Severalls Asylum 2014

Derelict Places

Help Support Derelict Places:

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

Rolfey

Veteran Member
Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2011
Messages
160
Reaction score
439
Location
Huntingdonshire
History

Severalls Hospital in Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom was a psychiatric hospital built in 1910 to the design of architect Frank Whitmore. It opened in May 1913.

The 300-acre (120 ha) site housed some 2000 patients and was based on the "Echelon plan" - a specific arrangement of wards, offices and services within easy reach of each other by a network of interconnecting corridors. This meant that staff were able to operate around the site without the need to go outside in bad weather. Unlike modern British hospitals, patients in Severalls were separated according to their gender. Villas were constructed around the main hospital building as accommodation blocks between 1910 and 1935. Most of the buildings are in the Queen Anne style, with few architectural embellishments, typical of the Edwardian period. The most ornate buildings are the Administration Building, Larch House and Severalls House (originally the Medical Superintendent's residence).

Psychiatrists were free to experiment with new treatments on patients seemingly at will, using practices now considered unsuitable such as the use of frontal lobotomy. The use of these treatments peaked in the 1950s. In her book Madness in Its Place: Narratives of Severalls Hospital, 1913-1997,Diana Gittins notes that often women were admitted by their own family, sometimes as the result of bearing illegitimate children or because they had been raped. As they would not always (or were unable to) carry out daily tasks, they were considered to be insane and some were even subjected to ECT and lobotomy. A change in management during the 1960s (and likely a change in social acceptance) saw reforms introduced including the creation of art and music therapy programs and the widespread use of drugs and medication.

The hospital closed as a Psychiatric Hospital in the early 1990s following the closure of other Psychiatric Institutions, as part of the change in approach to Psychiatric "Care in the Community". However, a small section remained open until 20th. of March, 1997 for the treatment of elderly patients suffering from the effects of serious stroke, etc., as a temporary building for nearby Colchester General Hospital which was in the process of building an entire new building for these Patients.



bAyinZfl.jpg


n1Ejc3bl.jpg


XAUel0ul.jpg


WYErs8cl.jpg


1ecJF0Ql.jpg


b3kNzgel.jpg


6b9cUkFl.jpg


kEB3oZXl.jpg


BOBbPuJl.jpg


1AHEK27l.jpg


mMx7cAJl.jpg


3cBwezxl.jpg


YuLgGp0l.jpg


YPONEHgl.jpg


kCSjvthl.jpg


7jb9cFVl.jpg



Thanks for looking!
 
Nice set such a shame it's all gone now.them corridors would take some beating.had two visits here
 
Cheers mikey yeah it’s a shame has been gone! Full of character that place! Those corridors was some thing else! Lol
 
Ahhh brings back some great memories, just loved this place:)...mind you a lot of my trips were often cut short by good old Michael lol. I had a little look at what is left the other week. The water tower has luckily survived and will be turned into offices, the admin block and a few other wards also remain, sadly the Listed chapel has been demolished as too costly to repair:( the soul of the place has now sadly gone but fortunately a few surviving buildings will remain amongst a sea of new builds.
 
Yeah it’s a shame that some times to revamp it costs them to much to do it! I prefer these old building then the new build just character to them makes them different to your normal house you get now days! Atleast some is still there and not completely wiped out.
 
Hi all I was recently working on the former Severalls site and have some pics of what’s left and plenty more info as well.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top