Wolverhampton hospital opened in 1849, thanks to some local businessmen who decided that the town needed a hospital. Over the years it expanded, with new wings and operating facilities being built. It finally closed in 1997 when a new out-of-town hospital was built. Ten years later the buildings sit rotting away in Wolverhampton’s city centre, suffering at the hands of vandals, vagrants and arsonists. Tesco apparently own the site, and work has begun on some regeneration in the area…
If you’re interested in reading more about the hospital then this website has a far more detailed history.
External shots
The buildings are rather impressive. Most are to be demolished.
Being a hospital, it has relatively standard features…
Corridors
The intricate network of corridors (and staircases)
Accident & Emergency
An accident & emergency unit. Totally stripped out.
Operating Theatres
Operating theatres – these ones were added to the hospital during the 1960s. Again, they’re totally stripped out.
Wards
It’s a hospital. Yes, it has wards. They’re totally stripped out (see the theme?)
Maxillofacial Laboratory
We decided to make our way up to the roof for the view. Curiously there was a small, unassuming building on the roof – the Maxillofacial Laboratory.
Hmm, what do they in this laboratory? Based on bits left around, such as teeth and ears moulds, it was for faces. According to Wikipedia, Maxillofacial Surgery is surgery to correct a wide spectrum of diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region.
Pharmacy
Oh, back to standard stuff. A pharmacy, for all of the medicines. Guess what – it’s stripped out.
X-Ray machine
If you’ve seen photos of this hospital before, you’ve probably seen people posing in some macabre-looking X-ray machine. If not, here’s a macabre looking X-ray machine. Without posing…
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love this place shame they have let it go like this to be honist i have many hours here in a/e
we have a building in bilston old collage by the police station thats gone to wasite just sitting there boarded up even old pubs too
fab photos well done love to see more but it as been well boarded up as im a wheelchair user i do love to see these
cazwix
It’s so sad to see the Royal Photos on here,I work there from 1973 until in the cut backs I moved to New Cross in 2000, I worked there for about 2 year’s.Then moved to Scotland in 2001 until 2004 when I came to live in the USA. At the Royal I worked with Margaret Ash, Nancy Davis, Barbara Smith, Doris Banks, Carmella, Anna, Josie,Iris,Margaret,Elaine,Chris Brown,Elsie,Kris Ray, Mureen Potts, Jimmy Dolan. Happy days at the Royal we were all a family, New Cross just a number…
Fantastic site, love looking at all these photos of old derelict sites. Keep up the great work !
im working on the demolition on here and to b honest just to look at the placks on the walls and things lyk that u can tell that it has a lot of history same most of it has been nocked down
Creepy..
very spooky especialy the x ray machine
I also Like Kath Worked Main Kitchen For 13yrs, The Royal Was A Little Family We All Enjoyed Our Work We Were A Close Nit Unit Oh I Wish I Could Turn Back The Clock But Never To Be Again . Ive Just Loooked At The Pictures Of Inside And My Heart Sank , Hope The Can Revive The Old Place
my aunt was a sister at this hospital then transfering to new cross after the closure sadly she passed away last year my brother was also a patient at this hospital. lets hope when they finaly restore it it looks as good as it did those many years ago.
i was a cadet nurse from 1970 -1972 ( sue heath) then trained at rhw from 72-73 IN THE GOOD DAYS OF NURSING ! when respect was in abundance . I am now STILL nursing , and am a sister @ new x breaks ya heart to see these pictures . so so many memories
correction * trained 1972 -1975
Ex worker there used to work in a&e (porter)best days of my life. I was born and raised around the corner rogers chip shop great memories so sad to see the area now
What a shock to see the derelict building.I trained at the Royal, 1957-1960, then stayed for a year. I started working in Fracture room in 1956, as I was too young to start SRN training. I now live in Canada. But having watched the short movie ” Together We Cared” and now this web site, the change is a shock.But I am very proud to say I did my training at the Royal. It was a great place to work and live. It was like a family as everyone knew everyone. Though I don’t know Newcross Hospital, I’m sure it couldn’t have been, or be now, as great a place as was the Royal. My training days were some of the best years of my life. I lived in Codsall,so lived “in” for several months, then moved to a flat. Does anyone remember Sister Dora Martin? Or Matron Ritchie.Mr Benison, Mr Vincent Patrick,Mr or Mrs Dalton, all surgeons. Is anyone around who still remembers the “old” days of the Royal?
I did my basic dental technology training in the Maxillofacial Laboratory from 1980 to 1985, hot as hell in summer (especially with the furnace on) and as cold as a freezer on winter mornings but many happy memories of the place, shame to see it like this.
Nice shots!
The stripe of light is a slow-exposure torch run down the centre of the pic. Look below the stripe and you can just see the photographers feet as he walks along with the light…nothing spooky.
Am trying to get in touch with a Nurse Lorraine Piper who worked at the Royal in 1970. She was wonderful to my son David Mather Smith who had an operation at the Royal and Nurse Piper was his favourite. She did try to find us after David left but did not have time as she was due in Nottingham that day. Any help would be appreciated.
I used to mess around wif my m8s in this hospital a few years back great times. We went down the old maintenance tunnel (not shown in the photos) that was scary! the hospital is being demolished now its just the front thats gona look the same history has definately being lost through redevelopment.