Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Room with a view
Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Room with a view

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Room with a view

Before we crack on with part 2 of the photos from with report I did a little bit more digging and got a bit more history on the place. Also if you haven’t already seen Part 1 of this explore click here. 

More History

Whittingham Asylum aka Whittingham Lunatic Asylum aka Whittingham Mental Hospital Was separated into a number of divisions the most notorious being the subject of a large and public enquiry relating to various forms of patient abuse, theft of property and money as well as lack of book keeping which resulted in thousands of pounds of unaccounted for funds. There are records of Patients being beaten, locked out in the grounds in all types of weather, locked in bathrooms and cupboards under stairs. On ward 3, a male ward, the main allegation was that there were incidents of the “wet towel treatment”; this involved twisting a wet towel or bed sheet round a patients neck until the patient lost conciousness. Patients were also alleged to have been seen to be punched and locked in a storeroom. On ward S2, another male ward, it was alleged that two male nurses had poured methylated spirits into the slippers of one patient and into the dressing gown pocket of another, and set them alight.

The history isn’t all bad though, Asylums on the whole were generally good places for the patients to be and it is but a few horror storeys which taint the history of some of these places. Staff at Whittingham in particular Dr C S Parker and Mr Charles Breakall produced the worlds first EEG (Electroencephalography) machine which records electrical activity along the scalp measuring voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current flows within the neurons of the brain.

At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the patient population was 3,533, which made Whittingham Mental Hospital the largest in the country.

OK that’s it for now on with Part 2 of the photos:

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Bed Time

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Bed Time

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Corridor

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Corridor

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Corridor

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Corridor

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Corridor

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Corridor

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Bay Window

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Bay Window

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Chapel Organ

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Chapel Organ

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Chapel

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Chapel

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Chapel

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Chapel

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Chiller

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Chiller

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Chiller

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Chiller

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Kitchens I think?

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Kitchens I think?

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Kitchens I think?

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Kitchens I think?

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - The Great Hall

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – The Great Hall

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Exit Stage Right

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Exit Stage Right

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum -  Light Orbs in a Cage

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Light Orbs in a Cage

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Old Film Reel

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Old Film Reel

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - The Cutting Room / Projection Room

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – The Cutting Room / Projection Room

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Chimney Sweep Required :D

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Chimney Sweep Required 😀

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum-71

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum

Dont forget to check out Part 1 and the first report from 2010.

Enjoyed this report? want to see more of this place? I’ve been back for a few more visits and taken hundreds more photos in these reports:

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum – Near Preston – March 2010

Whittingham Insane Asylum, Goosnargh, Lancashire – revisit 1 September 2012 Part 1

Whittingham Insane Asylum, Goosnargh, Lancashire – revisit 1 September 2012 Part 2 (This report)

Whittingham Asylum, Goosnargh, Lancashire – revisit 2 January 2013 

Whittingham Asylum, Goosnargh, Lancashire – revisit 3 October 2013

Whittingham Asylum, Goosnargh, Lancashire – revisit 4 October 2013

Whittingham Asylum, Goosnargh, Lancashire – revisit 5 December 2013

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Cassius says:

Do you ever take anything from places you explore? There seems to be some cool stuff lying around

PROJ3CTM4YH3M says:

Hi Cassius! No I dont, whilst the buildings themselves are abandoned, most are still owned by somebody and regardless taking items out of these places is criminal theft. There is alot of cool stuff lying around but all I do is photograph them and record them.

Thanks Proj3ct M4yh3m

Sharon says:

Hi Mayhem – Your photos are disturbingly stunning – the vibrancy of the colour and the extreme crumbling and decay is incredible. Dont like the round photos so much as the stark angles of the normal shaped lens. Wonderful work – Congratulations

PROJ3CTM4YH3M says:

Thanks alot Sharon, I really appreciate the comments and feedback. The round photos taken with the fisheye lens aren’t to everyone’s taste but I use it occasionally to allow me to get more of the room in the shot.