History
Hartwood Hospital served as a major psychiatric hospital south of Glasgow for just over a century, operating from 1895-1998. Designed by Biggar-based architect J.L. Murray, the vast Baronial-style site comprises of a large nurse’s quarters and main hospital facility a few hundred meters down the road which featured the iconic twin clocktowers. The hospital faced various reports of neglect and malpractice over it’s lifespan, with a patients’ union being formed in the 70s with the aim of forcing site management and directors to address these poor conditions alleged by the patients.
The building was briefly used by regional TV studios and as part of a film set for the 2020 Batman movie, and has suffered several fires in the past 20 years alongside the usual vandalism and decay, with several outbuildings and sections of the site being demolished completely over recent years.
The Explore
Everybody and their mum knows about this place, and seeing as it’s being whored out online more than your average love island star at the minute I figured I better go and give it a mooch before the building suffers from the usual central-belt-B-listed-combustion issues that buildings in the region have become so prone to in recent years.
Both the nurses quarters and the main hospital building are essentially shells, with next to nothing left inside (I’d go as far as to say the main hospital is a ruin at this point, and my lack of pictures from it reflects that), although the imposing façade of the nurses quarters and it’s symmetrical blocks provided a couple of nice compositions.
All pics taken on my iPhone, thanks for having a mooch; my DMs and socials are always open if any Scottish explorers fancy a gander anywhere – cheers.
Couple of exterior shots of the nurses block, with the bulk of my pictures coming from within.
Starting with the ground floor, which featured a couple of large meeting rooms, an auditorium/hall with small stage, and the remnants of various fires.
Apologies for the blurriness on this one^, this hall was quite large and I only had one light with me to illuminate the space
Moving upstairs to the student nurses accommodation, which was largely stripped with each room being identical inside. Some nice detailing on the staircases remain here and there, but nothing that'll blow your socks off.
The upper floors included social areas for the nurses, storerooms and more accommodation, with a great deal of decay on the top floor and visible sections of rooftop above.
Moving over to the main hospital ruins, the clocktower's upper sections were decisively sketchy, and the roofless interior was a deathtrap of metal sheets, ducts and vegetation, so a couple of exterior shots had to do
Thanks if you've made it this far, this place has been done to death but at least it's ticked off the list albeit extremely late to the party.
Hartwood Hospital served as a major psychiatric hospital south of Glasgow for just over a century, operating from 1895-1998. Designed by Biggar-based architect J.L. Murray, the vast Baronial-style site comprises of a large nurse’s quarters and main hospital facility a few hundred meters down the road which featured the iconic twin clocktowers. The hospital faced various reports of neglect and malpractice over it’s lifespan, with a patients’ union being formed in the 70s with the aim of forcing site management and directors to address these poor conditions alleged by the patients.
The building was briefly used by regional TV studios and as part of a film set for the 2020 Batman movie, and has suffered several fires in the past 20 years alongside the usual vandalism and decay, with several outbuildings and sections of the site being demolished completely over recent years.
The Explore
Everybody and their mum knows about this place, and seeing as it’s being whored out online more than your average love island star at the minute I figured I better go and give it a mooch before the building suffers from the usual central-belt-B-listed-combustion issues that buildings in the region have become so prone to in recent years.
Both the nurses quarters and the main hospital building are essentially shells, with next to nothing left inside (I’d go as far as to say the main hospital is a ruin at this point, and my lack of pictures from it reflects that), although the imposing façade of the nurses quarters and it’s symmetrical blocks provided a couple of nice compositions.
All pics taken on my iPhone, thanks for having a mooch; my DMs and socials are always open if any Scottish explorers fancy a gander anywhere – cheers.
Couple of exterior shots of the nurses block, with the bulk of my pictures coming from within.
Starting with the ground floor, which featured a couple of large meeting rooms, an auditorium/hall with small stage, and the remnants of various fires.
Apologies for the blurriness on this one^, this hall was quite large and I only had one light with me to illuminate the space
Moving upstairs to the student nurses accommodation, which was largely stripped with each room being identical inside. Some nice detailing on the staircases remain here and there, but nothing that'll blow your socks off.
The upper floors included social areas for the nurses, storerooms and more accommodation, with a great deal of decay on the top floor and visible sections of rooftop above.
Moving over to the main hospital ruins, the clocktower's upper sections were decisively sketchy, and the roofless interior was a deathtrap of metal sheets, ducts and vegetation, so a couple of exterior shots had to do
Thanks if you've made it this far, this place has been done to death but at least it's ticked off the list albeit extremely late to the party.
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