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

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Sun 25 Nov, 2007 2:46 pm

I got some shots of the High Royds chapel. It's pretty sad these days. It's overgrown and disused. The place is only very small. There are 2 graves in the middle of the field & we found another 2 really well hid in the thick undergrowth. You have to climb the wall to get in & the funny thing is someone has gone to that trouble & got throw the undergrowth to place some fresh flowers on the grave. All the other people are in un marked graves. It pretty much sums up the feeling that no one wants to be associated with these people & there better off dead out of the way.

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Sun 25 Nov, 2007 2:49 pm

The only indication the place exists

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Sun 25 Nov, 2007 2:51 pm

You wouldn't get many mourners in there.

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Sun 25 Nov, 2007 2:53 pm

The rest of the High Royds set is herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/sets/7 ... 25/detail/

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Sun 25 Nov, 2007 3:36 pm

I'm chatting with this guy who's been photographing this place as well, were pretty keen to do a book about the history of High Royds and i'd be keen to hear if anyone has any story's, pictures or would want to share there recollections of the place. There must be plenty of ex employees out there with some fascinating tales to tell. It would be a sympathetic book and not a bang in your face urbEX type.My e-mail ad is on my profile. Cheers

roundhegian · Post by **roundhegian** » Sun 25 Nov, 2007 4:20 pm

Phill_d wrote: The only indication the place exists Not all the patients were buried at the hospital . A relative of mine who died there in late-1943 was buried by his family in Harehills Cemetary .Possibly most patients with immediate family still living were in fact buried elsewhere .

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Sun 25 Nov, 2007 4:37 pm

Thanks.. Yes i guess not all patients were uncared for. I think these ones in the cemetery were the unfortunate ones.

AnnieC · Post by **AnnieC** » Sun 25 Nov, 2007 6:16 pm

Hi, Phill. Respect due to you and the folks at LHES. I trained as a mental health nurse and worked at High Royds between 1988 and 1995 - wasn't in it's hey day then, but it was still full of life, and very much a community. I was particularly sad to see the little graveyard - when I worked there it was kept tidy, and there were signs all over it asking you to treat it peacefully and respectfully, which people did. I've got a little book which is a pictorial history of the old hospital which the Mental Health Trust produced. Drop me an email if you want a photocopy and I'll dig it out - you've got some stuff already, I think. I'm glad the ballroom is surviving, we used to play badminton in there with patients when I was a student nurse, and there was a coffee bar in there for the patients as well. I'll pass the flickr/youtube stuff on to other people I know who worked there, and perhaps you'll get some more info. There were some unbelievably spooky bits - the late shift didn't finish till 9.45 pm and if you worked at the top end of the hospital furthest from the road, you either had to walk down the central corridor which was completely deserted at that time of night, or down the back drive past the mortuary to get to the bus stop - either way it was well scary, and you never quite got used to it, but the patients all knew you and you knew all the longer term patients by sight, and you always got a greeting of sorts, so it wasn't too unfriendly

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Sun 25 Nov, 2007 6:28 pm

Well thanks for that Annie, Those are just the type of things we need. High Royds is one of those places that when you visit it leaves a lasting impression on you, Especially more so now it's closed as you can feel the atmosphere..not as it was when it was busy, but from over the years. Yes if you could please give folk my e-mail to get in touch with [email protected]'d appreciate that and what you could send me from the book you have as well. It's very early doors at the moment as we need to get an array of excellent images gathered together first as well as compile all the old tales & history. Many thanks for the help Annie, cheers

Post by **chameleon** » Sun 25 Nov, 2007 11:02 pm

I wonder Phill, if it's more a case that there were headstones which had become unsafe and since been removed? It was policy that even the pauper's graves in municipal cemetries(Beckett Street for example), were marked with a simple headstone bearing the names of those there, often 12 or more in each plot'The council paid 6d per dozen letters - both sides of the headstone being used with plots directly back to back - that was around £3 per stone to the mason. I'm not sure if the Council would be responsible for the burial of the poor inmates here, if it were the Hospital, funding may not have been available which would leave them lost and discarded to be forgotten.