St Joseph's Orphanage/Mount Street Hospital - Preston - March 2020

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Jenal Urbex

Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2020
Messages
10
Reaction score
38
Location
Preston, UK
St Joseph's Orphanage was funded and built on behalf of a wealthy widow named "Maria Holland" in 1872 who was frequently donating £10,000 at a time to build the structure as Preston had one of the worst mortality rates in the UK at the time due to poor housing and low paid mill workers. In 1877 "St Joseph's Institute for the Sick and Poor" was opened. The chapel was added in 1910. The hospital could accomodate around 25 patients at a time and was run by Sisters of Charity of Our Lady Mother of Mercy. St Joseph's Orphanage cared for around 971 children and had two dormitories until it closed in 1954. The top floor of the old orphanage was used for accomodation for the nuns working in the hospital. The hospital cared for a number of British and Belgian soldiers in WW1 and WW2. Singer George Formby died at the hospital in 1961. The hospital continued to run after the oprhanage closed however until the nuns left nursing and led to the hospitals eventual closure in 1982. In 1988 the building was converted into a care home which operated smoothly until that finally closed its doors in February 2003. The building has been abandoned ever since. There were plans to convert the building into flats in 2004 an were given the green light but the plans never went ahead. Now in 2020 a company named Czero wants to demolish the majority of the buildings that remain and build new flats around the chapel and tower end of the orphanage once redeveloped.

During this exploration in March we found an access point that we knew would not be there forever so we decided to make the most of it while it was there and ended up visiting a few times during mid-March, sadly as of this date that access point has been blocked off. During our exploration we encounter lots of interesting things inside the building. Here are some of the pictures we took.

1708721_61a2dd9f2264d6b6a56258576f68ff76.jpg

A picture I took of the back end of the building in a back garden/courtyard.
1708723_7e91693869e5132f4782c0c22d6ec9c4.jpg

A picture of an old doorway that led into the building during its operation.
1708725_2a8f2130e19430a0696eb4f3e1875e09.jpg

Another face of the building from the exterior.
1708727_324d7faec97c131360a9d43fa65baad0.jpg

A picture of inside the old chapel part of the building.
1708729_8a4795c4fd7fda26b02728d73624d682.jpg

One of the original windows of the building.
1708731_389aa12745cdc3d47b639c3ec18dd30d.jpg

The stage of the chapel.
1708733_2ab1e107eaaf5ae7156f1ad2ba1e1b4f.jpg

In very good condition there is stained glass window saying "Praised by Jesus Christ".
1708735_eb23b3aad73bde75c675bc27a3842242.jpg

One of the stained glass windows within the chapel.
1708737_aaff90af2336bdf3e57e17fe60e2ab2b.jpg

One of the old surgery machines in the old hospital.
1708739_3694a3857deb87ae8b750616c3148cbf.jpg

Part of the top floor of the orphanage that has suffered a fire many years ago.
1708741_36daa7ee900b9b46f963ccc678ca8776.jpg

The surgery room with the table and curtains in the shot.
1708743_e870b089f283a5607fc771ec64600248.jpg

A newspaper from 1997 that we found in the basement of the hospital.
1708745_1a169dd4729d596dd2a94af3dc584f43.jpg

The central area between the old hospital and the chapel.
1708747_ecb2b2fcc5ae7daac332086ec41c717f.jpg

A piece of machinery in the attic of the hospital
1708749_c1241d86dc973d0a8276e1211c6ba30b.jpg

Some of the old windows in the old hospital.
1708753_fa305a17e58b27de2354633ee9bc6f5c.jpg

The old morgue that still sits the ground floor of the old hospital
1708755_dc2cf797a44444da4301804d9fb0434c.jpg

Some old electrical equipment found inside the old hospital.
 
That lamp is looking worse for wear these days. Something about old Hanaulux lamps which is cool as.
 
Must try & go here. Yeah I like the lamp, shame glass is all broke, Id still give good money for it, would love one as a dining room light!
 
Awesome pics. This place is fairly close to a friend of mine so am hoping to be able to have a walk around, even if it's just round the grounds, soon ☺
 
St Joseph's Orphanage was funded and built on behalf of a wealthy widow named "Maria Holland" in 1872 who was frequently donating £10,000 at a time to build the structure as Preston had one of the worst mortality rates in the UK at the time due to poor housing and low paid mill workers. In 1877 "St Joseph's Institute for the Sick and Poor" was opened. The chapel was added in 1910. The hospital could accomodate around 25 patients at a time and was run by Sisters of Charity of Our Lady Mother of Mercy. St Joseph's Orphanage cared for around 971 children and had two dormitories until it closed in 1954. The top floor of the old orphanage was used for accomodation for the nuns working in the hospital. The hospital cared for a number of British and Belgian soldiers in WW1 and WW2. Singer George Formby died at the hospital in 1961. The hospital continued to run after the oprhanage closed however until the nuns left nursing and led to the hospitals eventual closure in 1982. In 1988 the building was converted into a care home which operated smoothly until that finally closed its doors in February 2003. The building has been abandoned ever since. There were plans to convert the building into flats in 2004 an were given the green light but the plans never went ahead. Now in 2020 a company named Czero wants to demolish the majority of the buildings that remain and build new flats around the chapel and tower end of the orphanage once redeveloped.

During this exploration in March we found an access point that we knew would not be there forever so we decided to make the most of it while it was there and ended up visiting a few times during mid-March, sadly as of this date that access point has been blocked off. During our exploration we encounter lots of interesting things inside the building. Here are some of the pictures we took.

View attachment 260301
A picture I took of the back end of the building in a back garden/courtyard.
View attachment 260302
A picture of an old doorway that led into the building during its operation.
View attachment 260303
Another face of the building from the exterior.
View attachment 260304
A picture of inside the old chapel part of the building.
View attachment 260305
One of the original windows of the building.
View attachment 260306
The stage of the chapel.
View attachment 260307
In very good condition there is stained glass window saying "Praised by Jesus Christ".
View attachment 260308
One of the stained glass windows within the chapel.
View attachment 260309
One of the old surgery machines in the old hospital.
View attachment 260310
Part of the top floor of the orphanage that has suffered a fire many years ago.
View attachment 260311
The surgery room with the table and curtains in the shot.
View attachment 260312
A newspaper from 1997 that we found in the basement of the hospital.
View attachment 260313
The central area between the old hospital and the chapel.
View attachment 260314
A piece of machinery in the attic of the hospital
View attachment 260315
Some of the old windows in the old hospital.
View attachment 260316
The old morgue that still sits the ground floor of the old hospital
View attachment 260317
Some old electrical equipment found inside the old hospital.
I live, new, in Preston. Pass by that place a lot. Ached to get into there to explore. Great mysterious looking building. And, being an ex-orphan boy myself, I am attached to such institutional old buildings.
 
St Joseph's Orphanage was funded and built on behalf of a wealthy widow named "Maria Holland" in 1872 who was frequently donating £10,000 at a time to build the structure as Preston had one of the worst mortality rates in the UK at the time due to poor housing and low paid mill workers. In 1877 "St Joseph's Institute for the Sick and Poor" was opened. The chapel was added in 1910. The hospital could accomodate around 25 patients at a time and was run by Sisters of Charity of Our Lady Mother of Mercy. St Joseph's Orphanage cared for around 971 children and had two dormitories until it closed in 1954. The top floor of the old orphanage was used for accomodation for the nuns working in the hospital. The hospital cared for a number of British and Belgian soldiers in WW1 and WW2. Singer George Formby died at the hospital in 1961. The hospital continued to run after the oprhanage closed however until the nuns left nursing and led to the hospitals eventual closure in 1982. In 1988 the building was converted into a care home which operated smoothly until that finally closed its doors in February 2003. The building has been abandoned ever since. There were plans to convert the building into flats in 2004 an were given the green light but the plans never went ahead. Now in 2020 a company named Czero wants to demolish the majority of the buildings that remain and build new flats around the chapel and tower end of the orphanage once redeveloped.

During this exploration in March we found an access point that we knew would not be there forever so we decided to make the most of it while it was there and ended up visiting a few times during mid-March, sadly as of this date that access point has been blocked off. During our exploration we encounter lots of interesting things inside the building. Here are some of the pictures we took.

View attachment 260301
A picture I took of the back end of the building in a back garden/courtyard.
View attachment 260302
A picture of an old doorway that led into the building during its operation.
View attachment 260303
Another face of the building from the exterior.
View attachment 260304
A picture of inside the old chapel part of the building.
View attachment 260305
One of the original windows of the building.
View attachment 260306
The stage of the chapel.
View attachment 260307
In very good condition there is stained glass window saying "Praised by Jesus Christ".
View attachment 260308
One of the stained glass windows within the chapel.
View attachment 260309
One of the old surgery machines in the old hospital.
View attachment 260310
Part of the top floor of the orphanage that has suffered a fire many years ago.
View attachment 260311
The surgery room with the table and curtains in the shot.
View attachment 260312
A newspaper from 1997 that we found in the basement of the hospital.
View attachment 260313
The central area between the old hospital and the chapel.
View attachment 260314
A piece of machinery in the attic of the hospital
View attachment 260315
Some of the old windows in the old hospital.
View attachment 260316
The old morgue that still sits the ground floor of the old hospital
View attachment 260317
Some old electrical equipment found inside the old hospital.
Hi I love your photos, St Joseph's is a really interesting place! I've been doing some research into Mrs Maria Holland's life and was wondering how you found out she was a widow, I'd love to find out more about her :)
 
Hi I love your photos, St Joseph's is a really interesting place! I've been doing some research into Mrs Maria Holland's life and was wondering how you found out she was a widow, I'd love to find out more about her :)
I only found out she was a widow from the sources I got the history I found elsewhere that said she was a widow.
 
St Joseph's Orphanage was funded and built on behalf of a wealthy widow named "Maria Holland" in 1872 who was frequently donating £10,000 at a time to build the structure as Preston had one of the worst mortality rates in the UK at the time due to poor housing and low paid mill workers. In 1877 "St Joseph's Institute for the Sick and Poor" was opened. The chapel was added in 1910. The hospital could accomodate around 25 patients at a time and was run by Sisters of Charity of Our Lady Mother of Mercy. St Joseph's Orphanage cared for around 971 children and had two dormitories until it closed in 1954. The top floor of the old orphanage was used for accomodation for the nuns working in the hospital. The hospital cared for a number of British and Belgian soldiers in WW1 and WW2. Singer George Formby died at the hospital in 1961. The hospital continued to run after the oprhanage closed however until the nuns left nursing and led to the hospitals eventual closure in 1982. In 1988 the building was converted into a care home which operated smoothly until that finally closed its doors in February 2003. The building has been abandoned ever since. There were plans to convert the building into flats in 2004 an were given the green light but the plans never went ahead. Now in 2020 a company named Czero wants to demolish the majority of the buildings that remain and build new flats around the chapel and tower end of the orphanage once redeveloped.

During this exploration in March we found an access point that we knew would not be there forever so we decided to make the most of it while it was there and ended up visiting a few times during mid-March, sadly as of this date that access point has been blocked off. During our exploration we encounter lots of interesting things inside the building. Here are some of the pictures we took.

View attachment 260301
A picture I took of the back end of the building in a back garden/courtyard.
View attachment 260302
A picture of an old doorway that led into the building during its operation.
View attachment 260303
Another face of the building from the exterior.
View attachment 260304
A picture of inside the old chapel part of the building.
View attachment 260305
One of the original windows of the building.
View attachment 260306
The stage of the chapel.
View attachment 260307
In very good condition there is stained glass window saying "Praised by Jesus Christ".
View attachment 260308
One of the stained glass windows within the chapel.
View attachment 260309
One of the old surgery machines in the old hospital.
View attachment 260310
Part of the top floor of the orphanage that has suffered a fire many years ago.
View attachment 260311
The surgery room with the table and curtains in the shot.
View attachment 260312
A newspaper from 1997 that we found in the basement of the hospital.
View attachment 260313
The central area between the old hospital and the chapel.
View attachment 260314
A piece of machinery in the attic of the hospital
View attachment 260315
Some of the old windows in the old hospital.
View attachment 260316
The old morgue that still sits the ground floor of the old hospital
View attachment 260317
Some old electrical equipment found inside the old hospital.
Spooky place. A well-timed visit, before the winter weather gives it a good soaking. It won't be standing long without the roof tiles.
 
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