Tales of the Urban Explorer: St Thomas Psychiatric Hospital

“One of the most haunted buildings in the NorthWest”, states the article with some confidence.

There’s also the matter of “The Ghost Doctor” and footsteps coming from above from a floor with no staircase.

If you have read my past explores then you will know I take all this with a pinch of salt. I would need to see some floating apparition before my eyes and so far…, well it just hasn’t happened.

More factual is that the St Thomas building was built in 1841 and used as a workhouse before later being converted into a psychiatric ('Lunatic Asylum') hospital. The hospital was closed In 2004 and has remained that way since.

I am aware of what happened in Victorian times by way of history to the 'lunatics' and it was not pleasant.

Doubtless, dreadful things have occurred and there may well be some spiritual residue sitting around inside. I need it to come and say hello to @slobberchops.

This was my third visit to ‘St Thomas Psychiatric Hospital’ and the lack of progress was beginning to grate on me.

I was primed once again with information that was no longer valid. The hole in the fence was sealed and besides a 7ft fence climb in front of a row of Karens, there was no way in.

Or was there…

“See that tree over there?”

@anidiotexplores was marching to and climbing up a huge oak tree with boughs that naturally wound up the 12-foot nearby wall.

Jeez, here we go again, this one was testing me. I haven’t climbed trees since my teens.

Hauling myself on a nearby bin, I grasped the tree bough in a desperate hug, climbed, shimmied, and peered over the top shaking a little, and sweating a lot.

“There’s a climbing rack on the other side, watch out for the barbed wire and grease paint on the top”, came a slightly muffled voice from the other side. How comforting.

I don't have a lot of confidence in letting myself drop from a 12-foot wall at the best of times.

@anidiotexplores handily guided my foot onto the makeshift anti-climbing fence positioned the wrong way to give it handy foot holes.

Jumping the last couple of feet I stared at it thinking, ‘getting out is not going to be fun at all.

Not wanting to waste any time, we made for the nearest large building, there was plenty to choose from.

Climbing to the top floor, I noticed what looked like an Armadillo Security System in the yard. We would need to be careful out there.

This building was frankly quite shit and looked refurbished. Where was the grot?

Stopping to notice a rather dead-looking bird, we raced through this dull building and exited quickly. It was the same on every floor.

Hopping across some grass now aware that security was active, we entered a second building and saw more familiar sights.

You can't expect patients' files still be intact and waiting for us to read after 17 years.

Collapsed floors are more my thing, I side-stepped them and started to look around.

I was relieved to find some semblance of humanity left in ‘St Thomas Psychiatric Hospital’. They do like their fancy names in these hospitals even today.

If "The Ghost Doctor" was going to make an appearance now would be a great time.

I had plenty of staircases to choose from, all quite solid if you watch your step.

This floor was less solid on the next level but I continued nevertheless.

The far side of this room looked like it housed a private office.

I think I went left dodging the beams, you can't just stop when the action is getting going,

Stopping short of saying hello to ‘Sister’ I continued toward the double doors.

There are lines that I won't cross. I can imagine there are straight jackets and electric chairs (still smoking) beyond this room but I do value my legs.

Taking care not to smoke I backtracked and descended the slightly dodgy stairs.

It was tough to get inside any of this, all fucking sealed.

We meandered around several buildings, peeking around corners for signs of security before spotting an open window in the far corner.

Climbing through we were disappointed, some kind of storeroom with a ton of crap inside.

‘Staff Only’ seemed a common theme. The patients must have found it taxing to stay at ‘St Thomas Psychiatric Hospital’.

The Utterly Butterly looked out of place. Had someone been making some sandwiches mid-explore and left the tub?

Walking around to the far side of the compound we were startled by the Armadillo unit. It looked detached, didn't move, didn't bite, and appeared inactive.

If it was otherwise, then we were busted. I waved and walked past.

This part looked interesting, we bypassed the fencing easily and entered yet another section of the old hospital.

A custom-made bath for the insane? Likely not, but it did contain some fancy dials.

This one I will probably give a miss, it’s a tad dusty for me.

When there is natural light flooding in, you can get some decent visuals.

That’s not “The Ghost Doctor” down there, but my comrade farting about.

Now those stairs could well be challenging. They are more like a slide and you are trying to climb up the wrong way.

It was very derpy in ‘St Thomas Psychiatric Hospital’. I should be grateful I managed to see it, most of the old ‘lunatic asylums’ have been demolished.

Graffiti was far from abundant, this room was an exception.

The furthest room hosted what remained of their IT department as well as a dangerous partially collapsed roof.

Seeing some literature was something else. I was hardly expecting it.

There were plenty of old PCs knocking about, as well as office chairs.

Who remembers Viglen?

I wonder if the patients were tied down when attempting to complete this elementary test?

Standing under the collapsed roof; you need to live dangerously.

I went back to those stairs that looked like a slide and struggled upwards. A valuables office waited at the top with nothing valuable at all within.

I am thinking the fancy wooden cabinet on the left once housed the goodies.

As the floor was collapsed on this floor I slid down the ‘slide’ past the staff room and exited.

We were about to leave and that terrible climb was coming into my focus when…

“Hoy, you need to leave right now…”

A security bloke looking a little bored was walking toward us, in a kind of slouch, and ushering us to the front of the building.

"The police have been called and will be here in minutes, I will let you out of the front gate", he said in a non-unfriendly manner.

We did get a little panicky and walked extremely quickly through the front gate, disappearing down a side street, into my car, and woosh….

In retrospect, the security bloke appearing just at the moment was perfect. I didn't thank him for saving me from that fucking climb, the idea of 'exposing myself' to the Armadillo was gold.

'The police arriving in minutes?'

I have my doubts, but could hardly believe my luck. The security bloke didn't seem to give a shit and likely escorts people out several times daily.

Epilogue:

@anidiotexplores informs me that the owners of ‘St Thomas Psychiatric Hospital’ have recently attempted court action against an Urban Explorer who trespassed.

The paperwork was raised; the crown prosecution received the order and duly dismissed it. No further action was taken.

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