Roundway Hospital dates back to the 1840’s when a committee of Justices approved plans for an asylum in Wiltshire. Forty-eight acres of land was purchased and architect Thomas Henry Wyatt was brought in to design the asylum, who went for an Italianate style. Stone for the buildings was mined locally and slate for the roof…
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This humble little chapel in Tillingham, on the Dengie Peninsula in Essex, was completed in 1867 for the Perculiar People. They were strict Puritan group founded in Rochford in 1838, and this religious trend spread through Victorian Essex. They attended day-long services on Sundays which often involved prayer and hymns in strict fashion, complete with…
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Today this former asylum is owned by the University of West England (UWE) and is home to hundreds of students who studying medical courses. With various hospital wards and beds – all of these are mockups used for training but fortunately the university have retained many features of the 140 year old building. St Peter’s…
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In 1889 Kesteven became its own authority and was required by law to have any asylum so the search began to find a suitable site for building one. Sixteen sites were shortlisted and the land at Rauceby was the cheapest so the 112 acre site was chosen. Five different architects were asked to submit designs,…
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The former Royal Navy Ordnance Depot has been based here since the late 17th century, used to store and prepare munitions for the naval ships laid up on the River Medway at Chatham. Situated opposite Chatham Dockyard the depot was an important part of the daily activity at the dockyard and due to its location…
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Situated just half a mile away from Coalhouse Fort, East Tilbury Battery, was constructed from 1887-93 and supplemented Coalhouse Fort as part of the Thames’ coastal defence system. It housed six breech-loading guns, mounted on disappearing carriages. There was two 10-inch guns in the centre, and two pairs of 6-pdr guns on either flank. At…
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This battery is perhaps one of Cliffe’s least well-recognised pieces of ruined defence heritage. The initial Lower Hope Battery was built to defend the Thames Estuary at Lower Hope Point from around 1796, predating the Palmerston Fort defence scheme in the wider area such as Cliffe, Shornemead and Coalhouse Fort by almost 70 years. It…
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We recently embarked on a roadtrip across Scotland, focused on abandoned asylums and other hospitals. We photographed a total of eight, six of those being former asylums. The variations and similarities in their architecture was most interesting, with changes to asylum design being apparent. This varied from the streamlined design of the Georgian Royal Murray…
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Lennox Castle Hospital lies in ruins in Lennoxtown, north of Glasgow. The large three-story building was designed by architect David Hamilton in 1837, not as a hospital but as a grand castle. The neo-Norman style building took four years to complete and featured a five storey-high tower. The building remained as a home until the…
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The Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, south Glasgow, is one of the cities main hospitals and has existed since 1786 when it opened as a general dispensary. The current, modern hospital building was officially opened in 1988 by Princess Alexandra which saw the previous building close. The previous hospital was designed by the Paisley architect…
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