There were sometimes incidents with patients in the pool, particularly where they could be quite disturbed by paranoia or delusions/hallucinations, but I've no recollection of anyone drowning or anyone attempting to drown themselves, accidentally or otherwise.

I was a Student then Staff Nurse 78 - 87, also did nights "on the lamp" as the Night NO wouldn't do the outside buildings. Lot of history and atmosphere, but never spooked by anything. In fact, I have always felt very attached to the place in a nice way, even though nice things didn't always happen here in the past......

@ Ward Sister, but it could only be West 2 given the layout and orientation of the windows.....

Wow Ward Sister! A recent comment from a long time ago.....*wondering* were you there?

Trackie, that is soooo wrong. Frontal lobotomies were done by drilling through skull in temple region to expose connective fibres between frontal loobes of brain. These were then surgically cut. The idea was that this reduced impulsive violent tendencies. It had the effect of 'cabbaging' the patient (like Jack Nicholson 'One flew ovet the Cuckoos Nest'. You could easily distinguish lobotomised patients by the deep skull depressions to the side of their heads.

ECT, electroconulsive therapy, or shock treatment involved a general anaesthetic, a paralysing agent (suxamethonium) and aftificial respiration. Patient was fully out before shock was administered. Mainly used for depression. Seemed dramatic and some opposed it, but I saw some good outcomes.

There is another foundation stone at the main entrance to the building, same inscription.

Sam - are you inchworm?

I remember taking East 6 patients to swim in the pool, it was actually a nice pool when it was in use. staff could use it out of hours, but I can't remember anyone using it on night shift.

The door leads to the swimming pool, though it was'nt painted in such a fashion when I worked there

It is a hairdryer, remember the Laurels was a long stay part of the hospital in the main, only East and West 2 were relatively short stay. Only the female patients used this room, the barber for male patients had a room on the Larels East main corrider as I recall.

I think this was Laurels West 3, a female ward, but it could be west 5.

Its an examination table, a rather old one I'll grant, but an examination table nonetheless.

The prop is a piece of curtainrail, with the curtain hangers bunched at one end, with a bit of burnt curtain material still attached.

Written on the wall in red is just a bunch of ppls names/initials.

Believe it or not, at the time there was some currency to the notion that rose pink (which this is not) had a calming effect on disturbed people. The salmon pink seen here was just one of many colours used during this time, usually at the whim of whoever was in charge of that particular area.

Ordinary drugs (paracetamol, acetaminophen, and lotions) were kept locked in a cupboard below this one. Medicines that were prescribed by a doc (like chlorpromazine) were known as Scheduled Poisons and were kept in this cupboard, but the Controlled Drugs sign in the pic denotes that there is another locked cupboard within this one, where drugs subject to the Misue of Drugs Act were kept (eg morphine). controlled drugs had to measured/counted and signed for by two nurses, one of whom (the giver) must be a Registered Nurse, the other signed as a witness to the giving.

these are the rear stairs from the ward dormitories, usually used only as a fire escape. They simply lead down to the ground floor and are mirrored on the other side of the building. This is the west side.

This photo must have been taken around 10AM. The roof arches are similar in style to those in the Great Hall at the Palace of Westminster.

its a shame to see it like it is now, it makes me sad when I remember how it looked and sounded

I heard the organ play a couple of times, smetimes a patient played, other times a visiting participant in the service would play. I can't recall that the chaplain played. anyway, it had a nice sound to it, especially when it echoed through the chapel.

the painting was not done after closure, it was there when I worked there in the late 70's. I think it was done during the 60's, which fits with someone else's cubist theory. It may have been done by a patient, certainly in the 60's LSD was used at the hospital though don't think this is relevant to the artist here!

I think this is Laurels West 4, a female ward. The door leads leads to either an exit corridor or to a dormitory, but my memory is a bit dim on this one.

this is a pic of Laurels West 2 the female distrubed ward. The difference is doors is due to the fact that some rooms with panel doors are office or storage, but the thicker planked doors would have been used as patients side rooms. they were lockable (but not used) and the handle was on one side only on some doors on rooms that were used for close observation

most of the side windows have gone now, so the wind whistles straight htrough. Originally, the chapel, which was non denominational, had long rows of pews from back to front, (if you look carefully at the photo you can see where they were located on the floor). Male patients sat on the left, female patients sat on the right. They entered and left by the left or right hand side doors.

Madnic is quite right, this was the male disturbed ward. I did night shift on here for a while, there was only ever two of us on duty and it could get quite hairy sometimes, but I have lots of affectionate memories for the place.

the shot is of either Laurel East 1 Ward, which was a male ward, or Laurels West 1 Ward, which was a female ward. I can't quite recall from memory which it is, but it can only be one of either.

decor colours were usually chosen by the charge nurse or ward sister. their word was law!