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View Full Version : Archived: St Thomas' Hospital Stockport March 11



urbexphotos
04-04-2011, 09:14 PM
Originally named Stockport Workhouse and designed by Henry Bowman who was also responsible for the Congleton workhouse. It was intended to accommodate up to 690 inmates.

After 1912, the workhouse was officially known as Stockport Poor Law Institution. It later became Shaw Heath Hospital, then from 1954 was known as St Thomas' Hospital.
Initially this building was built as a workhouse for the Stockport Poor Law Union in 1841, the total cost of the building was £13,470.12s.10d. The arrangement of the building comprises several quadrangles, in which are workshops, stores, washhouses, hospital and lunatic wards.

However soon after opening there was a widespread manufacturing slump and it was attacked by a mob of unemployed workers in 1842:
Quote: The more remarkable features of the proceedings in Stockport were the extortion of money from mill-owners as well as shopkeepers, and an attack on the New Union Workhouse, Shaw-heath, where the mob forced an entrance, and immediately commenced to help themselves to bread and money. No fewer than 672 seven pound loaves were taken away, and about £7 in copper. Information of this was conveyed to the authorities, and they hastened to the spot with the constables, yeomanry, and infantry, and captured about forty of the rioters, several of whom, however, were subsequently rescued.


The workhouse later became Shaw Heath Hospital, for the treatment of psycho-geriatric patients, then from 1954 was known as St Thomas' Hospital. The hospital finally closed in 2004 and the site has now been acquired by Stockport College as part of their campus expansion. The main workhouse building and some other blocks are planned to be retained and refurbished.

Interestingly, the Rector of St Thomas' church is still the official chaplain to the workhouse. To this day, he receives a small annual cheque for this post which is then deducted from his salary as rector.

Full link on the history is here

An interesting start to the day and a very easy site access was found. After spending the usual 30 mins gaining access we was very amused to find an open door 2 mins later!
The reason that is was so easy to enter is that the place was broken into the night before and they had pulled down a huge chunk of fence. This was relayed to us by the very nice security as they escorted us off the site, this was after a 3hr mooch around. We wanted to point out to the security guard that his fly was open but as they were polite we decided against it.

Here is the bit you have been wanting now the waffle is out of the way.

Visited with Pink Rabbit.

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Thanks for looking