Red Mole
Well-known member
I explored this large rambling hospital with my partner on the way to a weekends walking in the Peak District. After we gained entry we enjoyed a undisturbed 3 hours have a good old nose about. Sadly the place has been badly trashed by scumbags but was enjoyable nonetheless. The hospital is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of Florence Nightingale and has been subject to many paranormal investigations since it's closure.
A bit of history:
Derbyshire Royal Infirmary (DRI) was established in 1810 on land formerly part of Derby's Castlefield estate on land near what is now Bradshaw Way and the A6 London Road. It was known as the Derbyshire General Infirmary at the time.
In 1890 a Typhoid outbreak sweeped through the hospital, and the buildings design was blamed. The hospital was entirely demolished. A year later Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone of what would become Derbyshire Royal Infirmary. The neo-Jacobean building was completed in 1894, and its main features were its 'Onion' shaped domed towers and its central corridor which ran the length of the hospital.
The hospital was expanded at several points in the 20th century, the most visible being the still used Wilderslowe Tower and the now disused A+E building built in 1970. The DRI as a result is an architectural mish-mash with the original hospital at its heart.
In the late 90s, the NHS Trust's for each hospital in Derby merged, and drew up a dramatic plan to consolidate the services of both hospital's on one site. The so called 'super hospital' is known as the Derby Royal Hospital is now one of the largest in the region.
In August 2014 the date was set for demolition of the site was announced to be October 2014 so at the time of writing it may or may not still be there!
[/url]IMG_5670 by ChrisLansdell, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]DRI05.1 by ChrisLansdell, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]DRI02.1 by ChrisLansdell, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]DRI39 by ChrisLansdell, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]DRI44 by ChrisLansdell, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]DRI53 by ChrisLansdell, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]DRI12 by ChrisLansdell, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]DRI31 by ChrisLansdell, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]DRI23 by ChrisLansdell, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]DRI15 by ChrisLansdell, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]DRI50 by ChrisLansdell, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]DRI60 by ChrisLansdell, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]DRI37 by ChrisLansdell, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]DRI45 by ChrisLansdell, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]DRI28 by ChrisLansdell, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]DRI27 by ChrisLansdell, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]DRI49.1 by ChrisLansdell, on Flickr[/IMG]
A bit of history:
Derbyshire Royal Infirmary (DRI) was established in 1810 on land formerly part of Derby's Castlefield estate on land near what is now Bradshaw Way and the A6 London Road. It was known as the Derbyshire General Infirmary at the time.
In 1890 a Typhoid outbreak sweeped through the hospital, and the buildings design was blamed. The hospital was entirely demolished. A year later Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone of what would become Derbyshire Royal Infirmary. The neo-Jacobean building was completed in 1894, and its main features were its 'Onion' shaped domed towers and its central corridor which ran the length of the hospital.
The hospital was expanded at several points in the 20th century, the most visible being the still used Wilderslowe Tower and the now disused A+E building built in 1970. The DRI as a result is an architectural mish-mash with the original hospital at its heart.
In the late 90s, the NHS Trust's for each hospital in Derby merged, and drew up a dramatic plan to consolidate the services of both hospital's on one site. The so called 'super hospital' is known as the Derby Royal Hospital is now one of the largest in the region.
In August 2014 the date was set for demolition of the site was announced to be October 2014 so at the time of writing it may or may not still be there!
