Reposting after the great loss of photobucket images last year!
During the last year or so, we have been slowly working through TheTimeChamber and updating the galleries to include larger sized and more photos; in doing so we have ended up reediting a lot of old photographs and revisiting long forgotten places. When we began exploring at the beginning of 2007 we were attending University in Guildford and it was ideally placed at a mid-point between Pyestock, Cane Hill Asylum and West Park Asylum. We also had St Ebba’s, Hellingly and Park Prewitt to also feast on and we were somewhat spoilt for choice for a few years. Oddly though, we drove all the way out to Severalls to get our first taste of an Asylum. At the time, West Park had been shrouded in mystery as it was encircled by the infamous laser/cctv grid and there was little information online other than a few ancient reports. As ever, things changed.
Over a two year period from 2008 until 2011, West Park swung from being a very difficult nut to crack (Graylingwell probably takes the trophy as being the hardest), to a wide open walk in the park explore that saw the just about every explorer swarm through. Towards the end of 2007 the high tech security system was disabled by an enterprising night shift guard who preferred to spend his time asleep, than investigate the bells (if only we had known). This marked the beginning of its demise. Eventually the system was ripped out and moved on by English Partnerships and the good ol’ hammer and nail was employed in its place. The pendulum of access continued to swing right up until its eventual demolition. In our opinion, West Park was second only to Cane Hill in terms of Exploring and Asylums (we unfortunately missed out on the Northern ones). It had a vast array of dereliction, items left behind, store cupboards filled with patients belongings and the infamous padded cell. All the while wrapped up neatly in not knowing what to expect with security and if it was going to be a successful trip. Every trip we took, we ended up seeing something different. Some trips were all day affairs, others were short wanders on a summers evening when loafing about was the order of the day, and a few were spent trapped in a single ward.
Our first foray into the buildings saw us climbing through a window and into the corridor leading from the Nurses accommodation, Nightingale House, that would have given us straight access to most of the central services and derelict female wards (at the time, a few male wards were still used as laboratories by the local health authority). We didn’t get that far. Within thirty seconds an angry security guard was shouting us down and demanding we stay where we were. It still amazes me to this day how quickly four full grown adults can climb out of a standard sized window. Against all expectations he cornered us, and then to our surprise, offered to show us around if we promised to bugger off and not come back. We obliged not knowing the next time it would be open as he was busily hammering nails into every available surface. The guard happily showed us the padded cell and then kicked us out the front door. To make it even more odd, he offered a full days access to the entire hospital a week later, stating “i’ll bring the keys, a pry bar and really open the old gal up”. We didn’t pass him up and returned to be shown just about everything we wanted. It turns out though, the guard was on the take. So much for an expensive security system and the effort to preserve the buildings.
In subsequent visits, we either waltzed in through the open doors and windows of the corridors of the female side, or found ourselves ducking into the service tunnels underneath the Lakeview Villa and navigating our way into the complex by feel, asbestos clouds and low hanging service pipes that leave a good scar. All this left me with a lasting impression that West Park was a bit of a incomprehensible warren. It was quite easy to get disorientated as navigating the befuddling mess of service tunnels forced you to surface every few minutes like a lost gopher in a vain attempt to see where you were, and if we could make it past one of the numerous sealed doors. In all of our visits we only ever saw the boiler house once, and that was after getting lost in the tunnels and suddenly and unexpectedly stumbling onto it. This method of exploring has left us with a very disorganised set of around a thousand photographs spanning a two year period of trying to find our way.
Now where to start with them?
The Central Services.
It isn’t known how long the services were in use for, but they were in a relatively good condition and had all manner of rooms to rummage through. Access was always varied here and the stores area and bakers house both sat at the end of a long and well sealed corridor, that meant we only saw them briefly when they opened up towards the end of 2009. In the same areas, there was a wonderful poster showing the phased openings of the M25 in 1980’s (no photo, unfortunately). The services area also provided one of the few limited routes between the female / male sides, and consequently an area you were most likely to run into security and unceremoniously shown the door.
Reception corridor adjacent to the hall, kitchens etc
West Park Services Corridor
How it used to look (Epsom & Ewell History Explorer)
Restaurant (marked as visiting area on early plans) / Kitchen Area
West Park Staff Canteen
How it used to look (Epsom & Ewell History Explorer)
Main Hall (typically burnt down a few years before I visited).
West Park Main Hall
Wash House / Laundry
At the time, this was piled high with redundant hospital furniture, but with less in-situ laundry equipment as found at Cane Hill. There was a gold mosaic plaque when we first visited, which in subsequent visits had sprouted legs and moved on!
West Park Laundry Wash House
The female and male laundry would have been delivered at different parts of the wash house to ensure the the two populations were always segregated. This meant that the Laundry area was a warren of side rooms, laundry bins, wash machines, hatches, trolleys. You name it, it was probably in there. It also made for a good place to hide out and eat lunch in.
West Park Bakery / random store of yet more junk – I doubt there are many ovens left like that in existence.
During the last year or so, we have been slowly working through TheTimeChamber and updating the galleries to include larger sized and more photos; in doing so we have ended up reediting a lot of old photographs and revisiting long forgotten places. When we began exploring at the beginning of 2007 we were attending University in Guildford and it was ideally placed at a mid-point between Pyestock, Cane Hill Asylum and West Park Asylum. We also had St Ebba’s, Hellingly and Park Prewitt to also feast on and we were somewhat spoilt for choice for a few years. Oddly though, we drove all the way out to Severalls to get our first taste of an Asylum. At the time, West Park had been shrouded in mystery as it was encircled by the infamous laser/cctv grid and there was little information online other than a few ancient reports. As ever, things changed.
In subsequent visits, we either waltzed in through the open doors and windows of the corridors of the female side, or found ourselves ducking into the service tunnels underneath the Lakeview Villa and navigating our way into the complex by feel, asbestos clouds and low hanging service pipes that leave a good scar. All this left me with a lasting impression that West Park was a bit of a incomprehensible warren. It was quite easy to get disorientated as navigating the befuddling mess of service tunnels forced you to surface every few minutes like a lost gopher in a vain attempt to see where you were, and if we could make it past one of the numerous sealed doors. In all of our visits we only ever saw the boiler house once, and that was after getting lost in the tunnels and suddenly and unexpectedly stumbling onto it. This method of exploring has left us with a very disorganised set of around a thousand photographs spanning a two year period of trying to find our way.
Now where to start with them?
The Central Services.
It isn’t known how long the services were in use for, but they were in a relatively good condition and had all manner of rooms to rummage through. Access was always varied here and the stores area and bakers house both sat at the end of a long and well sealed corridor, that meant we only saw them briefly when they opened up towards the end of 2009. In the same areas, there was a wonderful poster showing the phased openings of the M25 in 1980’s (no photo, unfortunately). The services area also provided one of the few limited routes between the female / male sides, and consequently an area you were most likely to run into security and unceremoniously shown the door.
Reception corridor adjacent to the hall, kitchens etc
West Park Services Corridor
How it used to look (Epsom & Ewell History Explorer)
Restaurant (marked as visiting area on early plans) / Kitchen Area
West Park Staff Canteen
How it used to look (Epsom & Ewell History Explorer)
Main Hall (typically burnt down a few years before I visited).
West Park Main Hall
Wash House / Laundry
At the time, this was piled high with redundant hospital furniture, but with less in-situ laundry equipment as found at Cane Hill. There was a gold mosaic plaque when we first visited, which in subsequent visits had sprouted legs and moved on!
West Park Laundry Wash House
The female and male laundry would have been delivered at different parts of the wash house to ensure the the two populations were always segregated. This meant that the Laundry area was a warren of side rooms, laundry bins, wash machines, hatches, trolleys. You name it, it was probably in there. It also made for a good place to hide out and eat lunch in.
West Park Bakery / random store of yet more junk – I doubt there are many ovens left like that in existence.
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