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The building is Grade 2 listed but has been allowed to fall into
an extremely bad state of disrepair, in fact it is probably almost
irreparable. We have some extremely good footage on camcorder
of orbs, lights, ghostly shadows etc. We also experienced a lot
of physical contact from spirit including the feeling of one particular
spirit passing through our bodies. A full report of this investigation
will be published on this site as soon as we are able to go public
with it. We obtained some strange video footage at this site (lights
and shadows/mists).
Orignally Middlewood hospital was known as South Yorkshire Asylum
(1872-1890) It then became West Riding Asylum, Wadsley (1890-1930)
apart from a couple of years from 1915 onwards when the hospital
was evacuated by the military to be used as Wharncliffe War Hospital.From
1930 the hospital became Wadsley Mental hospital and remained
so until 1939 when 2,200 patients were evacuated so that the hospital
could once again be used as a war hospital. After the military
had finished with it, the hospital again became Wadsley mental
hospital until 1948 when it became Middlewood hospital. The hospital
closed in 1998 when it was demolished to make way for a housing
estate. The only original building still standing is the Administration
block which is a Grade 2 listed building which as part of the
contract of sale was supposed to be renovated. The building is
now practically irrepairable. The owners, I think, are hoping
it will fall down(with a litle help, I may add) so that they can
build 38 new apartments on the site.
After doing some research at the local library we have come up
with some interesting documentation. 1872- After furnishing the
wards and appointing staff, the Asylum was declared ready for
opening on August 21st. The total cost of providing the site,
and for the erection and furnishings up to September 29th, the
end of the financial year, was as follows:-
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£. s.d.
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| For purchase of
land, buildings and burial ground |
24,635.06.02
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| For expenses of
building and works connected therewith |
109,283.12.02
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| Furnishing |
11,343.02.08
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| Road making and
planting |
3,530.00.02
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| Sundry other expenses |
1,921.04.00
|
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Total
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150,713.05.02
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Meaning, therefore, that if Middlewood mental hospital was built
on a burial ground then so is the new housing estate they have
just built on the site.
The site is also home to some 300 million year old fossil trees.
These fossils are going to be covered up and preserved.
Not all the original inmates of the hospital were lunatics, some
were paupers from the workhouses who were no longer able to work,
some were women suffering from post-natal depression and some
were suffering from things like epilepsy. Insulin shock treatment
was introduced into the hospital in 1935 for the treatment of
schizophrenia. The hospital also had a mortuary and post mortem
room.
We have lots more information and photographs which we may add
at a later date.
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