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We have been meaning to visit this little hospital since late 2011 but for one reason and another, we just haven’t got around to it until now. After departing the Urbex Photography household at around 3.30am for a 3 hour drive (around 140 miles) we arranged to meet up with our good friend, UE-OMJ, a fellow explorer.

After a quick catch up at our meeting point, we took the short walk to the security fences of the St. Gerard’s Hospital grounds and within moments we were up and over to the other side and making our way inside this wonderful and historic building.

We only had one problem, it was still pitch black outside! We couldn’t see anything and couldn’t risk our torch light alerting the live areas of the site to our presence. There was only one thing to do… wait it out inside this abandoned TB hospital.

St. Gerard’s Hospital

Visit Date: January 2013

We didn’t have to wait too long until the sun started to rise and we were able to start photographing this outstanding building.

St. Gerard’s Hospital was just a small section of a larger site which includes a boys home and a nursing home. There is a limited amount of information on St. Gerard’s available but we are still searching records. We believe the hospital was built during the 1900’s and was used for the treatment of Tuberculosis and more specifically the Doctors would practice in the field of Orthopaedics.

As you can see from the photograph above, the building still holds its original barn like doors that could be fully opened to allow air into the building or even wheel the hospital beds out into the open.

St. Gerard’s Hospital is reported to have closed its doors in 1988 for the final time.

We don’t know what the future will hold for this abandoned mortuary but we do know that since our last visit, the site has suffered from a significant amount of vandalism and damage. Whilst we believe the morgue is now secure, it probably won’t be long until it’s reopened and damaged further.

You can see all of our images from this location within the gallery below. All of our images are available to purchase in both printed and digital format, for more information, please contact us.

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It is clear as we walk around that the abandoned hospital site has been used for previous photographic shoots or something similar but that doesn’t change things for us.

Items left behind such as the blood test results above and the wheel chair below clearly date back to a time when the hospital would have been open and treating patients.

We believe that St. Gerard’s Hospital was designed by Henry Sandy and that its doors opened in 1913. The hospital was used in the First World War as a VAD hospital for wounded soldiers.

Previous patients of St. Gerard’s have told us about their time here. Many would talk about the food as being “wonderful” and could recall their times with nursing staff such as Sister Rose and Sister Brendan. Others recall there being lots of patients with thalidomide disabilities and those that were paralysed.

Happy memories remained present even if they were darkened with the significant medical issues though. Memories of Father Christmas attending yearly with presents and the regular children’s birthday parties that took place.

St. Gerard’s Hospital and the buildings that surrounded it have now been demolished and replaced with a brand new housing estate. Whether those living at the houses are aware of the horrid and terrifying past that is connected to the site, we don’t know.

St. Gerard’s Hospital was built within the Father Hudson complex which was brought to light within a paedophile scandal that took place between 1957 and 1965. Many victims were well within their 50’s when they helped convict Father Eric Taylor for 16 sexual offences relating to children as young as six. Father Taylor was 78 when he stood trial and was sentenced to prison for 7 years by Warwick Crown Court in 1998.

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