Visited this a while back whilst on a little overnight trip to Wales a few months back. Upon arrival one afternoon the place was fairly busy with a large family having a picnic and the kids playing football on the grass near the church, a few other guys with a drone doing a bit of filming for a project, a few others wondering around and the guy driving round in his small white van. Wasn't sure what to make of it all at first so got some externals and when it was a bit quieter i popped in for a look.
History
The building, designed by Messrs Giles, Gough and Trollope of London followed the compact arrow plan and was built at a cost of £126,000. It was opened amid public ceremony on March 18, 1903, by the Rt. Hon. Lord Glanusk who said of it "everything has been done that human ingenuity could devise for the happiness and safety of the inmates, and under the blessing of God, for their speedy restoration to health." Like other contemporary institutions, the asylum was designed to be self-sufficient, and had its own private water, electricity, heating and sewerage systems as well as a considerable agricultural estate on which able-bodied patients worked to produce food for the hospital. As well as residential wards, the hospital had a large recreation and dining hall, kitchens, workshops "in which the patients [were] encouraged to spend their time profitably", a tailor, bakery, shoe-maker and printing shops as well as 8 acres of market gardens.
During the Second World War the hospital took in 67 male and 48 female patients from Cardiff City Mental Hospital which had been requisitioned as a war hospital. In July 1940 it was agreed that most of the hospital should be given over to military use and most of the patients were transferred to other Welsh mental hospitals. The hospital was returned to civilian use in 1947.
With the advent of Care in the Community and changing attitudes towards mental health care, services at the hospital were wound down during the 1990s and the last wards closed in 1999. Some facilities moved into nearby Bronllys Hospital (formerly the South Wales Sanitorium)
In 2009 the site was offered for sale. By this time, several properties that once belonged to the hospital, such as the gatehouse, had been sold off and the buildings were becoming derelict. There are signs of demolition throughout the site and many of the original slates (believed to be worth in excess of £1 million) were stripped from the roofs.
On with the photosHistory
The building, designed by Messrs Giles, Gough and Trollope of London followed the compact arrow plan and was built at a cost of £126,000. It was opened amid public ceremony on March 18, 1903, by the Rt. Hon. Lord Glanusk who said of it "everything has been done that human ingenuity could devise for the happiness and safety of the inmates, and under the blessing of God, for their speedy restoration to health." Like other contemporary institutions, the asylum was designed to be self-sufficient, and had its own private water, electricity, heating and sewerage systems as well as a considerable agricultural estate on which able-bodied patients worked to produce food for the hospital. As well as residential wards, the hospital had a large recreation and dining hall, kitchens, workshops "in which the patients [were] encouraged to spend their time profitably", a tailor, bakery, shoe-maker and printing shops as well as 8 acres of market gardens.
During the Second World War the hospital took in 67 male and 48 female patients from Cardiff City Mental Hospital which had been requisitioned as a war hospital. In July 1940 it was agreed that most of the hospital should be given over to military use and most of the patients were transferred to other Welsh mental hospitals. The hospital was returned to civilian use in 1947.
With the advent of Care in the Community and changing attitudes towards mental health care, services at the hospital were wound down during the 1990s and the last wards closed in 1999. Some facilities moved into nearby Bronllys Hospital (formerly the South Wales Sanitorium)
In 2009 the site was offered for sale. By this time, several properties that once belonged to the hospital, such as the gatehouse, had been sold off and the buildings were becoming derelict. There are signs of demolition throughout the site and many of the original slates (believed to be worth in excess of £1 million) were stripped from the roofs.
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thanks for looking
A few peeps got their cars done in recently too I heard.
