Sandhill Park Hospital

Where - Taunton, Somerset.
Visited - June 2008.

Posted - 20 December 2008.
Categories - , .

Sandhill Park was built in 1720 and was lived in until 1913.

In 1919 the Somerset County Council bought the house and converted it into a home for handicapped children. During WW2 it was used as a hospital/camp by the American Army. After the War it reverted to use as a hospital for handicapped children.

Blazes - The Fire Museum

I've seen some crazy stuff when exploring derelict asylums - x-rays, crap, pigeons, perfume bottles, cuddly toys, books. etc. But never a full-sized, real-life fire engine.

In its final years, Sandhill was home to the Blazes - The Fire Museum. It closed, but one fire engine remains...

June 2009 update - the fire engine has gone

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Newer buildings

The newer buildings at Sandhill are completely vandalised. In later years they were used by various small businesses...

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Your Comments

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  1. Posted 30 December 2008, 14:30 From karla

    hello.

    i've been visitng the SandHill Hospital,and i cannot find anywhere that fire engine that you have on your page.

    i have been inside all the open buildings, i the barn and by that old car, but i cannot see the fire engine. could you please tell me where it is located at?

    i have a few ideas where it could possibly be but it means having to climb big gates and i don't really want to do that if it isn't nessasary.

    thanks.

    karla.

  2. Posted 14 May 2009, 15:50 From sue

    I love your site its fantastic....I am a photographer and film maker. I am doing a small mucic video soon do you think I would be allowed in here to do it. The other deralic I loved was the ex Raf site in Norfolk inside the dome? I would love to film inside that its beautiful. Thanks for your help. Sue

  3. Posted 12 June 2009, 13:10 From Jade

    Hiya i vistited sandhill in the dark OMG its so scary i look around most of it but could not see much but wat i saw was enough i probaly will go back there a couple more times but not quite sure x x

  4. Posted 27 June 2009, 17:20 From adam burgess

    my grandfather used to work here back when it was a hospital , i find the place facinating , im popping up there again soon id love to have a look at his office , not sure how legal/scary this will be lol

  5. Posted 29 June 2009, 18:50 From DMA

    I don't know too much about Sandhill, but I remember that in the '70s the kids from Merrifield (Tone Vale) used to go over there on Wednesday afternoons to use the swimming pool. I believe one or two of the Merrifield kids may even have been transferred to Sandhill. If that is true, then it would seem rather inappropriate, as I'm under the impression that Sandhill and Merrifield catered for somewhat different disorders (Merrifield was a children's and adolescents' psychiatric unit).

    Does anyone have any detailed information about the conditions Sandhill dealt with? After all, 'hospital for handicapped children', quite apart from being a dated expression, is rather vague.

  6. Posted 13 July 2009, 01:40 From karen

    hi i visited sandhill park hospital earlier today,what a fascinating place although its been vandalised by grafitti and broken windows etc,would love to go again,definately a freaky place,with lots of history and stories to tell i can imagine,anyone know whats happening to the place,seems such a waste it has so much potential,anyone know anything please contact me on hinsondavis@aol.com thankyou

  7. Posted 19 July 2009, 21:30 From caz mccormack

    i have visited sandhill many times i live in taunton and also know people who worked there when it was a childrens hospital.try as i might i can never find details of anyone who was ever a patiet there. i find the place both haunting and sad but just cant stop myself going there.

  8. Posted 21 July 2009, 00:20 From phylis

    I believe the hospital catered for both children and adults with a learning disability. I have supported a number of adults who spent yrs at snadhill park as patients and now live in accomodation within the local community. Unfortunately most are unable to communicate verbally about their stay but some old staffsay it wasnt a bed of roses...

  9. Posted 24 July 2009, 10:00 From DAB @ derelicte

    The fire engine has now gone - does anyone know where it went please?

  10. Posted 19 August 2009, 14:50 From James

    sandhill is currently up for sale, and i believe the fire engine was either given away by the old owners, or sold.

  11. Posted 23 August 2009, 14:10 From tom gibbins

    myself and a group pf friends are very keen to gain access to sandhill before any new development is carried out to take some photographs.Does anyone have an idea of who we need to contact for permission

  12. Posted 4 September 2009, 19:30 From Frank

    I can get you in.

  13. Posted 7 September 2009, 20:10 From tomi

    iv'e been up there a few times with friends its a cool place and my uncle was a patient there as a child.

  14. Posted 10 September 2009, 14:30 From explorer kid

    this building looks prity good iv been in a hospital befor it was ok im young so i dident go far but im going again to the same one

  15. Posted 13 October 2009, 22:20 From topov64

    hi all,

    i find it quite saddening to see all these pictures of a place where i trained and worked many years ago, but i guess they call it progress , i have many happy memories of sandhill park, and these photos have re kindled many of them.

    topov

  16. Posted 18 October 2009, 15:40 From riki

    just imagine how much that fire engine is worth!

    no wonder its gone its beautiful, i would be proud to drive that around town

  17. Posted 23 October 2009, 07:50 From janine gerrard

    i would love to find someone who used to work there and could tell us how things where and where things where would love hear the stories

  18. Posted 29 November 2009, 23:20 From Suzi

    Hey...

    I have just been there, heard about it from some friends, so me and some guys went up there!! It was so sketchy in the dark!! We are gna go back there becasue it seems so fascinating!!

  19. Posted 2 December 2009, 13:50 From Howard The Gnome

    Be warned guys, I live in Bishops Lydeard and the site is closely guarded now.....Got kicked out the other day! I agree with everyone tho, its a really cool place to visit and the old building is stunning x

  20. Posted 20 February 2010, 22:10 From Dave 2010

    Hiya

    Went there today, Security was non-existant !!! Was there for over an hour with no-one else about.

    Would love to get at all 4 of the cars in the compound, I know 2 are Allegros and 1 is a Metro but what is the other one ???

    My Mother was born and bred in Taunton and knows a lot about it so going there was quite an eye-opener !!!

  21. Posted 20 February 2010, 22:10 From Dave 2010

    ....Also the Fire Engine has DEFINITELY gone now

  22. Posted 20 February 2010, 22:10 From Dave 2010

    I believe it went to the Fire Museum for a complete restoration