Hi again guys,
Been meaning to post this report for sometime, but have a long back log of explores and not much free time to get round to posting.
During the 1940’s, the asylum’s population peaked at around 420. The farm was closed down in the 1960’s in keeping with national thinking around the exploitation of patient labour, although the grounds were still used to grow vegetables on a small scale for therapeutic and OT purposes for many years on. In 1948 with incorporation into the NHS, the site became known as St Clement’s Hospital. By 2002, the last in-patients had left St Clement’s, but the building continued to be used for NHS administrative purposes, much altering the internal appearance, with all former ward space (besides those in the empty former medium-secure unit and annexes) looking like typical office spaces. Plans to redevelop the main building into luxury housing and build another 200 housing units on the grounds were on the table, then off, and as of September 2014, back on again and scheduled for 2016.
On with the photos:
Thanks for viewing!
Frotsy.
Been meaning to post this report for sometime, but have a long back log of explores and not much free time to get round to posting.
The History
The Suffolk County Borough of Ipswich had been boarding its lunatics out to its two private asylums, the Belle Vue Retreat on Woodbridge Road and Grove Retreat opposite Alexander Park, as well as making use of nearby asylums in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, housing the remainder in the Ipswich workhouse. By the 1860’s, the fact that places at other asylums outside Ipswich cost more and were becoming harder to find, as well as the need to meet its requirements as a separate County Borough, saw the Ipswich authorities agree by 1865 to build their own, finding a 52 acre site known as Blackheath, around 2 miles outside the town.
During the 1940’s, the asylum’s population peaked at around 420. The farm was closed down in the 1960’s in keeping with national thinking around the exploitation of patient labour, although the grounds were still used to grow vegetables on a small scale for therapeutic and OT purposes for many years on. In 1948 with incorporation into the NHS, the site became known as St Clement’s Hospital. By 2002, the last in-patients had left St Clement’s, but the building continued to be used for NHS administrative purposes, much altering the internal appearance, with all former ward space (besides those in the empty former medium-secure unit and annexes) looking like typical office spaces. Plans to redevelop the main building into luxury housing and build another 200 housing units on the grounds were on the table, then off, and as of September 2014, back on again and scheduled for 2016.
The Explore
This was the second explore we did on the same day, a month or so ago, following our visit to the Tolly Cobbold Brewery we headed here. Knowing it was an active building site we thought we'd have a hard time remaining undetected. But surprisingly everything was quiet. Unfortunately there wasn't much left that was original to this hospital, but was still a great visit regardless.
On with the photos:
Thanks for viewing!
Frotsy.
