (Day Hospital), on east / former Female side -taken by a former Nurse in the mid 1990's

Same area viewed from further away and slightly different angles -Pavillion shelter in photo is the same one as in the Nurses' photo

View of Main Hospital from the south -with Assistant Medical Officer's Residence on the far left -photo by former Nurse taken mid 1990's

Taken a bit further away -2008

Lb:jimlad:

 

[Pete]

Severalls Hospital -Southern Ward

A Patient on Ward at first floor (originally was Male side, but in later years, Wards became mixed) -dated around 1994

Lb:jimlad:

Heres the closest comparison shot i could muster, taken slightly forward but clearly the same place.

This is Defoe Ward, formerly Ward 8. Incidentally, the slightly taller doorway gives access to the sanitary block.

Pete

 

[bobob]

Following on from the hairdresser's pics... I found this Christmas card the other day actually from the 2 hairdressers to Ward H!

 

[Pete]

Following on from the hairdresser's pics... I found this Christmas card actually from the 2 hairdressers to Ward H!

That must be an old card, at least pre 1963 (as between 1960-63 the wards were re-organised under Russell Barton's direction). Ward H appears to have been a female epileptic ward, which ended up becoming the day nursery.

Pete