Whittingham Hospital, Preston December 2011

Whittingham hospital has always been a favourite of mine, ever since the first visit in 2005.

Not only is it a colossal size, but the 3 storey wards are connected by grand arched corridors and features such as the main hall survive as a timewarp, still decorated for Christmas of about 14 years ago.

Until this trip, it had been 4 years since my previous visit - and not for lack of trying. The entire of St. Lukes division (main building) has been fortified with very solid steel shuttering, not only that but the site has been stripped of lead from 90% of the roofs. This has contributed to a rapid decline in the state of Whittinghams wooden floors, especially the corridors which weren't great before - but were a real mission to navigate this time around. Despite all this, it was still great to be back.

Visited with Valan, Tom and Kay.

Firstly, some pictures from 2005-2007:


December 2011 with added sponge-floors and holes.



Cheers

Mr. B

Nice one! You should have stopped by for a brew on the way back!

We finally got in a couple of weeks ago after 4 failed attempts, with the help of two of the guys in here. It's a bl**dy shame it's so trashed and for the life of me I can't figure out why they've secured it so much in view of the state it's in.

I see you found the cup and saucer I retrieved from a dirty great hole in the floor and put on that corridor window ledge then! What ward were that line of beds in then? I didn't see that.

Our pics from the explore are at: http://www.jarrelook.co.uk/Urbex/Whittingham%20Asylum/Whittingham.htm if you want to compare.

Nice work, thanks for posting...

Al,I am well up for that..Bones,I love these lots..the latest shots remind me a lot of Hellingly at times but those arched corridors sure have deteriorated a lot since your earlier visits.

Love the shot of the cup. The whole place is definitely starting to look like a skeleton now isn't it. Nice work MrB.

nice comparison mate, last time i went there i must admit the place depressed me and i was glad to leave ?

Supa-dupa stuff Mr. B! A little Birdie told me that your were heading "up north". Looks like it was well worth the mileage! Very comprehensive set of photos, and you know what I'm going to ask next.....did you get any shots up in the roof of the Main Hall?

TeeJF said:

Nice one! You should have stopped by for a brew on the way back!

We finally got in a couple of weeks ago after 4 failed attempts, with the help of two of the guys in here. It's a bl**dy shame it's so trashed and for the life of me I can't figure out why they've secured it so much in view of the state it's in.

I see you found the cup and saucer I retrieved from a dirty great hole in the floor and put on that corridor window ledge then! What ward were that line of beds in then? I didn't see that.

Our pics from the explore are at: http://www.jarrelook.co.uk/Urbex/Whittingham%20Asylum/Whittingham.htm if you want to compare.

Nice work, thanks for posting...

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Cheers TJF, If i'd known you lived round there then I would have stopped by for a brew for sure. The line of beds were upstairs in a ward where the floors weren't too bad. Saw your pics, very good.

King Al said:

Great pics Mr B, really like the back stage shot! I definitely need to get up there sometime soon

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Thanks Al, I think you would enjoy it up there on a decent day. Shame about the Pikey damage.

klempner69 said:

Al,I am well up for that..Bones,I love these lots..the latest shots remind me a lot of Hellingly at times but those arched corridors sure have deteriorated a lot since your earlier visits.

Click to expand...

Cheers Klempner, It is in about the same state that Hellingly was in when we first went there. There are probably still some good condition parts but it was a very cold and wet day.

Foxylady said:

Love the shot of the cup. The whole place is definitely starting to look like a skeleton now isn't it. Nice work MrB.

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Cheers Foxy, It is indeed.

Pincheck said:

nice comparison mate, last time i went there i must admit the place depressed me and i was glad to leave ?

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Cheers Pincheck, I can understand why you'd have been disappointed

Lightbuoy said:

Supa-dupa stuff Mr. B! A little Birdie told me that your were heading "up north". Looks like it was well worth the mileage! Very comprehensive set of photos, and you know what I'm going to ask next.....did you get any shots up in the roof of the Main Hall?

Click to expand...

Was the little birdie by the initials 'SH'? Thanks for your comments. I didn't get up into the roofspace as the vertigo was setting in from climbing ladders with no handrail! I've been above the stage before and that was enough.

Jeez, what a contrast

Not quite sure of the logic behind securing a building and then leaving it to rot... hey ho.

You hurt my brain with the photograph of the stairs; took me a few seconds to realise that you're at the bottom looking up.

The front wards of St Lukes No.3,4,11 and 12 plus admin are all going to be saved as will be the Church of St John the rest is to be pulled down.

Wow, what a big creepy looking place! Great pics!

TeeJF said:

Nice one! You should have stopped by for a brew on the way back!

We finally got in a couple of weeks ago after 4 failed attempts, with the help of two of the guys in here. It's a bl**dy shame it's so trashed and for the life of me I can't figure out why they've secured it so much in view of the state it's in.

Click to expand...

I'd say the security is there to prevent harm coming to trespassers. One could fall through a rotting floor and not be found for months in such a vast complex of buildings. Here in the U.S. most state hospital buildings still standing have now been vacant for fifteen or twenty years, sometime longer. We have responsible urban explorers -- like the folks on this board -- and dumb kids looking for a thrill. The latter are the problem. Thus, I can't blame property owners for beefing up security.

I find the abandoned Christmas decorations (see paper chains) very evocative.