Although owned by Lord Sherborne, Standish House was occupied from 1850-1880 by the Railway magnate Richard Potter, during which time the house was enlarged in 1865. During World War I, Standish House was put to use as a Red Cross Hospital where servicemen were sent to convalesce. In the 1920s it became a TB sanatorium.
In 1921, Standish House was bought from Lord Sherborne for the Gloucestershire Joint Committee for Tuberculosis. The House was enlarged and subsequently opened as a Tuberculosis Sanatorium in 1922. The opening of the Sanatorium in 1922 doubled the population of the rural parish from 353 in 1921 to 646 in 1961. As early as 1931 the patients and staff on site numbered 300, and by 1967 there were 269 beds available.
After 1948, the hospital was taken over by the Gloucester, Stroud and the Forest Hospital Management Committee, and became a general hospital. It has since been considerably enlarged, and now caters largely for geriatric and pulmonary patients (1983)
Standish Hospital closed in December, 2004, after many years of uncertainty and local campaigning to keep it open. Its future has still not been decided.
Some good news on the horizon for this hospital at least! Standish hospital 'health campus' plan progresses
Been checking this out for a while now.. Part of it is still live and it has 24hr on-site security who seem to patrol when they like. with the recent news that the site is open for development we thought fuck it, in for a penny in for a pound!
On the way up the main drive we passed the split shoe Nigerian security fella who didn't bat an eyelid as we drove past.. We started in some of the far reaches of site and worked our way nearer to the pay-dirt! Upon reaching the original house we could hear people laughing and talking jibberish.. ever curious I edged closer the the metal security door and I could clearly hear our Nigerian friend slurring his words and trying to talk the pants off some woman he had in the derelict building?? Feeling a little nosey and unafraid I said in a loud voice.. 'what's going on in there?'
The place goes dead silent, after a few seconds and some bumping and fumbling a voice from inside slurrs.. 'Hang on' The door creeps open slowly and our Nigerian friend shyly pokes his head out and looks at me..
All I can smell is something sweet and acrid coming from inside.. I look at his face and he can't focus on me!! His eyes are screwing in his head and he's gurning his face off!! I casually ask if I can come in and take some photo's, He gets all twitchy and slurrs no and some other unintelligible drool and shuts the door. So off I walk in utter disbelief of what I've just seen and go for a smoke by one of the other buildings.. after ten minutes or so along comes matey straight as a whistle-ish.. So he starts asking us what we're up to and I tell him the truth, after hearing this he's relieved and ease's up.. starts waffling on about god.. how lucky we all are.. how shit it is in Nigeria.. money etc etc!
Anyway.. it ends up that he doesn't mind us shooting the outside but don't try and get in.. He then toddles off back to the main house ducks back in and carries on with his little soiree!!
So kinda like a red rag to a bull I'm off lol.. In and out of everywhere.. setting all the alarms off, getting my shots! After some two hours of exploring we head off site and matey is still in the house and having a whale of a time?
I guess its just our luck that they've a deranged crack-head security guard on Sunday's! Now thats a win in my book!
Thanks for looking folks!
In 1921, Standish House was bought from Lord Sherborne for the Gloucestershire Joint Committee for Tuberculosis. The House was enlarged and subsequently opened as a Tuberculosis Sanatorium in 1922. The opening of the Sanatorium in 1922 doubled the population of the rural parish from 353 in 1921 to 646 in 1961. As early as 1931 the patients and staff on site numbered 300, and by 1967 there were 269 beds available.
After 1948, the hospital was taken over by the Gloucester, Stroud and the Forest Hospital Management Committee, and became a general hospital. It has since been considerably enlarged, and now caters largely for geriatric and pulmonary patients (1983)
Standish Hospital closed in December, 2004, after many years of uncertainty and local campaigning to keep it open. Its future has still not been decided.
Some good news on the horizon for this hospital at least! Standish hospital 'health campus' plan progresses
Been checking this out for a while now.. Part of it is still live and it has 24hr on-site security who seem to patrol when they like. with the recent news that the site is open for development we thought fuck it, in for a penny in for a pound!
On the way up the main drive we passed the split shoe Nigerian security fella who didn't bat an eyelid as we drove past.. We started in some of the far reaches of site and worked our way nearer to the pay-dirt! Upon reaching the original house we could hear people laughing and talking jibberish.. ever curious I edged closer the the metal security door and I could clearly hear our Nigerian friend slurring his words and trying to talk the pants off some woman he had in the derelict building?? Feeling a little nosey and unafraid I said in a loud voice.. 'what's going on in there?'
The place goes dead silent, after a few seconds and some bumping and fumbling a voice from inside slurrs.. 'Hang on' The door creeps open slowly and our Nigerian friend shyly pokes his head out and looks at me..
All I can smell is something sweet and acrid coming from inside.. I look at his face and he can't focus on me!! His eyes are screwing in his head and he's gurning his face off!! I casually ask if I can come in and take some photo's, He gets all twitchy and slurrs no and some other unintelligible drool and shuts the door. So off I walk in utter disbelief of what I've just seen and go for a smoke by one of the other buildings.. after ten minutes or so along comes matey straight as a whistle-ish.. So he starts asking us what we're up to and I tell him the truth, after hearing this he's relieved and ease's up.. starts waffling on about god.. how lucky we all are.. how shit it is in Nigeria.. money etc etc!
Anyway.. it ends up that he doesn't mind us shooting the outside but don't try and get in.. He then toddles off back to the main house ducks back in and carries on with his little soiree!!
So kinda like a red rag to a bull I'm off lol.. In and out of everywhere.. setting all the alarms off, getting my shots! After some two hours of exploring we head off site and matey is still in the house and having a whale of a time?
I guess its just our luck that they've a deranged crack-head security guard on Sunday's! Now thats a win in my book!
Thanks for looking folks!
