St Mary's Asylum, Stannington

The second asylum visit in one day, before the visit to Cherry Knowle Hospital (Sunderland Borough Asylum), brought us to St Mary's Asylum at Stannington in Northumberland which is sometimes known as the Gateshead Borough Asylum.

Under the reforms imposed by the Local government Act of 1889, Gateshead became a county borough within it's own right, administratively independant from the County of Durham and within the next twenty years it became evident that pressures for space at the county's Sedgfield asylum would lead to the end of contracts with the new Gateshead authority. By 1910 Gateshead corporation had purchased part of the isolated West Duddo estate west of the Village of Stannington in the neighbouring county of Northumberland and were to engage George Thomas Hine and Hallam Carter Pegg as architect for the new 500 capacity asylum to be built there. The asylum would be the last project to be completed by Hine during his lifetime.

The structures were in typical Hine style of red brick with yellow brick banding, multiple-paned sashes, concrete lintels and with grey slate roofs.The pricipal ward blocks were positioned en-echelon facing plantations to the south separated by the recreation hall, with male and female departments and services to the east and west respectively and separated by central services flanked by three-storey staff blocks. The administration block faced out onto a formal greenspace with various access routes to the chapel and isolation hospital, superintendent's residence and main entrance. The main drive and gates formed part of a patte d'oie arrangement with spur routes leading to the main hospital, six pairs of married staff cottages residence and farmland enforcing the self contained nature of the site.

Almost as soon as the asylum was opened, it was requisitioned by the military for the duartion of World War I. Following the end of its war duties the site was returned to Gateshead who addded a nurse's home in 1927-8 and modified the isolation hospital to form a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. Further pressure on the County Durham mental hospital led to a union with the neighbouring county boroughs of West Hartlepool and South Shields during the 1930's. The joint funding and demand for further space provided impetus for major additions to the Stannington sitewhich would be completed in 1939. Built in plain red brick with slate rooves, the new units provided ten further pairs of staff cottages, two additional blocks flanking the main building, male and female detached working chronic blocks and a large admission and treatment hospital with convalescent villas at the north of the site.

World War II led to the development of a hutted Emergency medical services hospital to the north of the admission unit, which was also requisitioned. Peacetime brought about the creation of the National health service, under which the hospital became known as St. Mary's - named after the Stannington parish church. The hutted emergency hospital was converted to house mental defectives. Limited development under the NHS consisted of a new staff training school and a number of prefabricated units providing social and occupational therapy facilities.

Resettlement and closure led to retraction of wards and services back into the main building, with the areas to the north closing first. Despite the hospitals remote location, and considerable distance from it's catchment area, it remained open as late as 1995 when most surviving facilities were relocated to Bensham general hospital.






4th March 2008










































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30 comments:

Lemliss said...

These photos are amazing, Im looking to do a photo shoot soon.. who do I get in touch with to get inside?
Thanks :)
x

Newcastle Photos said...

Thanks.
There is no legal access and it's due to be pulled down very soon.

Lemliss said...

Awww no thats such a shame its totally amazing!
How do you get inside these places have you just got good contacts or is the clue in the no legal access ;) x

Newcastle Photos said...

It's always sad to see another old building flattened especially ones like this.

Regarding access, yeh, you got the clue :)

Lemliss said...

Hiya!
Went here yesterday although im not armed with a flash camera and managed to get a few pictures. Was really creepy but had an amazing time!!

Newcastle Photos said...

Let me know if you put any photos online. I'd like to see what state it is in now.

that rover 25 crasher said...

i have been here its in quite bad condition now i was there about 3-4 weeks ago it is unsafe to walk in the hall now as floor is badly deteriorated ive been a few times but i never found anything like padded cells or stuff that you would expect to find and do you know whats in the basement if anything?

Newcastle Photos said...

I went with a lad who knows the place very well which was helpful.
I've heard from others recently that the place is starting to crumble but that's what will always happen when nobody cares for the building which is a shame.

I've never heard of the basement but I will ask around.

Judith said...

Worked here in the laundry during my college holidays more than 40 years ago. Not a particularly good place to be then, either. Fab photos, though. Thank you.

Newcastle Photos said...

Thanks, it's great to hear from someone that worked there.

The place had an eerie feel to it. I wonder if it was the same when it was open and being used.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know if you can get in now or is security tight?

vikki said...

Hiya, we got in no problem me my boyfriend and another friend. we just went up to the guards house and asked them and they said it would be fine to have a look around as long as we did not go inside. we also mentioned that we were taking some photos for a project but i dont think they minded anyway. we have quite a few good photos of this place and last time i was there was around july 2009. have not been back since but i would recommend it as you can get some great pics. just ask the guards they will be fine with you :) x

Anonymous said...

any one know how to find the mortuary?

Anonymous said...

was ther today place is mint thay r riping hafe dawn and making hafe in to apartments it was mint went in a bawt ten bildings got sum gud piks had a few creepy moments wud be even bete in the dark going bak to moro

Anonymous said...

could any one please give me some directions as the ones on internet arnt quite accurite. please possibly frm the centre of morpeth as well.

Newcastle Photos said...

Can't you see the map at the bottom of the post? If you click on "wikimapia" in red letters in the top corner of the map it will take you to a bigger map.

Anonymous said...

I've been told about this place and they said when it got opened back up they filled the underground cells in so no one can get down there now. Would of loved to of seen this before they did. I also recently heard that they are building flats up there now. Imagine living somewhere like that! How freaky would it be lol

kamila102 said...

hello does anyone know if this building is haunted has anyone seen any ghosts in there or something?

Anonymous said...

my late Grandad Kenny spent time here he drowned face down in an inch deep of water many years ago my mother and father were both psychiatric patients my dad was an outpatient at Cherryknowles where my cousin Marie worked until recently. ive never been to visit here is it still open?

Newcastle Photos said...

Nah, it's long gone now mate. As far as I'm aware houses are to be built on the site.

Anonymous said...

I worked at St Marys over forty years ago, It has a subway running all over the buildings and external villas that carry all the heating and plumbing services, its easy to get lost in it and it was full of wild cats.Many of the patients had spent most of the adult life in there in the days when such places were very cruel.is the Church still standing ?

Anonymous said...

Hi i really want to go and visit this asylum but has it been pulled down yet?

Unknown said...

Just been here today, the buildings are stripped of furniture, but theres a lot of lovely architecture and wallpapers etc to be seen... It has a very positive feel about the place too.
Some of the corridors have been demolished, and a lot of the floors are unstable, but I managed to take some stunning photos in such a dramatic place :)

Anonymous said...

My partner was a patient here a few years before it closed and I used to come and visit him here, the grounds were lovely to walk around but some of the buildings were empty and falling into ruins. one of the buildings was divided into two sections, one was called Fern End and the other half was called Maple End and I was told that in the past the female patients would be in Fern End and the male patients in Maple End

Newcastle Photos said...

Thanks

Anonymous said...

has this place been pulled down? if not how do you get into it
cheers

Unknown said...

Can you still get in the place today

Unknown said...


I worked at St,Mary's from 1973 to 1986 I looked after the grounds in the summer it was my task to keep the large areas cut and tidy. I knew most of the staff and patients in the hospital! I got a shock a year ago when I first seen the images of the hospital all that dedication and hard work for nothing. I would like to thank the person who said the grounds allway's looked great! It was the only job I looked forward to coming to work everyday! All the years I was there rumours circulated that it was always going to close? I came back for the reunion and it was great seeing staff and patients again!

Unknown said...

I lived at the small gate house as a child and my father was a doctor. We lived there from 1951-1964 when we moved to Australia. Have visited a few times over the years when visiting friends and family in UK. Look forward to seeing the new place when over there next in 2019

Unknown said...

Hi, I’m an ex nurse living near Morpeth. St Mary’s has always intrigued me.
I collect hospital/nurse badges & would love a St Mary’s hospital badge if you know of anyone who would let me have one I would be very grateful.
Thanks