Discover the haunting history of Storthes Hall Hospital through eerie photos and stories from its past
A recent exploration by The Tourist Historian shows the building covered in dust and dirt. The walls are bare, marked with graffiti. Old light switches are rusty, and control panels are left behind. It’s like a time capsule of the 20th century.
Most of the hospital was demolished for the Storthes Hall Student Village, which also closed last summer. When the hospital opened in 1904, King Edward VII was on the throne. It survived two World Wars and closed just after the Cold War ended.
Originally called a ‘lunatic asylum,’ it became Storthes Hall Mental Hospital in 1929. It joined the NHS in 1948. The hospital faced controversy too. In 1967, there were investigations into violent assaults by some staff. Allegations compared it to a Nazi camp, but nothing was proven.
A former nurse, June Rawlinson, shared her memories in 2013. She described patients as institutionalized, with no outside connections. They brewed tea and swept floors. It was sad, but they had a routine.
Despite the challenges, she said patients received good care. They had a ballroom for parties and tea dances. Music and bingo kept spirits up. But when Margaret Thatcher’s Care in the Community policy came in, the hospital’s decline began, leading to its closure.
Now, the building stands as a haunting reminder of its past and the lives it touched.
