The Octapus Centre - St Cross
Around the start of Jan, a rather tempting image of an unusually dated (and slightly scorched) surgical suite popped up on bookface.
The initial assumptions of this being yet another European special were quickly crushed when the trademark three-pin plug sockets came into view. With a few other posts appearing in quick succession, it appeared to be one worth getting to.
Hospital of St Cross - A quick History
For further reading, see the Friends of St Cross Website: About St CrossAround the start of Jan, a rather tempting image of an unusually dated (and slightly scorched) surgical suite popped up on bookface.
The initial assumptions of this being yet another European special were quickly crushed when the trademark three-pin plug sockets came into view. With a few other posts appearing in quick succession, it appeared to be one worth getting to.
Hospital of St Cross - A quick History
Founded and opened in 1884, to replace a care home established only 15 years prior, the facility opened with a roster of 31 beds watched upon by no more than seven staff, taking its name from St Cross Almshouse in nearby Winchester. The hospital was intended to serve the areas in and around Rugby where treatment opportunities saw patients having to travel away towards Birmingham and London or settle with lesser treatment conditions nearby.
Like many 19th century hospitals, expansions quickly pushed the facilities size to a more recognisable level with wards being added through 1899, 1907, and an outpatients department in 1929 along with several other small additions.
St Cross would join the newly formed National Health Service in 1948 alongside numerous other facilities with the last day of voluntary operation marked on the 6th of June.
The Octapus centre, the subject of this story, is a continuation of St Cross' teaching heritage which dates back to the early years of the site.
Situated in the 1884-built wards and stretching across to the 1920's theatre extension, the facility utilised the dated buildings until January 2024 when a fire broke out in the ground floor extension of the facility. Judging by numerous amounts of stored equipment and a small section which had been demolished around 2023, it appeared the surgical teaching areas may have been out of use prior to the fire.
The remaining hospital continues on as before, with a few services changing hands around late 2024 following the relocation of Birmingham City Hospital and opening of the Midland Met'.
The visits
After a few laps around the site, and noting the unusual placement of security, our chances seemed thin in terms of a traditional entry style. A further lap of the hopsital allowed a bit more in-depth thought about how we'd managed similar sites before opting for the blatantly obvious route.
Decay had already set in an the grounds team were already a few steps ahead in locking the place up.
An unexpected "find" was the entire Victorian block being left to rot, having initially assumed we were just in for a small teaching unit.
The staircase was amongst one of the pleasant surprises.
There was evidence of some light vandalism, in the form of silver spray-paint used for graffiti, although nothing substantial. Looking back, this whole area has been shuttered for a long time.
Most of the wards had been converted to more 21st century standards.
The tone of the site quickly began to change as everything became more cold, dark, and horrifically wallpapered.
Annoyingly, the place was stacked with office and waiting room clutter which had clearly been stored following a renovation project elsewhere.
And then the first of what we were hoping for.
Hanging in the darkness, this little Hanu Oslo lamp was positioned in a former theatre room which had been branded as a Resuscitation ward for A&E training.
Back into the mould-ridden corridors.
On the approach the main theatre suite, this entry corridor still retained the older style cat-flap-like doors which I don't believe are all that common today.
Behind the doors revealed the operating room, which didn't feel too inviting.
The bed and associated crap were a nice touch, despite clearly being wheeled from elsewhere.
I'm still unsure what type of lamp this is as it often appears under a sort of unnamed category on most sites despite resembling a Hanulux design.
The recovery bay which, again, had been remodelled for training.
Extending off of the Theatre departments were a few areas used for X-Rays and outpatient services. Annoyingly, post-fire, these had all been boarded and were now hidden in darkness.
Anyway, that'll be all.
KP_
Decay had already set in an the grounds team were already a few steps ahead in locking the place up.
An unexpected "find" was the entire Victorian block being left to rot, having initially assumed we were just in for a small teaching unit.
The staircase was amongst one of the pleasant surprises.
There was evidence of some light vandalism, in the form of silver spray-paint used for graffiti, although nothing substantial. Looking back, this whole area has been shuttered for a long time.
Most of the wards had been converted to more 21st century standards.
The tone of the site quickly began to change as everything became more cold, dark, and horrifically wallpapered.
Annoyingly, the place was stacked with office and waiting room clutter which had clearly been stored following a renovation project elsewhere.
And then the first of what we were hoping for.
Hanging in the darkness, this little Hanu Oslo lamp was positioned in a former theatre room which had been branded as a Resuscitation ward for A&E training.
Back into the mould-ridden corridors.
On the approach the main theatre suite, this entry corridor still retained the older style cat-flap-like doors which I don't believe are all that common today.
Behind the doors revealed the operating room, which didn't feel too inviting.
The bed and associated crap were a nice touch, despite clearly being wheeled from elsewhere.
I'm still unsure what type of lamp this is as it often appears under a sort of unnamed category on most sites despite resembling a Hanulux design.
The recovery bay which, again, had been remodelled for training.
Extending off of the Theatre departments were a few areas used for X-Rays and outpatient services. Annoyingly, post-fire, these had all been boarded and were now hidden in darkness.
Anyway, that'll be all.
KP_
