Hellingly Mental Asylum

One of my favorite pastimes is appreciating great photography, especially of abandoned structures. Whether it's a southern plantation, a grown-over wreck of a car in the woods, or the plaster facade of a once grand downtown theater, falling to ruin, I'm hopelessly drawn to their mystery and history.

By chance I found some online photos of an abandoned mental institution in the English countryside of Sussex. Hellingly Mental Hospital opened in 1903 and for 90 years served its patients in a manner that speaks of community and permanence, not warehousing and "medicine adjustments". The campus was a vast 400 acres and even had its own train station to bring in coal by rail. There was a fully outfitted beauty parlor, what appears to be a store (there are products lined up on shelves and a clerk behind a counter), and religious services for the staff

There are several sites with photostreams of the the derelict asylum in the throes of decay and vandalism, but  I prefer this video. The stills are not great quality, but you do get a feel for the immensity of the institution. I chose it to share with you because the author included at then end several vintage photos of the hospital when it was still in operation. What a stark difference from the facilities we find now in the States.

And the music track that was chosen to accompany the photos is a nice touch as well, "Fix You" by Coldplay. The video and song end with a shot of a form for patients filled out to authorize an ECT (Electro Convulsive Therapy) session.

I'd hoped to embed the video in the post, but because of property rights, it can only be viewed here.

When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

The ornate ceiling of Hellingly's Theater