Harperbury Hospital

Derelict Places

Help Support Derelict Places:

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

Rubex

Guard Dog Bait
Veteran Member
Joined
May 2, 2015
Messages
1,752
Reaction score
4,249
Location
Cambridgeshire
Known as Harperbury Hospital since 1950, this site has been a fixture of the local areas mental health scene since 1928. It is situated on a 420 acre site along with its sister institution Shenley Hospital. The land it sits on was bought in 1924 from a local man who apparently sold the land to the council to annoy local villagers because he wasn’t granted membership to the golf club.

By 1936 the site had undergone various expansions and was able to house about 1,355 patients. It was expected to be self-sufficient and the patients that were able would work at various tasks. Male patients provided the labour for farming. Fruits and vegetables were grown and cattle, pigs, and chickens were raised with milk being sold to Shenley Hospital. Men also worked in workshops to provide goods for the hospital such as clothes, shoes, brushes, and upholstery as well as performing carpentry. Female patients worked in the laundry and kitchens and helped keep the wards clean.

In 1964 the hospital was suffering severe overcrowding, yet the hospital continued to expand up until 1973 when the scaling down process began. During this time the patients were integrated back into society. They would take part in day trips to St. Albans and were taught skills that would help them cope once they had become a part of the outside society.

By late 2001 Harperbury had only around 200 patients and was officially considered closed.

There's a few other buildings on site that look a bit more modern compared to the rest presumably because they were operational for longer.


Thanks for looking,

Rubex
 
Last edited:
Thats defintly a case of the old and the new - dont know why but loved the picture of a person taped in the bath , did make me chuckle
 
You got some really nice shots here rubex..can't believe the contrasting differences here..it certainly was an enjoyable few hours of a good day..I reckon soon there will be more to explore here
 
Wow, some lovely shots here! I can't believe the difference in decay between the two halves!
 
Wow - what a place!!! Superb collection of photos - really enjoyed them. That person shape tape in the bath was great! Brilliant stuff Rubex
 

Latest posts

Back
Top