Hellingly Hospital is located in East Sussex, a 2 hour drive out of London and is an extraordinary example of an old world Lunatic asylum.

Opened in 1903 and closed 1994, Hellingly sits on a hilltop (apparently "common practise at the time as it was believed that commanding views over pleasant landscapes had a theraputic quality that would speed up recovery"). and is so big and vast it once housed it's own railway station.

Ariel view of the asylum:


Designed by THE main man of asylum architecture from this period, George Thomas Hine, it was designed as a 'compact arrow plan with villas' and housed up to 2000 patients (I assume the boom of mind fry after the wars helped pack this and the other asylums strewn throughout this country back then).

It has remained abandoned since it's closure and is now a derelict labyrinth of decay, wear and vandalism.

After some hiccups it seems the days are finally numbered for Hellingly as word is destruction is due too commence within weeks.

Yesterday was a very pleasant 5 hour Sunday trespass which resulted in one of the finest outings I have had in the UK. It must be said it is impossible to explain/capture what it is like inside this space as it sits right now, I can't recall ever being in a space with so much visual information. An endless variety in the structure/collapse of walls, floors, windows and objects, all in various states of decay and corrosion, along with an overwhelming variety of textures from peeling paint, ash, paper, wood, charcoal, etc resulted in Parietal lobe fatigue!

An intense, unique and suitably special experience indeed.

Many good photo's can be found here and here. In the meantime a few of my shoddy ones: