Barrow Gurney Hospital

Where - Bristol.
Visited - August 2008.

Posted - 6 September 2008.
Categories - , .

Barrow Gurney Hospital closed in 2006 and had the dubious honour of being the dirtiest hospital in the country. I can't even begin to write an introduction that details this location's history. If you are interested, please check out this excellent write up on Forlorn Britain.

Barrow Hospital occupies a huge, foresty site. Unfortunately time was against us, so we only saw a few buildings...

Image 086-barrow/20080823_9694
Image 086-barrow/20080823_9695

Southside

The main building we explored was "Southside" which contained a large number of wards and other rooms. There was also a small chapel of rest and body fridge.

Image 086-barrow/20080823_9668
Image 086-barrow/20080823_9671

The Southside building was one of the first to close, and is in the worst condition. Corridors are flooded. Windows smashed up. Rooves are falling in. etc..

Image 086-barrow/20080823_9673
Image 086-barrow/20080823_9664
Image 086-barrow/20080823_9682
Image 086-barrow/20080823_9684
Image 086-barrow/20080823_9686

And there was a wonderfully complete small dentist room. This now houses some bats.

Image 086-barrow/20080823_9689

Dundry Villa

Dundry Villa was home to Barrow's acute unit for mentally ill patients.

Image 086-barrow/20080823_9696
Image 086-barrow/20080823_9699

Your Comments

View newest comments first

  1. Posted 9 December 2008, 19:30 From simon

    Reminds me of the hospital in the movie "Jacobs Ladder" Spooky :-0

  2. Posted 8 January 2009, 11:10 From Hazel

    what a terrible waste

    What about the woodlands

  3. Posted 23 January 2009, 11:40 From Mrs. Riley

    Isaiah Hall, my Dad, served in 2 Wars. Beginning of 2nd was stationed at this Naval Hospital, rank of Chief Petty Officer, Sick Berth. Escorted men home by train when they were discharged from the care in this Hospital. This is all I know. Extremely interesting to me. Stumbled on this Webb site by accident.

  4. Posted 20 February 2009, 19:00 From Norma MacPherson

    My Dad, Norman MacKenzie, was also a Petty Officer here in December 1940 and I have a photograph of him with dozens of staff at a Christmas Party there.

  5. Posted 25 February 2009, 18:30 From Hazel

    u should see it now

  6. Posted 27 March 2009, 18:00 From matt

    Have had the chance to stay the night here back in 2003 and I can assure you i didn't get any sleep.

    I wish i had taken a camera.

  7. Posted 12 May 2009, 16:10 From bristol explorer

    I visited this place on saturday - in its a pretty bad state now and has largely been demolished though theres still plenty to see. The dental equipment, morgue and hydrotherapy baths are still there and lots and lots of bathrooms. Seems to permanent security at teh front gate (plus dog) so go in the back way!

  8. Posted 2 August 2009, 18:20 From jeff

    sadly this hospital was derelict long before the patients moved to the new Callington Road site. In particular, Dundry Villa - the one featured in the pictures was closed quite a few years before the hospital officially closed. At one time a piece of the ceiling fell on a patient and was featured on the BBC. I have lots of pictures taken from the official closing day.

  9. Posted 4 August 2009, 13:20 From emma littlewood

    I worked here as an auxiliary nurse after leaving uni and not knowing what I wanted to do as a career. I had to hold the patients down while they were given ECT. It must have been, let's see, 1983 or 84. I worked on the acute female admissions ward, and a girl from my school was a patient, very depressed, and escaped out of the window. I had to drive around the lanes of Barrow Gurney in my old 2 CV looking for her. She kept taking overdoses. The buildings were okay then, they hadn't been neglected, but then Thatcher hadn't had the chance to bleed the NHS dry yet. So very very weird seeing these now. Like some Victorian asylum. Dentist chair super eerie. Thanks.

  10. Posted 20 September 2009, 21:40 From steve daly

    i was a patient here in 1998 residing in dundry villa at first then transfered to john carey (i think that was the name!) and again in 1999 residing in blagdon villa, although i was quite ill at the time i had good memories of my stays and to see how it is now is quite upsetting shame. just to add i have made a full "recovery" of my shizophrenia thanks to clozaril!

  11. Posted 11 December 2009, 16:20 From Patricia

    I am looking at the use of this hospital during WWII. Could anyone help?

Leave A Comment

Leave a comment