History:
Opened in 1868 and closed in 2015, The first 70 patients were all of Wexford origin but they had been staying at St. Dymphna's in Carlow. They arrived to find a building designed by county surveyor Barry Farrell and his colleague James Bell from the Board of Works, intended to house 280 residents. It was not long before the place was full, after jails and asylums and prisons around Ireland had been emptied of suitable candidates. Indeed, expansion continued for several decades until there was room for close to 600 people by the start of the 20th century.
The institution had its own church, its own farm, its own graveyard, its own power station, its own tailors, bakers and cobblers.
In 2010, a report was issued on the plight of patients forced to live in dilapidated, depressing Victorian psychiatric facilities which were not fit for human habitation. St Senans was singled out for particular note, as it was found that patients were surrounded by peeling paint or placed in seclusion, sometimes for months, in rooms which were grim and dark.
Explore:
It took a little while to figure this place out as whilst it's no longer used for patients, it is used for administration and we weren't entirely sure which buildings were derelict. Luck was definitely on our side and we managed a decent amount of time wandering around, even with Dweeb's squeaky shoes!
Opened in 1868 and closed in 2015, The first 70 patients were all of Wexford origin but they had been staying at St. Dymphna's in Carlow. They arrived to find a building designed by county surveyor Barry Farrell and his colleague James Bell from the Board of Works, intended to house 280 residents. It was not long before the place was full, after jails and asylums and prisons around Ireland had been emptied of suitable candidates. Indeed, expansion continued for several decades until there was room for close to 600 people by the start of the 20th century.
The institution had its own church, its own farm, its own graveyard, its own power station, its own tailors, bakers and cobblers.
In 2010, a report was issued on the plight of patients forced to live in dilapidated, depressing Victorian psychiatric facilities which were not fit for human habitation. St Senans was singled out for particular note, as it was found that patients were surrounded by peeling paint or placed in seclusion, sometimes for months, in rooms which were grim and dark.
Explore:
It took a little while to figure this place out as whilst it's no longer used for patients, it is used for administration and we weren't entirely sure which buildings were derelict. Luck was definitely on our side and we managed a decent amount of time wandering around, even with Dweeb's squeaky shoes!
