boxfrenzy
31-07-2010, 11:22 PM
I first visited here a couple of years ago with Mexico. I remember being astonished then about how such a beautiful building on the outside could be so utterly knackered on the inside. Then ceilings were down, floors dodgy and the building in a very sorry state indeed. This is my "local"- a couple of minutes walk from my house, and I have watched the changes on a daily basis, the boarding in January 2009, and the slow but steady removal of lead and roofing tiles over the last 18 months. Whilst walking past the other day and spotting the door open, it felt right that now was the time for a revist and to find out what was going in with the workmen that were onsite.
This is Gledhow Grove - the mansion house that was once the "admin" building of Chapel Allerton hospital in a shot taken in 1950.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4152/4846829930_e3df3b0f73.jpg
And today, boarded upstairs and downstairs.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/4846739590_13d76f94de.jpg
Never, ever would I class myself in the "ninja" category of explorer. I'm poor at climbing, and have a list of excuses pre prepared about why going in a derelict building may be dangerous, silly and unsafe. However, I do possess good manners, and an opportunist streak, and, collecting those two attributes from the boot of the motor, it was time to check out the open front door.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4087/4846743242_414d95cb32.jpg
Inside the entrance hall, and I was struck how this place must once have been a grand entrance. Potted palms and polished tile flooring would have displayed a wealth, a majesty and an Englishness that would have made the soldiers who were returning from WW1 battle fields to have artificial limbs feel at home. Today, only a whisper of the grandeur remains.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/4846085853_415e050c7c.jpg
Along the hallways, conditions are poor. Beautiful plaster ceilings have collapsed, and broken glass and rubble fills the corridors.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/4846096047_a205ca5dbe.jpg
Seriously ( I mean this), this is the only building I have explored where the fire hose is still on the reel.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/4846233373_d1bedda1db.jpg
This is a rather weak picture posted far too large of a control panel on one of the downstairs corridors. Gledhow Grove, the building I am in, is all that remains of the original hospital, with the exception of the stables, now converted into offices. This show the buildings that are long gone, demolished over a decade ago to make way for the "new" Mansion Gate housing development.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/4846086669_97ded72975_b.jpg
For me, the central staircase is the highlight of this place. I can't get enough of it. That isn't carpet by the way. It is curtains that have been trodden into the risers. Nasty isn't it?
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/4846730532_169f0c999a.jpg
A lone NHS sign serves as a reminder of the last use of this place. My ex father in law ( is there such a relation?) can remember in the 1950's the ex soldiers sitting on the grass in the summer in their dark green scrubs soaking up the sun. Half a century later, the medical purpose of this building seems far away.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4108/4846721042_59c0feeb73.jpg
This shot of the staircase shows how impressive it once was.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4086/4846830068_1662304abe.jpg
Today, the newel posts and the balusters have long gone, along with part of the of the bannister on the other side too :(
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4087/4846235339_af7197b81e.jpg
Although this first floor corridor looks ok, I didn't venture down it. The floor was spongy, and, seeing the ceiling from below, it is only a matter of time before it collapses. I didn't want to be on it.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/4846104913_ecff5680f5.jpg
I headed down the stairs again, taking a shot of the remaining ornate plasterwork.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/4846108099_e6e4abb3b3.jpg
And then, like the homeless man being tossed a two pound coin, popped back into the shop for an additional Special Brew.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/4846099089_6f21ed5258.jpg
I mentioned earlier that I had been watching the deterioration of the roof here. In the last two years lead to the value on excess of £150,000 has been taken from the roof, and, by using a rope in one corner, the original slates have been taken away too. Currently a corrigated steel roof is being put on to "protect" the inside from further damage. I fear this may be too late :(
Here, original slates are stacked up awaiting reclamation and hopefully reusing.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/4846089637_5154b90967.jpg
Currently the roof is stripped of slate, ready for timber replacement where necessary and in preparation of a new corrugated steel roof. The original plans for office space appear to have changed along with the climate, and it is likely that this place, like the other Leeds hospital that is derelict about 5 miles to the west at Cookridge, is likely to become flats and apartments.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4131/4846116925_7c81b5e733.jpg
I was amazed to see the deterioration in the two years since I was last there. Today Gledhow Grove is a shadowy and dark place to visit, dangerous and seemingly on the verge of interior collapse at any moment. I took my last shot, and left.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4109/4846710962_f71ec27de0.jpg
This is Gledhow Grove - the mansion house that was once the "admin" building of Chapel Allerton hospital in a shot taken in 1950.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4152/4846829930_e3df3b0f73.jpg
And today, boarded upstairs and downstairs.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/4846739590_13d76f94de.jpg
Never, ever would I class myself in the "ninja" category of explorer. I'm poor at climbing, and have a list of excuses pre prepared about why going in a derelict building may be dangerous, silly and unsafe. However, I do possess good manners, and an opportunist streak, and, collecting those two attributes from the boot of the motor, it was time to check out the open front door.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4087/4846743242_414d95cb32.jpg
Inside the entrance hall, and I was struck how this place must once have been a grand entrance. Potted palms and polished tile flooring would have displayed a wealth, a majesty and an Englishness that would have made the soldiers who were returning from WW1 battle fields to have artificial limbs feel at home. Today, only a whisper of the grandeur remains.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/4846085853_415e050c7c.jpg
Along the hallways, conditions are poor. Beautiful plaster ceilings have collapsed, and broken glass and rubble fills the corridors.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/4846096047_a205ca5dbe.jpg
Seriously ( I mean this), this is the only building I have explored where the fire hose is still on the reel.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/4846233373_d1bedda1db.jpg
This is a rather weak picture posted far too large of a control panel on one of the downstairs corridors. Gledhow Grove, the building I am in, is all that remains of the original hospital, with the exception of the stables, now converted into offices. This show the buildings that are long gone, demolished over a decade ago to make way for the "new" Mansion Gate housing development.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/4846086669_97ded72975_b.jpg
For me, the central staircase is the highlight of this place. I can't get enough of it. That isn't carpet by the way. It is curtains that have been trodden into the risers. Nasty isn't it?
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/4846730532_169f0c999a.jpg
A lone NHS sign serves as a reminder of the last use of this place. My ex father in law ( is there such a relation?) can remember in the 1950's the ex soldiers sitting on the grass in the summer in their dark green scrubs soaking up the sun. Half a century later, the medical purpose of this building seems far away.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4108/4846721042_59c0feeb73.jpg
This shot of the staircase shows how impressive it once was.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4086/4846830068_1662304abe.jpg
Today, the newel posts and the balusters have long gone, along with part of the of the bannister on the other side too :(
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4087/4846235339_af7197b81e.jpg
Although this first floor corridor looks ok, I didn't venture down it. The floor was spongy, and, seeing the ceiling from below, it is only a matter of time before it collapses. I didn't want to be on it.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/4846104913_ecff5680f5.jpg
I headed down the stairs again, taking a shot of the remaining ornate plasterwork.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/4846108099_e6e4abb3b3.jpg
And then, like the homeless man being tossed a two pound coin, popped back into the shop for an additional Special Brew.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/4846099089_6f21ed5258.jpg
I mentioned earlier that I had been watching the deterioration of the roof here. In the last two years lead to the value on excess of £150,000 has been taken from the roof, and, by using a rope in one corner, the original slates have been taken away too. Currently a corrigated steel roof is being put on to "protect" the inside from further damage. I fear this may be too late :(
Here, original slates are stacked up awaiting reclamation and hopefully reusing.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/4846089637_5154b90967.jpg
Currently the roof is stripped of slate, ready for timber replacement where necessary and in preparation of a new corrugated steel roof. The original plans for office space appear to have changed along with the climate, and it is likely that this place, like the other Leeds hospital that is derelict about 5 miles to the west at Cookridge, is likely to become flats and apartments.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4131/4846116925_7c81b5e733.jpg
I was amazed to see the deterioration in the two years since I was last there. Today Gledhow Grove is a shadowy and dark place to visit, dangerous and seemingly on the verge of interior collapse at any moment. I took my last shot, and left.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4109/4846710962_f71ec27de0.jpg