High Royds Hospital is a former psychiatric hospital south of the village of Menston in West Yorkshire.
The hospital was first opened on 8th October 1888 as the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum.
The hospital closed in 2003 and the site has since been developed for residential use, some of which is in the old hospital buildings.
The administration building, which is Grade II listed, features an Italian mosaic floor in the main corridor which is intricately decorated with the Yorkshire Rose and black daisies - the latter of which provided inspiration for the title of Black Daisies a television screenplay, filmed at High Royds, which took as its subject the experiences of sufferers of Alzheimers disease.
The hospital was intended to be largely self-sufficient, and was provided with its own library, surgery, dispensary, butchery, dairies, bakery, shop, upholster's and cobbler's workshops and a large estate partly devoted to agriculture and market gardening. The patients lived in wards and if they were able, were expected to work towards their keep either on the farm, in the kitchens and laundry, or in various handicrafts. The hospital was formerly connected to the Wharfedale railway line by its own small railway system, the High Royds Hospital Railway, but this was closed in 1951.
In its final years of operation, High Royds had become outdated and unsuited to modern psychiatric practice. As part of Leeds Mental Health's £47 million re provision process it was closed, with the wards being relocated to various community mental health units within the city of Leeds in the three years leading up to its closure.
The hospital was closed in stages between 25th February 2003 and June of the same year.
My first visit here was back in 2011 and was brought to an abrupt end by a rather annoying security guard.
Returning in 2015 was a stark contrast given that the majority of the hospital is now converted leaving not much more than the main admin block. My two visits were three weeks apart, the first was a solo visit with nobody else around. The second was with Mr Beardy, within half an hour or so we were accompanied by about another 15 or so other explorers - Understandable considering it is still an impressive building, even if it is nothing more than big empty spaces.
Anyway it was nice to see the place again before it is completely converted.
Thanks for looking
The hospital was first opened on 8th October 1888 as the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum.
The hospital closed in 2003 and the site has since been developed for residential use, some of which is in the old hospital buildings.
The administration building, which is Grade II listed, features an Italian mosaic floor in the main corridor which is intricately decorated with the Yorkshire Rose and black daisies - the latter of which provided inspiration for the title of Black Daisies a television screenplay, filmed at High Royds, which took as its subject the experiences of sufferers of Alzheimers disease.
The hospital was intended to be largely self-sufficient, and was provided with its own library, surgery, dispensary, butchery, dairies, bakery, shop, upholster's and cobbler's workshops and a large estate partly devoted to agriculture and market gardening. The patients lived in wards and if they were able, were expected to work towards their keep either on the farm, in the kitchens and laundry, or in various handicrafts. The hospital was formerly connected to the Wharfedale railway line by its own small railway system, the High Royds Hospital Railway, but this was closed in 1951.
In its final years of operation, High Royds had become outdated and unsuited to modern psychiatric practice. As part of Leeds Mental Health's £47 million re provision process it was closed, with the wards being relocated to various community mental health units within the city of Leeds in the three years leading up to its closure.
The hospital was closed in stages between 25th February 2003 and June of the same year.
My first visit here was back in 2011 and was brought to an abrupt end by a rather annoying security guard.
Returning in 2015 was a stark contrast given that the majority of the hospital is now converted leaving not much more than the main admin block. My two visits were three weeks apart, the first was a solo visit with nobody else around. The second was with Mr Beardy, within half an hour or so we were accompanied by about another 15 or so other explorers - Understandable considering it is still an impressive building, even if it is nothing more than big empty spaces.
Anyway it was nice to see the place again before it is completely converted.
Thanks for looking
