The History
In 1869, a man named Robert Barnes made a contribution of £26,000 to the Manchester Infirmary in hopes to build a new convalescent hospital in Cheadle, England. Construction of this new hospital, named The Barnes Convalescent Home after the generous donor, began in 1871 and was completed four years later in 1875. As an interesting side note, an 11th century preaching cross was found nearby when workmen were excavating clay to make the bricks for the hospital.
The hospital was mainly used for geriatric care and for stroke patients later on in it's life, until its closing in September 1999 as part of a £2 million cost-cutting exercise by the Manchester Healthcare Trust. Once in a rural setting, the building now sits inside an onramp/offramp for a nearby highway, and is slated to be renovated into flats.
In September of 2005, Barnes Hospital was featured on a reality TV show called "Most Haunted Live", but was misrepresented as a psychiatric institution. Dumbasses.
The Location
53°23'49.08"N 2°13'23.26"W
The Visit
This was my first explore, and was undertaken solo without any issues. This site has been well and truly raped and trashed by its' various "occupants"; by which I mean the pikeys that took it over in '07, but the architecture that remains is fantastic (excluding the lift shaft added (justifiably) in the 70's). The timber floors at ground level are largely gone or rotten, but the upper floors seem reasonably solid in most, but not all areas.
First Impressions
The ladder to the clock tower. 3 of the original 8 bolts remain, but it held my 100kg.
Chav Damage
The essential chair shot:
The parting shot