neninja
Member
This was more of a recce than a full visit as I was only on site for around an hour but it may be of interest to people.
History
Homelands Hospital is on the edge of open countryside and the village of Helmington Row just outside Crook, Co. Durham. Before the construction of Homelands Hospital in 1903 the site consisted of open fields.
Homelands Hospital was originally a fever hospital, an early form of infectious disease hospital. This explains the somewhat isolated position of the complex. It was believed at the time that the best way to treat diseases such as tuberculosis, typhus and smallpox was to move sufferers away from others to a more rural site where fresh air would be the best form of therapy.
The building has had some later additions and alterations, however, the style and quality of the buildings are typical of that used for municipal buildings of the era. The majority of period features within the buildings have either been lost or covered by modern surface finishes, though some period features remain.
It later became a Mental Health and Community hospital until its closure in December 2004 since which time the site has been unoccupied.
The buildings haven't yet been too chav'd - the odd broken window (boarded or metal screened) but all the roofs are intact and no fire damage yet which is pretty good since it's been empty for 5 years. There is very little graffiti or tagging.
History
Homelands Hospital is on the edge of open countryside and the village of Helmington Row just outside Crook, Co. Durham. Before the construction of Homelands Hospital in 1903 the site consisted of open fields.
Homelands Hospital was originally a fever hospital, an early form of infectious disease hospital. This explains the somewhat isolated position of the complex. It was believed at the time that the best way to treat diseases such as tuberculosis, typhus and smallpox was to move sufferers away from others to a more rural site where fresh air would be the best form of therapy.
The building has had some later additions and alterations, however, the style and quality of the buildings are typical of that used for municipal buildings of the era. The majority of period features within the buildings have either been lost or covered by modern surface finishes, though some period features remain.
It later became a Mental Health and Community hospital until its closure in December 2004 since which time the site has been unoccupied.
The buildings haven't yet been too chav'd - the odd broken window (boarded or metal screened) but all the roofs are intact and no fire damage yet which is pretty good since it's been empty for 5 years. There is very little graffiti or tagging.
