The West Riding Lunatic & Mental Asylum (one flew over the cuckoo's nest)

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Tue 20 Nov, 2007 2:23 am

The West Riding Pauper & Lunatic Asylum is better known today as High Royds hospital. Built in 1888 it was the third such asylum to be built in England and was finally closed in 2003. The place is undergoing extensive renovation into posh flats & housing with much of the former hospital now coverted, however the main admin & mortuary blocks still remain untouched. Anyway we had the chance to take one last look at the place so we did, i've knocked up a youtube vid herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ztkb6dprTRQAsylums always have an extra sinister atmosphere to them... not suprisingly with all the terrible things that went on behind those walls over the years . So if abandoned mortuary's by night are not your thing then it's best not to watch, I'm still having nightmares myself

Croggy · Post by **Croggy** » Tue 20 Nov, 2007 2:33 am

Looks a bit grim on there! I remember going to visit my grandad there back in the 70s ...

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Tue 20 Nov, 2007 2:40 am

Yes it was a bit grim mate.. It is in daylight but when the darkness comes it's even worse.. Hey we found this beautiful white dove sat up in the clock tower all on it's own in the dark. It seemed happy enough and never got in the slightest flutter. It just sat there and watched us do our thing.. AWW!

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Tue 20 Nov, 2007 2:42 am

Isn't it cute

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Tue 20 Nov, 2007 2:51 am

I've just seen i've put cuckoods instead of cuckoo's... GRRR you can't edit that..

Post by **dsco** » Tue 20 Nov, 2007 2:04 pm

another thing for me to look into i guess i've edited that thread name for you in the mean time phill.cheers,dsco

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Tue 20 Nov, 2007 2:09 pm

Thanks.. I don't feel a numpty now

Martyn · Post by **Martyn** » Tue 20 Nov, 2007 8:30 pm

Just across the road from Highroyds, behind the ambulance station, on Buckle Lane there's a little chapel set back off the road behind some iron gates. The chapel is surrounded by a grassed area and there's a little plaque at the side of the gates which says that over two and a half thousand deceased inmates of Highroyds are buried in the area surrounding the chapel. No family funeral, no friends round the graveside, no wake, just a parson and a gravedigger to pay their respects. That's sad.

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Tue 20 Nov, 2007 9:00 pm

Thanks for that Martin. Yes it is sad isn't it? I think going back in time these people were treated pretty bad, You can almost taste the sadness about the place. Yes i've seen that chapel on pictures, apparently there was a rail line running behind it from the main line, there is a short bridge/tunnel under the road, It's gated off & overgrown now. Apparently it carried a line for the monement of stone to build Highroyds from the quarry at Otley. I shall have to look out for it.

simonm · Post by **simonm** » Tue 20 Nov, 2007 9:20 pm

Very good friend of mine recorded a video to his song in there, when it was still operational. Bedlam a`gogo and Asylum. That youtube vid is so haunting Phill. Not just the mortuary pics, but the whole thing. Such a sad sad place!