Whitchurch Hospital, South Wales

Derelict Places

Help Support Derelict Places:

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

UEP-Wales

Veteran Member
Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2011
Messages
2,233
Reaction score
2,127
Location
Wales

Whitchurch Hospital, Cardiff
April 2016 > Present


UEP001.png


It's been known for a fair few years that Whitchurch Hospital, also known as Whitchurch Mental Hospital and Cardiff City Asylum was due to close. After many delays, patients finally moved out on the 15th April 2016, leaving all of the wards empty and lonely... that's where we stepped in!

WMH006.jpg


Cardiff City Asylum cost £350,000.00 to build and opened on the 15th April 1908. The main hospital building covered 5 acres and was designed to accommodate 750 patients across 10 wards, 5 each for men and women.

Throughout it's life it was used as a military hospital in both World War I and II where the facility was then called the Welsh Metropolitan War Hospital. During World War II, it became the largest emergency services hospital in South Wales, treating British, US Army and German Personnel although 200 beds were retained for civilian use.

On the 5th July 1948, the hospital was taken over by the Ministry of Health as the NHS came into existence. It continued to be used through to the mid-1980s when care in the community began to reduce the number of resident patients.

WMH001.jpg


WMH003.jpg


WMH004.jpg


WMH005.jpg


WMH124.jpg


The images above show wards West 5/5a which were abandoned over 30 years ago. The wards were no longer suitable for the current requirements and locks were bolted for the last time. Over the years, damp has hit this section badly and floors are unsafe which was experienced while South Wales Police carried out a search for a missing person but ended up uncovering a large cannabis factory. During the search, a SWP officer fell through the floor resulting in several months off work and months of physio.


WMH084.jpg


WMH083.jpg


WMH082.jpg


WMH118.jpg


WMH119.jpg


WMH026.jpg


WMH023.jpg


In November 2010, the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board decided that it was preferable to centrailise all adult mental health care services at Llandough. Plans for a residential development of 150 houses and 180 flats on the Whitchurch site had first been raised in 1996 and provisionally agreed in 2001. The permission was renewed in February 2016 for a further 4 years.

WMH010.jpg


WMH011.jpg


WMH009.jpg


WMH017.jpg


WMH008.jpg


WMH012.jpg


WMH013.jpg


I have had my eye on Whitchurch for a while but never actually thought I'd be the first to explore the site as a whole. There was a few attempts a few days after it closed that failed but after a few plans drawn up, it was time to put them into action.

One planned visit to take nothing but externals led to gaining entry through an open door to the Crisis Assessment Unit on the east side and that's where the explore began! For over 2 weeks, we've been back to the hospital grounds daily armed with information about the next ward and methods to enter without any illegal acts, how to avoid alarms and the dreaded CCTV system that is monitored via the Health Boards security room 24hrs a day.

With each ward having different locks, alarms and camera placements, it was challenging to get around but after a long time, we did it :)

WMH015.jpg


WMH016.jpg


WMH022.jpg


WMH018.jpg


WMH019.jpg


WMH020.jpg


WMH021.jpg


Since the hospital closed to patients back in April this year, the site has already been the victim of our best friends... the metal fairies! Thankfully, the security across the site is fairly on the ball and they have been caught and arrested each time. The most serious incident being where a large knife was pulled out and a crowbar used to assault the two security guards within the grounds.

The reason I bring this up is that within some parts of the hospital sits thousands of patient records spanning the lifetime of the asylum. These are fully exposed to whoever wants to pop inside and take a read. I seriously now know the mental status of at least 7 people within my street.

WMH069.jpg


WMH070.jpg


WMH067.jpg


WMH068.jpg


WMH066.jpg


WMH065.jpg


WMH064.jpg


WMH095.jpg


WMH096.jpg


WMH097.jpg


Walking around the hospitals wards was shocking, either the site has suffered damp badly over the period of the last few months or in actual fact, patients were staying in horrid conditions. Windows that wouldn't close or in some cases wouldn't open. Bedrooms that stank of urine and other odors. Ward communal areas that smell of the previous years meals. Paint pealing off the walls, carpets with tears, wooden floors with burn marks.

You hear every noise possible as you sit silent within the wards. Even times when I knew where security were and knew that nobody else was in the building, you could hear voices, human made bangs. Curtains blowing with the wind, the noise of animals outside, sirens in the distance and the local railway line is constant!

WMH089.jpg


WMH088.jpg


WMH087.jpg


WMH078.jpg


WMH079.jpg


WMH080.jpg


WMH081.jpg


WMH074.jpg


WMH071.jpg


WMH072.jpg


WMH075.jpg


WMH076.jpg


WMH077.jpg


WMH091.jpg


WMH098.jpg


I really don't know how long Whitchurch Hospital will be standing. Metal thieves are working hard to rip the place apart and I think it won't be long until the site ends up burnt to the ground.

The current plans are that Hospital Security will be onsite until November 2016 when it will then be handed over to a private company. In the meantime, due to recent activity, fencing will be erected around the site within the next week or so (So they say)

We're not fully done with this site. Plans are being made to return with the new 35mm film camera, black and white film and have some fun!

We have taken the time to speak to past patients and staff about their time here and I'll be publishing a video on it over the next few weeks.

WMH092.jpg


WMH093.jpg


WMH101.jpg


WMH099.jpg


WMH100.jpg


WMH101.jpg


WMH102.jpg


WMH103.jpg


WMH104.jpg


WMH109.jpg


WMH105.jpg


WMH110.jpg


WMH111.jpg


WMH090.jpg


Patient Memories...

WMH107.jpg


WMH108.jpg


WMH051.jpg


WMH052.jpg


WMH030.jpg


WMH031.jpg


WMH032.jpg


The "Rec" Hall

WMH113.jpg


WMH115.jpg


WMH116.jpg


WMH117.jpg


The Admin Hallway

WMH122.jpg


WMH123.jpg


Sorry about this thread being so pic heavy. I have left many out but wanted to show you guys as much as possible. Videos will be coming over the next few weeks!

** Since writing this report ahead of it's posting on here, The security team at WMH decided to report me to the lovely South Wales Police. After 21 hours and 3 house searches, I was released without charge. Another visit shortly after being released resulted in me having 2 cracked ribs thanks to the lovely security guys there. Be warned if you wish to visit, they're are a bunch of wankers. - It hasn't stopped me :p

 
Last edited:
That is a top report mate! Great shots and awesome write up. Hope you are ok now and glad it's not put you off exploring.
 
From the start to finish, this is probably the best report on here this year, an that says a lot.
Time/effort/construction all nicely done, followed by what seemed exactly like how you saw the place with your eyes dude, excellent! Hope this gets some recognition and attention, not just for your photography but the whole report!

Brightened my day to view this and read it, hope people take note including myself this is how a reports done.

Good to see another report from you aswel dude! an rest those ribs done mine in earlier this year painful to say the least.
 
Top stuff mate. Sorry to hear about your bad experiences, that's south wales all over though! Police suck.
 
I agree with Mockingbird, this must be the best report submitted to this website. You've posted a lot of photographs, but you've included personal items, rosters and patient thoughts not forgetting the wards as well. I am embittered to hear you were assaulted by security personnel, there's no need for that, a simple warning would suffice. Well done on this one.
 
That's a superb report.been following this one on the news for a while and wondered who would do it first.and you did it justice for sure,sorry to hear about your bad experience
 
Top marks for that one! Some of those shots are pure class, stunning detail and very atmospheric. I can't wait to get home and see them on a bigger screen. That is a belter of a report!
 
Top stuff, well done for persevering. That hall is lovely, but it's such a shame it has those awful wooden box room things in it.
 
Thank you all very much for the kind replies and comments, very appreciated.

It's a lovely place to be walking around, as strange as that sounds and it will be a shame to see it go down hill. We all know it will happen though.

A police officer stated "we're just waiting for the fire to destroy it now". Unfortunately, I don't think it will take that long.
 
Oh shame lol! They're never happy unless they're in control lol!
 
Top notch report that, in fact one of the best I have seen from an ex hospital , makes me wish I had gone into Fair mile sooner when I had a chance and knew sec. Feel sorry for the cop who went through the floor, if it was like Fair mile there was a good four foot of void under them. Sorry to hear you got beaten up I hope you pressed charges against the twats.
HughieD please don't mention that name on here, we are respectable




.
 
Wow, now that's what you call a report. Cracking photos to go with it too. Enjoyed reading that
 

Latest posts

Back
Top