West Park Mental Hospital, Epsom 11/08/08

[4737carlin]

Referred to as "the eleventh and the last great asylum built for London's insane". Opened in 1924 to house 2000 patients, they had 2,045 patients in 1960 and by 1979 West Park had 1,217 beds (mental illness and geriatric).

West park is layed out in villas on colony plan, which means plenty of separate wards connected with corridors

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg58/4737_carlin/westpark/w640IMG_7491raw1.jpg

We didn't stick around to long, just a few wards due to a few reasons, one being a security guard on the prowl around the inside.

Welcome

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg58/4737_carlin/westpark/w640IMG_7462a.jpg

This was a bit moving, a children ward.

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg58/4737_carlin/westpark/w640IMG_7453raw1.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg58/4737_carlin/westpark/w640IMG_7448raw1.jpg

I found this ward really depressing, dunno what Sebastian thinks...

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg58/4737_carlin/westpark/w640IMG_7446raw1.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg58/4737_carlin/westpark/w640IMG_7441raw1.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg58/4737_carlin/westpark/w640IMG_7437a.jpg

Moving onwards

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg58/4737_carlin/westpark/w640IMG_7488raw1.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg58/4737_carlin/westpark/w640IMG_7476a.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg58/4737_carlin/westpark/w640IMG_7489raw1.jpg

For the most part just standard tourist shots really for me this time to get my own record of what the place looked like, maybe if id of been before or thought i might come back id of picked out a few interesting compositions

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg58/4737_carlin/westpark/w640IMG_7481raw1.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg58/4737_carlin/westpark/w640IMG_7479raw1.jpg

This was interesting, i guess when the place was cleaned out one room must have escaped every ones attention. Stuff like this makes you think about the reality of these places, belongings of the old patients. After all desolate empty rooms and corridors could be from anywhere but the personal belongs of people each who had a name and a history makes me think about what life must have been like for them, or it does me anyway

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg58/4737_carlin/westpark/w640IMG_7484raw1.jpg

Depressing, i guess this is were you really have really hit rock bottom....from the outside with the door open, the infamous padded cell.

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg58/4737_carlin/westpark/w640IMG_7469rawv1.jpg

The view you wouldn't want to have seen 30+ years ago.....

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg58/4737_carlin/westpark/w640IMG_7471rawvig1.jpg

An interesting trip even if i only seen a fraction of the place over a few hours