Bloody hell, it's been a while! Here goes...
After the little gathering somewhere in Wiltshire not too long ago, a few of us headed into Bath for a bite to eat. After accidentally ordering more pints than I had intended along with my lunch at Spoons, we headed back to @slayaaaa's car for the journey back home. Bath is lovely, and I was admiring the fantastic Georgian architecture of the buildings in the city centre as we walked. We happened to pass a large building, which I was particularly impressed by, and noticed all the entrances were closed. Beep beep beep. My derp alarm was ringing, so we had a closer look. Bath is a very busy city, and honestly we had no chance of finding a way in during the daylight hours.
Fast forward a few weeks or so and we find ourselves heading back down south in my van now that I've finished converting it into a nice little camper. Pulling up in the early evening, @SpiderMonkey, @Jlphotography and I headed into town for a few pints before trying the hospital once the crowds had buggered off. Much to my surprise, the first window I tried slid open and we were in. We had a look around inside, noting the many internal cameras and distinct lack of alarm, then headed back to the van for some sleep, leaving a conveniently hidden door ajar, enabling a return with cameras at a more sensible hour the next day.
On our return we made our way back inside and started shooting. We had been inside for almost 2 hours, and had made our way through pretty much the entire building. We'd prioritised the most interesting bits we had seen on our midnight reccie and didn't really have a lot more to see. A good job too... I was crouched into a corner trying to get a better angle of the staircase as a door opened and a very polite voice asked, "erm... can I just ask what you're doing, please?". Slightly startled I explained I was just taking photos, as the guy's wife and two children followed behind him. It turned out the internal cameras are monitored remotely and he'd been called in from Bristol to come and ask us to leave. He wasn't too happy that we had interrupted his Christmas holidays with his family, but we left without too much drama.
Anyway, on with the report, that I shot with my longer lens after leaving my wide angle in the van.
In 1597, an Act of Parliament granted free use of the baths of Bath to the "diseased and impotent poor of England". The act caused the city to be inundated with beggars and, in 1714, the act was repealed - but the "beggarly stream still continued to flow". In order to control this problem but still offer support to those genuinely in need, the establishment of a Hospital for their reception was mooted.
The Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases opened in 1739 as The Mineral Water Hospital. It provided care for the impoverished sick who were attracted to Bath because of the supposed healing properties of the mineral water from the spa. The original building, which was designed by John Wood the Elder, was built with Bath stone donated by Ralph Allen and completed in 1742. It was later enlarged, firstly in 1793 by the addition of an attic storey and later in 1860 by a second building erected on the west side of the earlier edifice.
The frontage of its building still reads Royal Mineral Water Hospital, thus it is known locally as "The Mineral Hospital" or "The Min". The hospital moved to a new building at the RUH site in 2019.
After the little gathering somewhere in Wiltshire not too long ago, a few of us headed into Bath for a bite to eat. After accidentally ordering more pints than I had intended along with my lunch at Spoons, we headed back to @slayaaaa's car for the journey back home. Bath is lovely, and I was admiring the fantastic Georgian architecture of the buildings in the city centre as we walked. We happened to pass a large building, which I was particularly impressed by, and noticed all the entrances were closed. Beep beep beep. My derp alarm was ringing, so we had a closer look. Bath is a very busy city, and honestly we had no chance of finding a way in during the daylight hours.
Fast forward a few weeks or so and we find ourselves heading back down south in my van now that I've finished converting it into a nice little camper. Pulling up in the early evening, @SpiderMonkey, @Jlphotography and I headed into town for a few pints before trying the hospital once the crowds had buggered off. Much to my surprise, the first window I tried slid open and we were in. We had a look around inside, noting the many internal cameras and distinct lack of alarm, then headed back to the van for some sleep, leaving a conveniently hidden door ajar, enabling a return with cameras at a more sensible hour the next day.
On our return we made our way back inside and started shooting. We had been inside for almost 2 hours, and had made our way through pretty much the entire building. We'd prioritised the most interesting bits we had seen on our midnight reccie and didn't really have a lot more to see. A good job too... I was crouched into a corner trying to get a better angle of the staircase as a door opened and a very polite voice asked, "erm... can I just ask what you're doing, please?". Slightly startled I explained I was just taking photos, as the guy's wife and two children followed behind him. It turned out the internal cameras are monitored remotely and he'd been called in from Bristol to come and ask us to leave. He wasn't too happy that we had interrupted his Christmas holidays with his family, but we left without too much drama.
Anyway, on with the report, that I shot with my longer lens after leaving my wide angle in the van.
Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases - Royal Mineral Water Hospital
In 1597, an Act of Parliament granted free use of the baths of Bath to the "diseased and impotent poor of England". The act caused the city to be inundated with beggars and, in 1714, the act was repealed - but the "beggarly stream still continued to flow". In order to control this problem but still offer support to those genuinely in need, the establishment of a Hospital for their reception was mooted.
The Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases opened in 1739 as The Mineral Water Hospital. It provided care for the impoverished sick who were attracted to Bath because of the supposed healing properties of the mineral water from the spa. The original building, which was designed by John Wood the Elder, was built with Bath stone donated by Ralph Allen and completed in 1742. It was later enlarged, firstly in 1793 by the addition of an attic storey and later in 1860 by a second building erected on the west side of the earlier edifice.
The frontage of its building still reads Royal Mineral Water Hospital, thus it is known locally as "The Mineral Hospital" or "The Min". The hospital moved to a new building at the RUH site in 2019.
Exterior
The original 1739 building
The 1793 extension
Inscription on an exterior wall
The entrance lobby and main staircase
X-Ray Room
Hydrotherapy Pool
Corridors and wards
The Chapel
It's good to be getting out again! Much love x
The original 1739 building
The 1793 extension
Inscription on an exterior wall
The entrance lobby and main staircase
X-Ray Room
Hydrotherapy Pool
Corridors and wards
The Chapel
It's good to be getting out again! Much love x
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