St Andrews asylum Norwich, Nov 12

Derelict Places

Help Support Derelict Places:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Bones out

Veteran Member
Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2012
Messages
880
Reaction score
744
Demo is under way and making a fair bit of progress by the looks of things!

Mooched with my good buddies pen15, Luke takes pictures ( still yet to join ) and ant_43

Outside view of reception
DPP_0045.png



The Norfolk Lunatic Asylum was situated in a big field with fluffy bunnies near Norwich. The architects were Francis Stone and John Brown (Norfolk County Surveyors) and Robinson Cornish and Gaymer of North Walsham. The County Asylum was intended specifically for pauper lunatics and was only the second institution of its kind when completed in early 1814. The buildings were originally designed for the reception of 40 male patients in April 1814, followed by female patients in June of the same year. Roughly 70 patients were present on average in the early years. Extensions in 1831 and 1840 allowed this number to double and more substantial additions in the late 1850s as well as the construction of an auxiliary asylum, which was completed in 1881, some 700 inpatients could be accommodated. The auxiliary asylum or annexe is situated to the north of the main buildings, on the other side of a big long Road, connected by a lane that was carried over the main road by a bridge. In April 1889 the institution was re-titled the Norfolk County Asylum, and after its modernisation into 'a hospital for mental disorders' (with reorganisation into distinct male and female asylums) there was room for more than 1,000 patients.

Patient care was disrupted by the outbreak of WWI, with most of the patients being evacuated to other institutions across eastern England. In 1915 the Norfolk County Asylum became the Norfolk War Hospital for military casualties and when the asylum was re-converted in 1920 it was named Norfolk Mental Hospital although the local use of the alternative, St Andrew's Hospital, was officially recognised from January 1924 onwards. In the period between the two wars the hospital housed more than 1,100 patients. During WWII the hospital was used as a multi-purpose hospital, providing the additional functions of an Emergency Section hospital such as receiving refugees, evacuees and civilian casualties in cleared wards whilst maintaining its complement of mental patients. Is anyone reading this or will I get away with a rude word. Fart.

From the 1950s onwards - with improved therapies and new medications, the changing perceptions of patients' rights, and increasingly critical assessment of the psychiatric hospital as as an appropriate setting - St Andrew's spent most of its years as an NHS hospital under threat of closure, a long drawn-out process that was ultimately resolved with the securing in 1994 of a separate NHS Trust for mental health care services in Norfolk. The hospital was eventually closed in April 1998. The original grade II listed hospital buildings from 1814, situated to the south of Yarmouth Road, have since been converted into private housing. The complex incorporates a church (in Francis Stone Court), also converted for domestic use. There is no trace of the nearby cemetery which was presumably built over when the hospital became disused (it is still marked on OS maps).

In January 2011 the auxiliary asylum - St Andrew’s House and its 13-acre site - situated up the road and a bit right of London, on the edge of St Andrew’s fluffy bunny park that has sprung up around it, has been put on the market by NHS Norfolk, touted as a prime site for development. It was most recently used as offices by the Norfolk Primary Care Trust, now NHS Norfolk, which left in 2007 for more modern premises.

A familiar shot to regular viewers
DPP_0031.png


DPP_0029.png


Now this was from the light in the following picture
DPP_0025.png


This ray, aint it preety....
DPP_0023.png


DPP_0020.png


Not stage managed at all!
DPP_0016.png


Shameless
DPP_0014.png


Who's in my shot :)
DPP_0009.png


DPP_0003.png


Nice and friendly
DPP_0001.png


Catch it while you can!
DPP_0021.png


Sorry for the quality, straight out of the old Canon as per usual.

As you do.​
 
Last edited:
Hello mate....u got sum nice shots there, luvly commode in corridor:mrgreen:

wot a shame another beautful building is gona be demo:( im surprised some of it isn't listed as the architecture looks sound and worthy of redev.

hi to luke;)
 
No apologies needed for those shots! Can't believe demo has started!
Gutted I missed this one, hats off again for fantastic photos! :)
 
Nice one mate, good shots, was one of my early explores and I used to work there, sorry to see it go, thanks for sharing
 
No apologies needed for those shots! Can't believe demo has started!
Gutted I missed this one, hats off again for fantastic photos! :)

Hope your feeling fresher now fella! It was you who prompted this nutty Norfolk visit!

Boys look forward to a mooch together soon. :1)
 
Went up there yesterday work is going quick up there but the builders and demo people have left a few bits open for us urbexers
 
Excellent report, no matter how many times you see those stairs, don't think you could ever get tired! Thanks for sharing!
 
Nice one Bones !!

You got that lot up quick lol. Not started mine as yet.

Images are great !! Thanks for making the day :)

Yeah fella, straight out of the camera, no HDrrrrrrrrrrrrragh to worry about! :lol:

Get your pooh bag collection sorted pronto.... We are waiting :)
 
Alright boys, turns out i am actually already a member on here. Was a fun weekend excursion, and looking forward to the next. Some of my pics are going up slowly on flickr..... :)
 
Alright boys, turns out i am actually already a member on here. Was a fun weekend excursion, and looking forward to the next. Some of my pics are going up slowly on flickr..... :)

Yeah, Ant mate, you've doubled your post count in nearly three years!

Good to see you fella :)
 
It looks to be in much better condition than a lot of things that aren't being demolished. Seems like a waste of a good building. Glad you captured it before it was gone.
 
they are knocking down both sides of the building apart from the main front / tower as a listed part of st andrews found that out as got a nice little tap on the shoulder by a local pcso as they are now watching the site dude to the high amount of people trying to go in there shame really.
 
nice to see the single chair shot, dont know why but i love those shots. well done
 

Latest posts

Back
Top