Little Plumstead Hospital, Norfolk

Found this near Norwich today,half is new housing,some still in use as hospital, lots emptey.
Staff told me hospital will be completley gone in about a year or so.

Front Entrance........Decaying Lodge House



Gardners Lodge.............



Rather Grand Old Manor House........Emptey and Un Molested........




Layout is Identical to Harperbury Hospital....



This was a quick look round,more to follow sooooon.

Looks like it has lots of potential, Did you manage to get any interiors?

Sam and myself went here about two years ago, at that time the buildings east of the mansion were being demolished, and the other buildings were still in use. No one seemed to take interest at the time, although it was posted on darkplaces - i guess something to do with being in norfolk?

As you say, it is in the same mould as Harperbury, although only a fraction of the size. It served the same purpose having opened as the mental deficiency colony for Norfolk.

You can see what it was like at the time here on Sam's site (NBT).

Pete

Hi Pete C,
Your photos of the site look good, this area has now been turned into a housing estate,but remainder of site is much larger than the part that has so far been developed.
Problem is In Use parts are right at the top end of hospital site so trafic and patients wander through rest of site.
Will be really good explore when it is empty in about a years time.

The old manor house has a massive fireplace with a wood panelled room,with built in seats to panneling.

About 70 % of building are emptey and totally mint condition,sadly all locked.

The Site looks good from google earth,there is a big pond in some woods to rear,but police were training dogs so did not venture near.

This area must be Chavv free.

Hi Shadowman,

shadowman said:

Your photos of the site look good, this area has now been turned into a housing estate,but remainder of site is much larger than the part that has so far been developed.

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Actually they are Sam's photos. The remainder of the site is in fact more spread out, going further south to a couple of recent bungalow type villas. The hospital block, kitchens, water tower, workshops were all in the demolished area unfortunately.

The old manor house has a massive fireplace with a wood panelled room,with built in seats to panneling.About 70 % of building are emptey and totally mint condition,sadly all locked.

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The mansion appeared to be in use by the trust for admin when i saw it, but didn't see what the interior was like.

Heres a link to the flash earth image of the site. The manor house is in the centre and has many cars parked to the north of it. The buildings now gone were located to the east of the road running vertically through the site and north of the site, along hospital road.

Heres some interiors of my photos from 2005:


a service block, probably the stores?


a corridor with funky skylights in the same block


dental suite in the anne ambrose clinic, which had been the sick hospital/infirmary


mural in the clinic


access to the first floor of the clinic


another room in the clinic


a veranda in the former low grade villa


the low grade villa day room


toilet paper slick.in one of the two storey villas


deconstructed day room


stripped dormitory


corridor with stunning chequerboard flooring!


One of the communal wash-rooms with an original boot cupboard. The pink and yellow decor shouldn't work, but does


Another demolished day room.

King Al said:

Amazing, great stuff shadowman and pete, does the first pic make any one else think of "last of the summer wine"

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Lovely little building...great pics guys.

I used to live in the Old Hall on the right in the third picture shadowman posted, just outside the view of the picture. For some years I worked there as a nursing assistant, and even though it has been 18 years ago now, I still long back to those days now and then. Although some wards were not really up to date then residents mostly enjoyed living there and the place was very lively and happy.

The people working there were ever so friendly, most of them I still remember by name. There were numerous things to do for both staff and residents, the Rec. Hall always had a weekend programme, there was a yearly fair, a social club (o the good times we had there).

I went back there in 1996 on my honeymoon and showed my newlywed wife where I worked and who my friends were over there. It was still as I left it. It is very hard to imagine now, seeing all those pictures of torn down walls and demolished interiors it was once such a beautiful place to work and live in. Please forgive me but I just had a good crying session about it.

Wonderful pictures though, respectfully made. If I were a rich man I'd buy Old Hall and fix it up really good. Can someone please post some more photographs of the Old Hall? It would certainly brighten me up.

realy great interior shots a true derilict place many thanks

Thanks for the Hi-Res in my mail shadowman! I apologize for the lack of response but I was 'held up' a wee bit in hospital having a severe pneumonia and the suspicion of lung cancer. Fortunately the Good Lord lets me pester my offspring for a little while longer. Pics are great, I 'photoshopped' the boarded windows away and it's on the wall in a frame now. Thanks again!

Anyone that can do us a favour and make a Hi-res of the entire Old Hall, including the right (where I lived)? That'd be lovely. Tha.

Hi,
I will go back in the winter and see whats left of the place.post photos when i get them.

I did my nurse training at LPH, it is hard to see how it was left, although its closure was the right thing to do.

It was a great place to work and I have some wonderful memories, all the picture threads of LPH are interesting.

The hospital was featured in the Nursing Times in the 1950's when the 'new' wards were opened to the exit by Ann Ambrose Clinic. They were one of the first buildings to be knowcked down.

At one time the hospital had its own cricket and football teams, the pitches were on the far right hand side with small bungalows built on the perimeter.

Silaster said:

The hospital was featured in the Nursing Times in the 1950's when the 'new' wards were opened to the exit by Ann Ambrose Clinic. They were one of the first buildings to be knocked down.

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Did you have a copy of the nursing times article by any chance? It'd be fascinating to see. I visited here a few years ago around the time that the east side was being demolished. The older villas (Woodside, Lakeview, Puffin and Chestnut) were gutted but still standing, as was the canteen, CSSD block, laundry and Ann Ambrose Clinic. I think the old hall and west side were still in use at the time. The newer villas (Taylor, Cavell, Morris and another i can't remember) you mention had just gone as had the water tower, stores, recreation hall and the ground was being levelled. Looking at the plans, they look to have been similar to the villas still standing at the south of the site?

Pete

Pete said:

Did you have a copy of the nursing times article by any chance? It'd be fascinating to see. I visited here a few years ago around the time that the east side was being demolished. The older villas (Woodside, Lakeview, Puffin and Chestnut) were gutted but still standing, as was the canteen, CSSD block, laundry and Ann Ambrose Clinic. I think the old hall and west side were still in use at the time. The newer villas (Taylor, Cavell, Morris and another i can't remember) you mention had just gone as had the water tower, stores, recreation hall and the ground was being levelled. Looking at the plans, they look to have been similar to the villas still standing at the south of the site?

Pete

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I hope I still have the article somewhere, I found it in LPH archives when I was there. Have moved house several times recently so not sure where it is, if I find it I will scan it in.

Mclean would be the one you could not recall, there was Poplar house at the back of the site as well. One of the picture threads showed Beech House.

In the middle of the ste was a two storey ward for the people with challenging behaviour (same build as Lakeview) but cant recall its name...how annoying, especially as I worked on there!

On the main drag into the hospital was a day service called Sunshine, it was my job to close it and move it over to the Kevill Davis centre (which had been a school), so that building had been out of use since 1999.

The single storey villas were all similar to each other.

I think it was the ones near the nurses accomodation (which was later student accomodation) that were in the Nursing Times article.

CSSD was part of the day service and residents at the hospital worked there and the craft building which was close to the back gate. They made trays, rugs and various other things to sell to the public.

I went back twice, once when it was partly closed but Poplar House remained open and once since it became a housing estate, although the Broadland Clinic was still at the back of the site.

If I manage to find the article I will scan it in as it had b/w photos of the single storey villas, can't recall if they were named at that point or still called either 'M' wards or 'F' Wards.

Before my time but I think Morris had been the seclusion ward and later became training rooms for staff.

(still trying to recall name of ward in middle of site, if anyone recalls seeing it on a signpost, it would help..!)

there was/is willow bank too and oak view so the signs in some of my pictures say
just thought id chuck that one in

erol4130 said:

there was/is willow bank too and oak view so the signs in some of my pictures say
just thought id chuck that one in

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Thank you

I think Willowbank had been called Pierce House (but it could have been Mclean) and towards the final stages of the closure it was re-named. People who were staying at the hospital until it finally closed (over 65+ yr old) moved into that villa.

Oakview was one of the two storey villas I think.

The challenging behaviour two storey villa was called Nelson. I am glad I remembered it was driving me crazy!

It was next to Chestnut the back garden was surrounded by high conifers, and directly behind it was Mclean.

Anyone know if the Broadland clinic is still open at the back of the site?

Wow that place looks like it's going fast

Good explore with good pics mate