Ushaw Seminary

Urbex: Ushaw Seminary, Durham – March 2014 (Revisit)

Briefly the abandoned Ushaw College, a former Catholic seminary was founded in 1808 by scholars from English College, Douai, who had fled France after that college had been closed during the French Revolution. Ushaw College had been affiliated with the University of Durham since 1968 and finally closed in 2011 due to the shortage of vocations.

Severalls Lunatic Asylum - Reflections in the Corridor

Urbex: Severalls Lunatic Asylum, Colchester – October 2013 (revisit 2)

History Briefly Severalls Lunatic Asylum aka The Second Essex County Asylum aka Severalls Hospital located in  Colchester, Essex was a psychiatric hospital built in 1910 .  Controversial psychiatric experiments / treatments were known to have taken place at Severalls including electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) along with the use of frontal lobotomies. These sorts of treatments peaked…

Castle Miranda aka Château Noisy - Reflections of Beauty

Urbex: Castle Miranda aka Château de Noisy Belgium – December 2012 (Part 1)

Built in 1855 / 1866 by English architect Milner under commission from the Liedekerke-Beaufort family this neo-Gothic castle known initially as Château Miranda but is now known as Château de Noisy. The castle began life as a summer home for the Liedekerke-Beaufort family. in the second world war it was claimed by German troop at the battle of the Bulge. After the war the Belgian National Railway Company rented the building to use as a school and holiday home for the children of the Belgian railway employees until the late 1970’s…

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Room with a view

Urbex: Whittingham Insane Asylum, Goosnargh, Lancashire – September 2012 Part 2 (Revisit)

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…

Whittingham Lunatic Asylum - Dorms

Urbex: Whittingham Insane Asylum, Goosnargh, Lancashire – September 2012 Part 1 (Revisit)

The now abandoned Whittingham Insane Asylum and Hospital, whose grounds adjoin the village of Goosnargh, grew to be the largest mental hospital in the country, and pioneered the use of electroencephalograms (EEGs). During its time it had its own church, farms, railway, telephone exchange, post office, reservoirs, gas works, brewery, orchestra, brass band, ballroom and butchers…