Comments on: Barrow Gurney Hospital – Bristol

By: Miss Chapman

Miss Chapman — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:58:27 +0000

My partner, now sadly deceased was in Barrow Guernay Hospital in 2006 not long before it closed. He was severly depressed and we hoped for him to receive treatment there. Unfortunately they gave him so many drugs he couldn’t even hold his head up and just dribbled onto the table. They did not bother to even try and treat him. The ward was disgusting and the food they dished out looked over a week old. I was so disgusted with it that I got him discharged and took him home. He was 34 yrs old at the time.

By: Trevor Dallimore-Wright

Trevor Dallimore-Wright — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:02:12 +0000

Both my parents (Trevor Wright Snr and Peggy Wright) worked at Barrow from 1949 until my dad’s reirement in approx 1983. Dad was a Charge Nurse on West Villa and Blagdon Villa but did a long stint as Principal Counsellor for the Bristol, then Avon, Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse working with Travers Cousins before returning, as a Charge Nurge, back in charge of Blagdon Villa. Mum was a night nurse working on B ward (I think) but oftern working opposite my dad at Blagdon. Memories, as a young toddler, of sitting drinking orange sqaush or otherwise being entertained by a patient whilst my parent’s handed over a shift!

We lived at the the then Staff Cottages (now Orchard Drive) which, although isolated from Bristol was a wonderful place to grow up in. Hundreds upon hundreds of acres of primieval and untouched woodland to wander through and play in.

Its a pity that the ethos of peace and quiet as part of therapy for those with enduring mental health problems was sacrificed on the altar of PFI. Barrow, unlike the old Victorian Asylums and if properly refurbished, would possibly have cost less then the new hospital and have retained the old concept of allowing patients to gently exercise around beautifully kept grounds.

My treatment, as someone with bi-polar, was centred at the former Susan Britten Wills Unit (BGH) but have lived in London for a long time.

Finally. For those who would like to go the Glenside Museum has lots of artifacts from Genside and Barrow. It fgives an insight to how treatment was given and how things were. Mental Health History is not the sexiet of subjects but its important that its history is not forgotten. In Bristol its history began with Dr John Carey in the late 17th Century and the first wards for the insane at what was to become St Peter’s Hospital, the for runner of the Bristol Ayslum, Glenside Hospital and Barrow Hospital. Please visit the site at

http://www.glensidemuseum.org.uk/

Best wishes

Trevor

By: christine

christine — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:24:53 +0000

When I left the area I gave Barrow Gurney Parish Council a book about the history of the hospital. I hope they still have it or know where it is kept. I can’t remember who wrote it but it was to commemorate an anniversery.

By: paul mcnab

paul mcnab — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 22:02:14 +0000

I trained at Barrow 1979-1981…very mixed memories of clinical areas,although did enjoy working on Blagdon and Dundry Villas…got in a little trouble taking patients to socialise in local pub and not being able to persuade a couple of alcoholics to return to the hospital! Many,some hazy,memories of the staff social club!

By: Asylum BG (UK) « Dereliction addiction

Asylum BG (UK) « Dereliction addiction — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 20:05:47 +0000

[...] This mental hospital in Bristol opened 3rd May 1939 build in colony plan layout which means that there are a lot of buildings spread around in the huge forest. Abandoned in 2006. More info about the place here with several other links. [...]

By: june baxter

june baxter — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 18:07:55 +0000

Just read the entry re the hospital in ww2. My grandfather also served at this hospital as a petty officer in ww2. His name was Irvy Ellis, which is a very unusual first name. I am afraid that I don’t know any more than that

By: janet reid

janet reid — Sun, 01 May 2011 17:29:06 +0000

my sister lived in the lodge house for 3 years after it was closed we had some really lovely times wandering through the buildings. we had loads of apples from the orchard, herbs from the herb garden and saw lots of wildlife.
wonderful times before they started demolishing.

By: Ian

Ian — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 16:06:09 +0000

I was an inpatient in John Carey ward with bipolar disease duribng the 70`s and during a period of 18 months, spent 9 months there with 3 0r 4 admissions. The consultant was Dr. Barker but the Doctor I dealt with mostly was Dr Joanna Eckert. I did art therapy with Roy Thornton and during a spell of hypomania I covered the walls off the Art Room with paintings I had Tricyclics by the handful which messed up my bladder and ECT which was not helpful. I was put on lithium eventually and began a slow recovery and stayed on this treatment for nearlym 5 years. Happily I never relapsed

By: Jazz Davies

Jazz Davies — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 05:32:14 +0000

@ Leo ,

I would be quite interested in being interviewed ..

Have a unique story to tale .

My mother was in and out of Barrow Hospital in the mid eighties , have memories visiting her when I was little kid , even have some pics of her with my sister when she was a admitted on the mother and baby unit for mums suffering from post natal depression .. Sadly my mother bipolar relapsed and again have memories of visiting her at Barrow in the early nineties in particular at Redcliffe Ward , John Carey House and the old intensive psychiatric Unit called Ashton Unit , before the new build of Brockley House.

Again , early 2000 to 2003 .. Was doing my Mental Health Nurse training at UWE (GLENSIDE) , had a lot of student placements at Barrow Hospital .. I have worked on East Villa (my favorite/the cleanest ward – Rehab for severe and enduring mental health client aka burnt manic depressives or schizophrenics ) , Dundry Villa ( Acute Mental Health Ward – Cacthment area was inner city Bristol ) , Brockley House (Locked Intensive Psychiatric Care Unit – Hated the ward ) … When I qualified I did a few ad hoc shifts on Leigh Assessment Unit (Geriatric) and Dundry again .. Moved to London in 2006..

By: Jazz Davies

Jazz Davies — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 05:20:04 +0000

@David .

I was a Student Nurse at Barrow Hospital from 2000 to 2003 , also did some bank nursing shifts around the hospital site in particular East Villa (rehab) and Brockley House (locked Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit)

Your files are in archive somewhere and would of never been thrown away .. I think they are kept for 100 years or even more .. With the recent freedom of information act you are entitled to access your medical records ..

Barrow Hospital was under the management of Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS TRUST — Any files would of been transferred to the new Callington Road Hospital or their HQ in Trowbridge ..
Below is the website link of contact details to access medical records from the Old Barrow Hospital Site .. Hope this helps ..
http://www.awp.nhs.uk/templates/xform____293.aspx