boxfrenzy
22-07-2010, 01:19 PM
I'm not the biggest fan of hospital explores. I'm sure that in the 1950's they would have been pretty good, but now most of them are partitioned, divided up and soulless places, with suspended ceilings and characterless rooms. Still, this place is being partly demolished, its Sunday morning, and i'm bored and on my own.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4814796411_cb4446d5c2.jpg
Cookridge hospital was built during the 1860's, the three buildings opening in 1869 as a convalescent hospital, away from the smoke and grime of industrial Leeds. They will remain, but the more recent ones are coming down. This would have been the entrance hall once, with potted plants, tiled floors, nurses anxiously avoiding matron as she stode down these corridors. Until 1934, Cookridge hospital had it's own set of rules. One of them was "to be obedient to Matron and to perform all such services in the house and grounds as she may appoint".
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4814795139_f97f7557bd.jpg
Today, the corridors are dark and silent.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/4815418492_930eee1a7b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4815417230_8eca6c1fde.jpg
The copper theives have been in too. Floors are lifted, and the wire is everywhere.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4815415776_3354de174a.jpg
The operating theatre is dark and flooded. A suspicious white film floats on top of the water. It didn't taste too good.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4815416568_75d5394327.jpg
The instrument room, off the theatre is flooded too. It reminded me of a kitchen, although for health and safety reasons, that would probably not be permitted in this day and age.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4814793491_0e38822030.jpg
This was used for soldiers during and after the first world war as a convalescant hospital. (Another popular Leeds based exploring site Gledhow Grove, Chapel Allerton hospital was also used for WW1 vets, supplying artifical limbs) Above the suspended ceilings were high beams, glimpsed through missing polystyrene tiles.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4815417750_2ca28b3812.jpg
I quite like partially demolished buildings; stairs that go nowhere, fireplaces and doors high up in rooms that have no floors. Here, I liked this sloping corridor, that opens out onto an apocolyptical wasteland of twisted metal and rubble. I clambered across, like a survivor of an earthquake.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/4814794121_53684f971f.jpg
I spotted this modern building nearby. It didn't look that promising.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4815420326_8c512bd10b.jpg
This was a nice suprise. It was the only thing I could remember from the early reports. I looked forward to going down these stairs.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4814795739_eeab28beae.jpg
They were impassible. At the bottom of the stairwell was what can only be described as a bonfire. Some attempts at salvage was going on.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/4815419292_b423e76117.jpg
It would need another way down. Retracing my steps, I found a staircase and headed down. The corridor was dark, and at the bottom, in a small room was a jet of water coming from a fractured waterpipe, at mains pressure. The room was slowly flooding.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4814796617_091db337b5.jpg
It was time to leave, and grabbing another shot I headed up and out.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4815420020_5dc9f4313d.jpg
After a quick check of a couple of other buildings, I decided to call it a day. Security were knocking around somewhere, and I was hungry. No visit would have been complete without a trip to the mortuary. Although the table had gone, the six berth body fridges were still there.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4814797265_30f92cdb9b.jpg
This place is going fast, and sooner or later will become over 250 homes, the original buildings converted to apartments, and 129 years as a hospital for the people of Leeds will be a collection of fading memories and photographs. I'm glad I finally made the effort. :thumb
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4814796411_cb4446d5c2.jpg
Cookridge hospital was built during the 1860's, the three buildings opening in 1869 as a convalescent hospital, away from the smoke and grime of industrial Leeds. They will remain, but the more recent ones are coming down. This would have been the entrance hall once, with potted plants, tiled floors, nurses anxiously avoiding matron as she stode down these corridors. Until 1934, Cookridge hospital had it's own set of rules. One of them was "to be obedient to Matron and to perform all such services in the house and grounds as she may appoint".
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4814795139_f97f7557bd.jpg
Today, the corridors are dark and silent.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/4815418492_930eee1a7b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4815417230_8eca6c1fde.jpg
The copper theives have been in too. Floors are lifted, and the wire is everywhere.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4815415776_3354de174a.jpg
The operating theatre is dark and flooded. A suspicious white film floats on top of the water. It didn't taste too good.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4815416568_75d5394327.jpg
The instrument room, off the theatre is flooded too. It reminded me of a kitchen, although for health and safety reasons, that would probably not be permitted in this day and age.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4814793491_0e38822030.jpg
This was used for soldiers during and after the first world war as a convalescant hospital. (Another popular Leeds based exploring site Gledhow Grove, Chapel Allerton hospital was also used for WW1 vets, supplying artifical limbs) Above the suspended ceilings were high beams, glimpsed through missing polystyrene tiles.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4815417750_2ca28b3812.jpg
I quite like partially demolished buildings; stairs that go nowhere, fireplaces and doors high up in rooms that have no floors. Here, I liked this sloping corridor, that opens out onto an apocolyptical wasteland of twisted metal and rubble. I clambered across, like a survivor of an earthquake.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/4814794121_53684f971f.jpg
I spotted this modern building nearby. It didn't look that promising.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4815420326_8c512bd10b.jpg
This was a nice suprise. It was the only thing I could remember from the early reports. I looked forward to going down these stairs.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4814795739_eeab28beae.jpg
They were impassible. At the bottom of the stairwell was what can only be described as a bonfire. Some attempts at salvage was going on.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/4815419292_b423e76117.jpg
It would need another way down. Retracing my steps, I found a staircase and headed down. The corridor was dark, and at the bottom, in a small room was a jet of water coming from a fractured waterpipe, at mains pressure. The room was slowly flooding.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4814796617_091db337b5.jpg
It was time to leave, and grabbing another shot I headed up and out.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4815420020_5dc9f4313d.jpg
After a quick check of a couple of other buildings, I decided to call it a day. Security were knocking around somewhere, and I was hungry. No visit would have been complete without a trip to the mortuary. Although the table had gone, the six berth body fridges were still there.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4814797265_30f92cdb9b.jpg
This place is going fast, and sooner or later will become over 250 homes, the original buildings converted to apartments, and 129 years as a hospital for the people of Leeds will be a collection of fading memories and photographs. I'm glad I finally made the effort. :thumb