In today’s Urbandoned video, we are sharing
our exploration of an abandoned asylum in Wales from Spring 2021. The historical complex is one of the last
operating Victorian asylums in the country, but the majority of the building lies in disuse,
offering a rare insight into mental health treatment in the last century. Join us as we head into the structure to see
what remains today. It had become a familiar sight for us in our
Urban Exploration careers; the sprawling site of an old asylum, with the notorious features
of an imposing water tower, long connecting corridors and various overgrown courtyards. However, these formidable properties are ones
we never get bored of. Opening in the 1920s, the district asylum
is gargantuan from an overhead perspective, but as for us walking around the facility
looking for an access point, we were yet to realise just how big the structure was. On a Spring evening in 2021, we were about
to find out. Alistair: Wow, this architecture is a bit
different with the pillars. These are definitely cells - can tell by the
huge locks on every door. Just very boring, bland rooms. As small sections of the building are still
being used for active mental health treatment, getting in undetected and without bothering
anybody was of tremendous importance to us. Knowing that the abandoned regions are cutoff
from the live areas meant that once we had slipped inside, we were free to walk around
the hospital without affecting anyone. Alistair: ‘Ward 6.’ I wonder how many there are in this hospital. Alistair: It’s a decent staircase. I love the hanging light fixtures. So cool! Not really much in this part of the building
at all, but just minimal decay. Theo: Wow - look at this! Alistair: I love it when the paints chipping
down onto a carpet. Theo: Yeah. It’s probably the most dramatic peeling
paint I’ve seen actually. Alistair: These corridors with the chequered
floors are quite amazing. They’re very different to anything I’ve
seen before and they hardly look abandoned, to be honest, for the most part. Alistair: These are all the dryers. They’re quite modern compared to a lot we’ve
seen in asylums. Yeah, there’s even more. Theo: Such a classic asylum feature. Alistair: Yeah. Theo: These corridors are incredible! The subtle arches and this chequered floor
makes them really special. I’ve never seen anything like it in an asylum
before. Got a bed left here. Classic asylum kind of feature. Our past experiences with these properties
tended to deliver with the endless hallways that seemed to transport us back in time,
but these corridors especially, with the asbestos tiled flooring and minimal decay, were simply
extraordinary. Alistair: Hospital chapel. It’s very modern and stripped, but I imagine
they would have maybe three or four rows of pews. Quite similar to the one we saw in the North
Staffordshire Hospital that I can name now because it’s well and truly demolished. Alistair: Lovely bay windows looking out over
the nice overgrown garden. Would have been so lovely back in it’s day,
but now it’s totally dilapidated and vacant. Alistair: This is an interesting corridor
with these wooden, ornate features at the side. Love the way the sunlight is coming in. A lot of the rooms in this place are empty,
so we’re just looking for ones that have bits of interest in. They’re very stripped and especially on
the bottom floor, all the windows are boarded, so it’s very dark too. Alistair: This place is like a maze. Alistair: Definitely a children’s part of
the hospital. All the doors are decorated with little insects
and children related stuff. There was one particular spot in the asylum
that was desperately wanted to find. Assuming it would reside centrally, we headed
towards the middle in search of it. Alistair: Holy sh**! This is the main hall. They still had their Christmas decorations
up. I think it’s been partitioned, so if we
go through here, it continues and changes colour scheme completely. My god… Despite the partition that was probably added
only a couple decades before the hall went defunct, the architecture was still as good
as gets for derelict asylums. Reminiscent of the Irish asylum we shared
last year, the space included a magnificent arch and detailed stained glass windows. Back in it’s originality, performances,
shows and talks would be held here, yet more recently it was possibly used as a gym. Lying above us was a decaying projector room
that looked over the hall, but even though no equipment remained now, it would turn out
to be sealed anyway. Old footage from other asylums shows the scandalous
conditions that patients were admitted into for centuries before the deinstitutionalisation
act of the 1970s was passed in the UK. Overcrowding, mistreatment and poor sanitisation
were common practices in most mental hospitals, and in many cases, much darker events took
place. In the Welsh asylum, there are reports of
the limited treatments used to suffering patients which often relied on sedation and isolation. At a maximum, the psychiatric facility could
hold over 600 men and women, but lacked room for personal belongings or privacy. Mental health treatment has improved drastically
in the last 30 years, arguably more than anything else in the medical system, yet the history
is important to consider for us, when we are walking through what remains of these structures
now that many feared ever stepping foot inside for years. Alistair: This bed, here, seems to have someone’s
belongings on it. The floor is really bad as you can hear, but
I wonder if everything on this bed was dedicated to the person who used it last. Theo: The stage is behind me, but then, in
here, we seem to have a load of gym equipment. Perhaps it was just being stored for now,
but if this was here originally, then I’m really not sure what the use of this partition
would be. Alistair: Old documents. The more we come this way, the more you can
hear sounds of electricity, which indicated that we’re getting closer and closer to
the bits of this hospital that’s not so abandoned. Another lovely bay window. This is probably missing from the canteen. I doubt this was the canteen, but maybe actually
- it’s very stripped, but this looks like the bit that the trays would go on when collecting
food and there are kitchens in there. Maybe a smaller canteen - I assume there’s
a bigger one. Alistair: These are definitely the kitchens. Can tell by the floor. Wow! Pretty cool, to be fair, with the skylight. It’s very stripped - there’s hardly any
actual kitchen equipment in here. Theo: Looks like we’ve found the main reception. Alistair: About half of them work. Theo: This is really cool! Power, as well. Alistair: I like the arches. Theo: Yeah, common occurrence in parts. The admin part of the hospital that we are
entering now shut more recently than anything else, hence the good condition and working
electricity. Alistair: This is security’s office, right
next to reception. All the power is on in this part for some
reason, but the computer won’t come on. As the main entrance for visitors to the asylum,
it was complete with many ornate details that had managed to survive. Alistair: This is a really nice window. The bannister, too. According to the map, this is supposed to
be doctor’s offices and lounges. Theo: The curves are really nice up here and
the archways. Pastel theme colour with the mould just makes
it really atmospheric. ‘Doctor’s Lounge.’ Main area for all the doctor’s here at the
asylum. Like many asylums of the time, following deinstitutionalisation,
where patients were moved from hospitals into the community, it began to wind down in capacity
since the 1980s. In the mid 2000s, construction started onsite
to build newer blocks with updated facilities to house patients and it seems that much of
the old building wasn’t required anymore with it being unfit for purpose. Theo: One of the wards. Got a couple of the patient’s bedrooms. Alistair: Seems like a much older part of
the building with these doors. Theo: It does. This is a nice room. Shame this has been boarded, but maybe a communal
space. Alistair: Yeah. As daylight faded, we were finishing up our
exploration to ensure we hadn’t missed any interest. Certain areas like an intact X-ray room had
been locked up unfortunately, but we had managed to see everything else. Alistair: This is pretty cool with the open
doors and the wallpaper. Seems like a more old-fashioned ward than
some of the others we have seen. After our visit in 2021, when few knew of
the disused parts of the asylum, more Urban Explorers caught wind of the psychiatric hospital’s
dereliction and news broke that some had allegedly forced entry into the building last year,
causing an increase in security. It’s a shame that it had to go this way,
with what had been a peaceful, half-unknowing exchange between the two groups for years,
before the masses found out and couldn’t take no for an answer. Nevertheless, we were glad we had managed
to see another part of the UK’s asylum history for ourselves. As mentioned earlier, we think it is vital
to capture these specific structures whilst they still remain, and give attention to their
horrific pasts that stripped patient’s of dignity and self worth. With the sun setting, we departed the premises,
looking back at the building to see it cloaked in shadow, a reminder of the darkness that
occurred inside, a lot of it to never see the light of day. Here are some of our photographs captured
at the abandoned asylum. If you like the look of them, check out our
Instagram page in the description, where we share images from our explores months before
they are seen on YouTube. Thanks for watching! We hope you found interest in this documentary,
albeit a more significant one. We have big plans for the Summer, that is
soon to be announced. See you next time!
