I've been aware of this for some years now, but I wasn't aware that it was as empty it was. But I certainly wasn't going to let an asylum on my doorstep pass me by. An interesting explore, parts of the hospital are still in use, whilst other parts are empty... Some are an interesting mixture of both, a storage cupboard with a radiator turned on and a collapsed ceiling, but part of an in-use conference room. Some parts are belled up, whislt others remain silent, but one thing you can be sure of is PIR activated ceiling lights throughout the whole building, gently alerting everyone to your whereabouts. Lots of locked doors, but plenty of corridor porn.
Did this over a couple of visits with a non member and @Brewtal, and there is still more to do. Planning a revisit soon
A little stolen history, anyone?
St James’ opened in 1879 as the Portsmouth Lunatic Asylum. It was built on 75 acres (30.35 ha.) of Milton Common and designed by George Rake, a local Portsmouth architect, in the corridor-pavilion style. The main approach was from the south along an avenue of trees, with a cricket ground and pavilion to the left and open land to the right. Trees also bounded much of the grounds. Formal gardens were laid out with walks to the east and west of the asylum buildings, with a long glasshouse facing south on the left. The grounds were left in a rough state as it was intended that the laying out and management would be done by the patients themselves as part of their occupational therapy and rehabilitation; self-sufficiency was also an aim and over the years the site came to include a home farm, orchards, cornfields and a piggery. As the asylum expanded, a further 14 acres of land were bought in 1893, and more land to the east from 1910 onwards. The asylum underwent several name changes, becoming the Borough of Portsmouth Mental Hospital in 1914, the Portsmouth City Mental Hospital in 1926, and finally St James’ Hospital in 1937. By 1932 six villas for patients and an isolation hospital had been built to the east and north-east of the main building, as well as further glasshouses north of the cricket field. The area was becoming more built-up with rows of mainly terraced houses to the west and south of the grounds. By 1995 changes were being planned as a result of the then Government’s Strategy of ‘Care in the Community’: under the Portsmouth City Local Plan (adopted in 1995) these included housing development on the playing fields to the north of the hospital, proposals to retain and re-use the main building if necessary, and new open space in the south-west of the site. The Portsmouth Society and St.James’ Park Trust campaigned vigorously to retain the open space south of the hospital along with the many mature trees subject, and in 2001, following a public enquiry, about 1.75 ha. of land was registered as Portsmouth’s first Town Green.
Today, the hospital isn't used for much. There is a mental health inpatient unit on the other side of the grounds, but since all that 'care in the community' crap came in to force and we now let schizophrenics and the suicidal roam the streets, St. James is somewhat surplus. Some minor things are still carried out there, podiatry being one of them, but its quite evident that inpatient care stopped here a while ago, the hospital now is mostly meeting rooms - very little evidence of anything else other than a canteen. Plans have now been approved to demolish the main hospital and replace with 8, 20 story blocks of cladded student accomodation and a community hub..
(Ok, the last bit isn't true, but anyone who has seen what abominations they have been building in Portsmouth lately probably wouldn't be surprised if it was!)
To the pictures!
A very imposing building. Imagine this coming in to view when you're being driven in by the men in white coats!
(borrowed these from Dan Butch on Flickr)
There are a few helpful photos about the place on the walls, nice touch
I took this photo of the main hall when I last visited, in 1905. Sadly, they 'renovated' the place and stripped all these features out. The hall is now locked so I couldn't get in, but you ain't missing much.
Someone was around the corner of this door, me and Brewtal tried to sneak up on him but legged it when we heard footsteps, but the xmas tree was a nice festive touch.
and here is what the same corridor looks like as a nightclub
Secca on the other side of this door..... No idea I was there...
Thanks for looking!
Did this over a couple of visits with a non member and @Brewtal, and there is still more to do. Planning a revisit soon
A little stolen history, anyone?
St James’ opened in 1879 as the Portsmouth Lunatic Asylum. It was built on 75 acres (30.35 ha.) of Milton Common and designed by George Rake, a local Portsmouth architect, in the corridor-pavilion style. The main approach was from the south along an avenue of trees, with a cricket ground and pavilion to the left and open land to the right. Trees also bounded much of the grounds. Formal gardens were laid out with walks to the east and west of the asylum buildings, with a long glasshouse facing south on the left. The grounds were left in a rough state as it was intended that the laying out and management would be done by the patients themselves as part of their occupational therapy and rehabilitation; self-sufficiency was also an aim and over the years the site came to include a home farm, orchards, cornfields and a piggery. As the asylum expanded, a further 14 acres of land were bought in 1893, and more land to the east from 1910 onwards. The asylum underwent several name changes, becoming the Borough of Portsmouth Mental Hospital in 1914, the Portsmouth City Mental Hospital in 1926, and finally St James’ Hospital in 1937. By 1932 six villas for patients and an isolation hospital had been built to the east and north-east of the main building, as well as further glasshouses north of the cricket field. The area was becoming more built-up with rows of mainly terraced houses to the west and south of the grounds. By 1995 changes were being planned as a result of the then Government’s Strategy of ‘Care in the Community’: under the Portsmouth City Local Plan (adopted in 1995) these included housing development on the playing fields to the north of the hospital, proposals to retain and re-use the main building if necessary, and new open space in the south-west of the site. The Portsmouth Society and St.James’ Park Trust campaigned vigorously to retain the open space south of the hospital along with the many mature trees subject, and in 2001, following a public enquiry, about 1.75 ha. of land was registered as Portsmouth’s first Town Green.
Today, the hospital isn't used for much. There is a mental health inpatient unit on the other side of the grounds, but since all that 'care in the community' crap came in to force and we now let schizophrenics and the suicidal roam the streets, St. James is somewhat surplus. Some minor things are still carried out there, podiatry being one of them, but its quite evident that inpatient care stopped here a while ago, the hospital now is mostly meeting rooms - very little evidence of anything else other than a canteen. Plans have now been approved to demolish the main hospital and replace with 8, 20 story blocks of cladded student accomodation and a community hub..
(Ok, the last bit isn't true, but anyone who has seen what abominations they have been building in Portsmouth lately probably wouldn't be surprised if it was!)
To the pictures!
A very imposing building. Imagine this coming in to view when you're being driven in by the men in white coats!
(borrowed these from Dan Butch on Flickr)
There are a few helpful photos about the place on the walls, nice touch
I took this photo of the main hall when I last visited, in 1905. Sadly, they 'renovated' the place and stripped all these features out. The hall is now locked so I couldn't get in, but you ain't missing much.
Someone was around the corner of this door, me and Brewtal tried to sneak up on him but legged it when we heard footsteps, but the xmas tree was a nice festive touch.
and here is what the same corridor looks like as a nightclub
Secca on the other side of this door..... No idea I was there...
Thanks for looking!
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