Hospital and Morgue S, England

Hospital and Morgue S is a large hospital complex originally constructed in the 19th Century,  that has been abandoned since the early 2010s. It is one of the earliest pavilion style hospitals and originally had a large enclosed central courtyard. Several phases of demolition and expansion has led to a jumble of tightly packed mis-matched architecture, obliterating the original pavilion layout. Today the corridors linking the various departments are a maze, difficult to navigate now all the signage has been removed and many internal doors are locked. It took several visits, some at night, to see all the important areas of the hospital.

Entrance Hallway

The oldest part of the hospital is a grand entrance hall with dark oak beams, emerald-green tiles and ornate stained glass windows. This area of the hospital still had power during our visits.

1950’s Operating Theatre

In the 1950’s, one of the pavilions was demolished to pave the way for an operating theatre block. There are four operating theatres, and associated scrub rooms and post-op recovery wards. Several autoclaves still remain, used for sterilisation of medical equipment. Two of the operating theatre light systems still had partial power.

Chapel

The chapel is small and plain, with a stone altar and wooden organ. It was originally a separate building in the hospital pavilion. In the 1950s it was engulfed by the newly built operating theatre block, and is now accessed by a rather unassuming door in a dark corridor. Easy to miss. Inside is dark, the stained glass windows now sealed inside the walls of a ward next door.

Accident and Emergency (A&E)

The Accident and Emergency (A&E) unit was added in the 1960’s/1970s’, and features three operating theatres of more modern design as well as many wards and treatment rooms. Some of the theatres still had partial power during our visit.

Morgue

The morgue is in a separate building, attached to the pathology and hematology labs. The state of decay in the morgue indicates it was abandoned before other areas of the hospital. Three large mortuary slabs and two dissection tables are overlooked by a shielded viewing area. There is also small chapel of rest here. There are several old-style body storage fridges, as well as larger more modern “walk in” varieties.