North Wales Hospital
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The North Wales Hospital (locally known as Denbigh Mental or Denbigh Asylum)[1] is a Grade II listed building. Designed by architect Thomas Fulljames, building started in 1844 and completed in 1848. Once a hospital for people with psychiatric illnesses, at its maximum capacity it could house 200 patients, by the early 1900's it housed around 1,500 patients and staff. It is located in Denbigh, Denbighshire, Wales.
History
Designed by architect Thomas Fulljames to originally accommodate between 60 and 200 patients,[2] the hospital originally had its own farm and gasworks. Planned for closure by Enoch Powell during the 1960's, it was closed in sections from 1991 to 1995.[3]
In popular culture
On 25–31 October 2008, the satellite and cable channel Living TV presented a week of live broadcasts from the by then derelict North Wales Hospital under the title The Village of the Damned as part of the paranormal series Most Haunted.
Present
On 22 November 2008, during work to renovate the building site and convert it to apartments and residential properties, the building caught fire; it was later confirmed that the main hall of the hospital was destroyed. Arson -was suspected at the time-.[4] FIRE crews went to the scene of a blaze at the site of the former North Wales Hospital.The fire service was called out at 8.12 pm on Saturday, May 7, with one pump from Ruthin and one pump form Rhyl going to the incident. Crews used two CO2 extinguishers and a hose reel to tackle the fire. A spokesperson for the fire service said: “Two seats were on fire and for that reason we have deemed it to be a deliberate ignition.”[5]
Currently on the buildings at risk register, The 2006 planning permission has lapsed. In 2011 the building was at risk of collapsing and no action was taken by the owners after an urgent works notice was issued, Denbighshire Council had no choice but to carry out repairs on the building which reached £939,000.[6] In 2013, Denbighshire Council voted to press ahead with a compulsory purchase order on the building. A three week Public Inquiry on the challenge to the CPO by the owner completed on 20 March 2015. A new application for planning permission has been submitted by the Princes Regeneration Trust and would be implemented by the North Wales Building Preservation Trust once the CPO is confirmed and the site has been transferred.
References
- ↑ Elle Dunn (2008), Denbigh County Asylum
- ↑ B. G. Carne, Thomas Fulljames, 1808-74: Surveyor, Architect, and Civil Engineer, Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, Vol. 113 (1995), pp.7-20
- ↑ Evening Leader (2008-10-06), "Denbigh's Victorian asylum ready for demolition"
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- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-18861625
