Barrow Gurney Mental Colony, Bristol Sept 08

[krela]

Lovely pictures mate, this is what I like!

In an earlier report, someone mentioned that this place is infested with bats, was this a problem for you?

Also, anyone know on the status of this place? When's it due for demolition/conversion or any sort of building work?

Thanks,
Phil.

The bats are mainly in the service tunnels (don't get excited, they're not exciting), not in the main buildings.

The status is that they're planning on keeping most of the buildings but converting them. Planning permission is in to turn the place into a bit of a colony/office park keeping most of the infrastructure and all the trees/woodland. It's still in planning stage though so it's at least a year off, or more in the current economic climate.

 

[LivingFire]

Cheers Silverstealth & Krela!

In other pictures I can see signs alerting you of asbestos.. how much of a danger really is this? Surely it can't be much of a danger, having only closed in 2006!

Also, do Police dogs really train there? I've heard those signs are usually bullshit

Sorry for all the Qs haha.

Thanks

 

[krela]

Cheers Silverstealth & Krela!

In other pictures I can see signs alerting you of asbestos.. how much of a danger really is this? Surely it can't be much of a danger, having only closed in 2006!

Also, do Police dogs really train there? I've heard those signs are usually bullshit

Sorry for all the Qs haha.

Thanks

Yes the police dogs train there, yes the building is full of asbestos - its not a problem in most of the buildings, its a huge problem in the service tunnels.

Most of the buildings closed in the early 90s, just a few remained functional until 2006.

 

[tumbles]

The status is that they're planning on keeping most of the buildings but converting them. Planning permission is in to turn the place into a bit of a colony/office park keeping most of the infrastructure and all the trees/woodland. It's still in planning stage though so it's at least a year off, or more in the current economic climate.

If they are then something very fishy is going on.. the southside ward is part burnt down, stripped of everytile and will crumble over the winter. Brockley House is not only missing tiles, it's missing the entire roof. The large Administration block has lost its tiles and the roof has caved in on 4 or 5 places.

They are even starting to remove the tiles from the villas now. The only place I've seen untouched is the Northside Staff residence and the small villa on the east between Southside and the admin/reception block. Everything else is stripped and given the winter closing in will not be looking good come spring!

 

[tumbles]

Yes the police dogs train there, yes the building is full of asbestos - its not a problem in most of the buildings, its a huge problem in the service tunnels.

Most of the buildings closed in the early 90s, just a few remained functional until 2006.

Most of them were open till around 2005 I thought, the only one closing down before being the sick wards?... Dundry Villa had the high dependancy ward added in 2002 - the planning application is still on NS planning site.

 

[krela]

If they are then something very fishy is going on.. the southside ward is part burnt down, stripped of everytile and will crumble over the winter. Brockley House is not only missing tiles, it's missing the entire roof. The large Administration block has lost its tiles and the roof has caved in on 4 or 5 places.

They are even starting to remove the tiles from the villas now. The only place I've seen untouched is the Northside Staff residence and the small villa on the east between Southside and the admin/reception block. Everything else is stripped and given the winter closing in will not be looking good come spring!

Most of the older ward buildings are totally unsuitable for use and need to be replaced, that's part of the reason they stopped using them in the first place. Allegedly there will be new buildings on the footprints of the old ones for those that can't be converted. They were planning on keeping what they could, but on investigation I guess that proved not to be viable.

Full plans are available on the north somerset planning website.

 

[tumbles]

Most of the older ward buildings are totally unsuitable for use and need to be replaced, that's part of the reason they stopped using them in the first place. Allegedly there will be new buildings on the footprints of the old ones for those that can't be converted. They were planning on keeping what they could, but on investigation I guess that proved not to be viable.

Full plans are available on the north somerset planning website.

Hmm, but all the buildings were fine in January/Febuary this year. Then suddenly around April time damage of a kind not productive in any way seemed to start occuring.. maybe it's to help the revised planning applications go through easier

 

[krela]

Most of them were open till around 2005 I thought, the only one closing down before being the sick wards?... Dundry Villa had the high dependancy ward added in 2002 - the planning application is still on NS planning site.

The sick wards being about 60% of the site... if you ignore the staff residence block.

 

[Pete]

Barrow Hospital

I visited in January 2005 and this was the status at the time:

open areas:

• molitor house
• woodside (inc. voluntary services, hospitality and nurse's residence)
• east villa - rehab
• mother and baby unit (west villa)
• Dundry villa (Villa D) - acute
• John Carey House (Villa A) - acute
• Brockley house PICU - acute
• admission hospital (inc. reception, pharmacy, leigh ward (admissions), alexandra ward, elderly day hospital, mendip unit - neurophysiology and electroencephalography, social services wing )
• gate house
• boiler house
• mortuary
• maintenance yard

closed areas:

• Blagdon Villa (Villa B)
• Combe Villa (Villa C)
• Southside
• Red house
• Orchard room
• OT wing (of admissions hospital)

To be fair, Southside does not make up 60% of the site, it is predominantly a single storey structure with 4 wards at most. Blagdon closed in 2003 and Combe some time before that. As Krela stated the remaining villas were transferred to Carrington Road exc. the MBU which went to Southmead.

Pete

 

[krela]

I visited in January 2005 and this was the status at the time:

open areas:

• molitor house
• woodside (inc. voluntary services, hospitality and nurse's residence)
• east villa - rehab
• mother and baby unit (west villa)
• Dundry villa (Villa D) - acute
• John Carey House (Villa A) - acute
• Brockley house PICU - acute
• admission hospital (inc. reception, pharmacy, leigh ward (admissions), alexandra ward, elderly day hospital, mendip unit - neurophysiology and electroencephalography, social services wing )
• gate house
• boiler house
• mortuary
• maintenance yard

closed areas:

• Blagdon Villa (Villa B)
• Combe Villa (Villa C)
• Southside
• Red house
• Orchard room
• OT wing (of admissions hospital)

To be fair, Southside does not make up 60% of the site, it is predominantly a single storey structure with 4 wards at most. Blagdon closed in 2003 and Combe some time before that. As Krela stated the remaining villas were transferred to Carrington Road exc. the MBU which went to Southmead.

Pete

I was talking more in terms of footprint than beds/capacity.

 

[tumbles]

What's known, if anything, about the recreation hall? It was only when I was in the main reception part last weekend that I noticed it being listed on the fire alarm panel

This map must be dated about 2003-4 then, although it was picked up in southside wards.. so it clearly shows some of the villas gone.. how long had Brockley been built, can't of been long?

 

[Flaxington]

what happened to the protected bat colonies?

 

[krela]

They're still there...

 

[Flaxington]

what happened to the staff social club, i know it closed years ago but is it still on the site or was it pulled down when it closed?

 

[Pete]

What's known, if anything, about the recreation hall? It was only when I was in the main reception part last weekend that I noticed it being listed on the fire alarm panel

This map must be dated about 2003-4 then, although it was picked up in southside wards.. so it clearly shows some of the villas gone.. how long had Brockley been built, can't of been long?

The recreation hall was a detached building to the north west of Southside, adjacent to the wooded area - see link. I may be wrong, but i don't recall it existing in 2005?

Brockley is similar to other later PICU/forensic units and looks to be mid 90's in construction. That map looks of a rather odd, non-health service origin and almost home made

what happened to the staff social club, i know it closed years ago but is it still on the site or was it pulled down when it closed?

I think it may have been the 'Orchard room' under a previous incarnation, not 100% on that though.

 

[tumbles]

The recreation hall was a detached building to the north west of Southside, adjacent to the wooded area - see link. I may be wrong, but i don't recall it existing in 2005?

Good work with that link, when you compare it with the goole one here you can clearly see that it was knocked down. Shame it's gone but such is life.

Something very strange is going on at Barrow and I don't think all of it is legit either.

 

[Pete]

Good work with that link, when you compare it with the goole one here you can clearly see that it was knocked down. Shame it's gone but such is life.

Something very strange is going on at Barrow and I don't think all of it is legit either.

I don't think it would have been a particularly substantial affair anyway - it wasn't part of the original plan for the site which would have had a rec hall where the orchard room is, in line with the boiler house and stores.

Does anyone know, is the fire indicator board that is frequently pictured (but not in this thread) located in the southside block? Its rthe only reference i have seen to Kenn, Nailsea and Redhill wards?

Pete

 

[tumbles]

I don't think it would have been a particularly substantial affair anyway - it wasn't part of the original plan for the site which would have had a rec hall where the orchard room is, in line with the boiler house and stores.

Does anyone know, is the fire indicator board that is frequently pictured (but not in this thread) located in the southside block? Its rthe only reference i have seen to Kenn, Nailsea and Redhill wards?

Pete

There is another panel in the reception which is much better and details all of the wards, numbers etc.

I have a picture but it's very bad, will find it for you a moment.

P.S I've only just realised how OLD that flash earth image must be, you can see them building the high dependancy block on the back of Dundry Villa, the planning application for that was 2002 according to north somerset planning website!

 

[tumbles]

My picture of the panel is awful.. I can just make out zooming right in though

Ward 10 - East Villa

*Southside Wards*

Ward 9 - Shipham
Ward 8 - Jubilee
Ward 7 - (nothing listed, Redhill???)
Ward 6 - Kenn
Ward 5 - Nailsea

*Villas* (originally given ward numbers)

Ward 4 - Dundry Villa
Ward 3 - Combe Villa
Ward 2 - Blagdon Villa
Ward 1 - John Carey Villa

'Central Linen Store' which presumably made way for Brockley Hosue is next to JC on the panel

The mother & baby unit appears to have a ward number but can't make it out and the administration block has C1,2 and 3 maybe?