Barnes Hospital – Manchester – May 2012
History
Barnes Hospital, also known as Barnes Convalescent Home, in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England, is a former hospital. It is located near to the A34 road and is in the middle of the complex interchange between the A34, M60 motorway and M56 motorway. Whilst the hospital was constructed in a rural setting, it is now surrounded by roads. The main building is Grade II listed, and lies on green belt land.
Broken remains of three stone high crosses were discovered in 1874 during the construction of the hospital. The location of only one of these is known today; this consists of a crosshead of Celtic cross form with a central boss, and dates from the late 10th or 11th century. It is now located in St Mary's Church, Cheadle. The other two pieces are said to be part of a much older cross, and the upper part of an Anglo-Saxon cross shaft.
The hospital operated through the war caring for injured soldiers and taking in traumas, on the same site of Barnes Hospital there was also a fever hospital where patients with tuberculosis and yellow fever were treated in isolation wards. The main use for the hospital in its later life was for geriatric care and stroke patients.
It closed in September 1999 while Manchester Healthcare Trust was undergoing a £2 million cost cut.
The hospital was sold in 2001, and is now owned by Realty Estates.[citation needed] The main building was in 2002 to be converted into 42 flats, the other buildings on the site having been demolished for the construction of 18 houses and 77 more flats. The other flats will be in two blocks. The work will cost £10 million, and will take 72 weeks.
During World War II the hospital was used as a convalescent home for wounded soldiers. Following its closure the hospital temporarily housed a large group of refugees from Kosovo. It was featured on Most Haunted Live in September 2005. The site was briefly occupied by around 100 gypsy families in February 2007.
My Visit
I first saw Barnes Hospital out of a plane window as it turned sharply after takeoff from Manchester airport about a year ago; a quick Google on my return found out what this grand looking building was. It was added to the list of places to visit in the future.
A quick mooch found a possible way in; however just as I was about to head in a man-mountain of a security guard appeared! Wasn’t too sure if I’d been rumbled (too much of that lately) so I suddenly put my nature photography to good use and paid no attention to the hospital or this huge guy. Thankfully he soon lost interest in what I was up to, so I slipped away and found a less obvious way in.
I knew this place was trashed; 100 gypsies camped here won’t have helped matters! I had a pleasant enough mooch for a couple of hours, found the way up into the clock tower, but gave up on scalling it due to the amount of anti-climb paint dolloped on the ladder. The main thing of interest here I think are the long corridors and the stairwells; and worth a visit if local and at a loose end.
Image 1 – The grand looking building which is Barnes Hospital
Image 2 – Large open room on the upper floor
Image 3 – One of the many stairwells which gives some interest to an explore
Image 4 – Another of the stair wells, shame it was a dull evening as some sun and shadows would add interest
Image 5 – Corridor on the upper floor
Image 6 – Well I had to get an image of myself, upper corridor again
Image 7 – Another image from the upper floor
Image 8 – Finish on the stairwell which took me back to where I started and home for a beer and a curry
Well that was Barnes Hospital; not as impressive as I though it might be, but I’ll now stop wondering what it’s like inside every time I pass it on the motorway.
Cheers
TLR
History
Barnes Hospital, also known as Barnes Convalescent Home, in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England, is a former hospital. It is located near to the A34 road and is in the middle of the complex interchange between the A34, M60 motorway and M56 motorway. Whilst the hospital was constructed in a rural setting, it is now surrounded by roads. The main building is Grade II listed, and lies on green belt land.
Broken remains of three stone high crosses were discovered in 1874 during the construction of the hospital. The location of only one of these is known today; this consists of a crosshead of Celtic cross form with a central boss, and dates from the late 10th or 11th century. It is now located in St Mary's Church, Cheadle. The other two pieces are said to be part of a much older cross, and the upper part of an Anglo-Saxon cross shaft.
The hospital operated through the war caring for injured soldiers and taking in traumas, on the same site of Barnes Hospital there was also a fever hospital where patients with tuberculosis and yellow fever were treated in isolation wards. The main use for the hospital in its later life was for geriatric care and stroke patients.
It closed in September 1999 while Manchester Healthcare Trust was undergoing a £2 million cost cut.
The hospital was sold in 2001, and is now owned by Realty Estates.[citation needed] The main building was in 2002 to be converted into 42 flats, the other buildings on the site having been demolished for the construction of 18 houses and 77 more flats. The other flats will be in two blocks. The work will cost £10 million, and will take 72 weeks.
During World War II the hospital was used as a convalescent home for wounded soldiers. Following its closure the hospital temporarily housed a large group of refugees from Kosovo. It was featured on Most Haunted Live in September 2005. The site was briefly occupied by around 100 gypsy families in February 2007.
My Visit
I first saw Barnes Hospital out of a plane window as it turned sharply after takeoff from Manchester airport about a year ago; a quick Google on my return found out what this grand looking building was. It was added to the list of places to visit in the future.
A quick mooch found a possible way in; however just as I was about to head in a man-mountain of a security guard appeared! Wasn’t too sure if I’d been rumbled (too much of that lately) so I suddenly put my nature photography to good use and paid no attention to the hospital or this huge guy. Thankfully he soon lost interest in what I was up to, so I slipped away and found a less obvious way in.
I knew this place was trashed; 100 gypsies camped here won’t have helped matters! I had a pleasant enough mooch for a couple of hours, found the way up into the clock tower, but gave up on scalling it due to the amount of anti-climb paint dolloped on the ladder. The main thing of interest here I think are the long corridors and the stairwells; and worth a visit if local and at a loose end.
Image 1 – The grand looking building which is Barnes Hospital
Image 2 – Large open room on the upper floor
Image 3 – One of the many stairwells which gives some interest to an explore
Image 4 – Another of the stair wells, shame it was a dull evening as some sun and shadows would add interest
Image 5 – Corridor on the upper floor
Image 6 – Well I had to get an image of myself, upper corridor again
Image 7 – Another image from the upper floor
Image 8 – Finish on the stairwell which took me back to where I started and home for a beer and a curry
Well that was Barnes Hospital; not as impressive as I though it might be, but I’ll now stop wondering what it’s like inside every time I pass it on the motorway.
Cheers
TLR
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