Cane Hill, Coulsdon, 09/11/08 - Urban Exploring Trip

Cane Hill, Coulsdon, 09/11/08

Photos where taken before I got a decent camera. This probably should have been posted in Photography but hey ho.

After a lot of planning and talking the talk, we decided to finally do Cane Hill before it all is turned to rubble. Previous visits had resulted in unpleasant meetings with the security and their ever so friendly dogs, and all we were doing was looking through the fence, but it was their footpath and did not want strangers walking it.

So very early before the sun had woken with map and torches in hand we made our way up to a very spooky looking Cane Hill, in the darkness it loomed up menacingly, looking nothing like during the day.

Deciding to walk the perimeter one last time to check for easier access we crept along the fence line, darting between the shadows. Suddenly not far from us we hear dogs barking, we freeze, not sure of what to do. Thinking that maybe the route we were on was not such a good idea after all, we start to return to our pre planned access point when all of a sudden we see the dreaded security van heading our way, we explode like a group of skittles each disappearing into various parts of undergrowth looking for cover. We wait for what felt like ages for the van to disappear and then continue to our entry point.

We're in! Finally after all this time! Hush, what was that? Quick, get moving! Get inside!

We scramble in, hearts ready to explode, ears searching the deep darkness for any unwanted noise, we can see nothing more than a few feet away.
We all hear a noise like the sound of dog paws walking towards the room we are hiding in, our hearts stop and we glance at the window we came in, there's no way we could all get out there in time. Panic sets in as we wait for the inevitable. But no it's just the water from upstairs dripping down and we all sigh with relieve, so begins our trip around Cane Hill with nerves in tatters and unhealthily high heart beats.

Clock Tower as the sun rises:


The Cane Hill Shoes:


Checking For Security:


Waiting for the light:


Anyone for a Game of Darts:


The poor Piano has finally died:


Trying to get arty:




Medication Log:


O Christmas Tree O Christmas Tree:


Rookinella?:


Stopped for a bit of Breakfast:


Daily Report:


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No Erection??:




So Waterlogged:




Have i seen this somewhere before?




Anybody tired?


Arty shot:




The death of Cane Hill:


Urine Tests:


“Told you i wasn’t fat!”


‘Blood Bath’








Panic:






“Now where did i leave that phone?”


Dentist:




Chair:


Power Shed:






Clock Tower:


Chapel:





/>Mortuary gone, along with the shop and laundry, Gutted:


Dining Room:


Bit of a worry, maybe there in case the patients get out of hand:




Hope you enjoy.

 

cool ... id love to go to a place like this

 

Wow - great story and photos. I think the older style of the photos and the hazy look of them makes it even more atmospheric. What a fascinating place.

 

I use to work for the nhs on the maintenance and looked after several empty hospitals like that use to scare myself silly going out on night time call outs

 

It's sad that this once majestic place has now been flattened to make way for more housing. It was one of the biggest asylums in europe and had patients such as David Bowies brother and a member of the royal family. When I did the visit, apparently it was one of the hardest to gain entry to and we saw it just as the demolition was being started.

We also did west park asylum before that also got flattened, and a few others. It's amazing to see places like this that have been abandoned for 15+ years and forgotten about.

 

I just remembered, west park. We managed to get to the top of the water tower too. I'll find the report for that one.

 

Great pictures, well done indeed.
I've always lived fairly close but never went by or near.
Amazing how it was left...almost as if everyone just up'd and left at once and left everything as it was.
I do remember as a kid it had an eerie reputation, like many hospitals of it's time I guess. Closed in 1991 I think.
K2U for the effort..

 

Part of the fun, i think is trying to gain access all the while escaping the security and their dogs. Not easy at some sites. We played cat and mouse at one up near dartford, when it was snowing. So they knew we were there because of the footprints but we were one step ahead. Snuck in through the service tunnels. Lol

May I just say, do not do it alone and if you've never done it before take someone who has. IT IS NOT SAFE. these buildings have be rotting for years and thanks to my building knowledge i feel I was semi safe. With Cane hill many floors were collapsed etc.

 

I was wondering what this place was until I read further down it was an asylum. So if you have taken it over, does that make you the lunatics ?

 

well done 8)
we have st crispens hospital here but it too hard to get into there days,

 

heres a link to the 28days later website... O0

http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/

 

I cant belive that a building like that isent listed ,disgusting ,what about the church bit surely that must have been listed???
Unbelivable you can just knock down that

 

The Administration block, Chapel and water tower are all grade 2 listed but conveniently the chapel got burnt down by some freak accident..............

 

West Park Asylum


Hellingly Asylum

 

I used to live just a couple of miles from Hellingly mental asylum. I also did some charity work their and organised some fun days for the inmates, the grounds and the buildings were magnificent. It too stayed empty and vandalised for years, very very sad, its now a housing estate. Why did they not keep it renovate it and make it somewhere nice for the less fortunate to spend some nice time?? Greed