There are a surprising amount of abandoned asylums all over the world. Filled with dark histories of abuse and neglect, many of these institutions couldn’t keep up with modern times. They’ve all been abandoned and forgotten about in hopes that we will eventually forget their disturbing pasts.
Check out some of the creepiest abandoned asylums from all over the world.
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1.Magdalene Asylum in Cork, Ireland
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Magdalene asylums housed “fallen women,” which was used to describe women who worked in prostitution or showed sexual promiscuity. The Magdalene Asylum in Cork was open from 1765 to 1996. The famous institution closed down after the discovery of a mass grave near the hospital. This led the government to do a formal investigation into the clinic, they found that the nuns working at the hospital were responsible for violent and abusive acts against their patients.
2.Metropolitan State Hospital in Massachusetts
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Closed down in 1992 the Metropolitan State Hospital provided care for the mentally ill. Legend has it that in 1978 Melvin Wilson murdered a fellow patient by the name of Anne Marie Davee. He supposedly used a hatchet to kill her, then proceeded to dismember and bury her in various spots around the hospital. Rumor has it that when he was caught he was carrying seven of her teeth with him.
3.North Wales Hospital in Denbigh,Denbighshire, Wales
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Also known as Denbigh Mental Asylum, the hospital was began construction in 1844 and had the capacity to house 200 patients. The hospital is rumored to be haunted and recently appeared on an episode of “Most Haunted.”
4.Blackburn Royal Infirmary in Lancashire, England
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Unfortunately, we don’t have much information on this particular asylum. The site has however been the subject of many urban photography projects. The only information we can find about this mysterious hospital is the numerous photos that show the hospitals slow decay.
5.Gartloch Hospital
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Opened in 1896, Gartloch Hospital housed around 465 patients during it’s prime. The hospital officially closed in 1996 due to the need to relocate patients. Parts of the hospital have began closing and being destroyed over the years. The main building is still standing, allowing urban photographers to explore and capture it’s destruction.
6.St. Lawrence Hospital in Bodmin, England
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Also known as the Cornwall County Asylum when it was built in 1818. The building underwent major construction over the years to accommodate the number of patients being committed. In 1967 St. Lawrence was under investigation for it’s poor treatment of patients and eventually shut down in 2002.
7.Nocton Hall in Lincolnshire, England
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Nocton Hall dates back to 1530 but has undergone multiple constructions since. The hospital has housed officers during the first and second world wars and in 1980 it was developed into a private hospital. Nocton Hall was considered one of the top endangered buildings in England by The Victorian Society in 2009.
8.Lennox Castle Hospital in Lennoxtown, Scotland
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Lennox Castle Hospital was opened on September 24th, 1936 to treat patients with mental disabilities. The hospital was abandoned in 1987 and many patients since have been outspoken about the abuse they suffered during their time there. The hospital was damaged by a fire in 2008 destroying part of the tower that was still standing.
9.Talgarth Mental Hospital in Talgarth, Wales
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Solely dedicated to treating patients during the first World War the hospital later became an asylum. Talgarth Mental Hospital faced criticism over their services and eventually closed down in 1999. The property was put up for sale in 2009 after it was left alone for a decade However, the site has still been left alone and is slowly continuing to decay into nothing.
10.Poveglia Asylum in Poveglia, Italy
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Located on a small island just between Venice and Lido, the island housed multiple buildings including an asylum. During the 18th century the island was sealed off to house people that were infected with contagious diseases. The island eventually became a mental institution in 1922, rumor has it one of the main doctors experimented and performed lobotomies on patients. He eventually jumped off of the hospitals tower after he had claimed ghosts were haunting him.
11.Hellingly Hospital in East Sussex, England
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The hospital was opened in 1903 due to the demand for mental asylums. The institute included buildings specifically for mentally ill children and a separate hospital to treat infectious diseases. Eventually the amount of people committed to the hospital began to decline forcing the hospital to close in 1994.
12.Barnes Hospital in Cheadle, England
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This gothic structure was opened in 1875 as a hospital. Caring for soldiers during the war the hospital eventually turned into a center geriatric care. The hospital eventually closed in 2001 and like many others was eventually sold. Since then the hospital has remained in a derelict state.
13.Trenton Psychiatric Hospital in Trenton, New Jersey
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Opened in 1848, Trenton was considered the first mental hospital that was open to the public in New Jersey. Rumor has it that medical director Dr. Henry Cotton believed that infections were the cure to mental illness. Over the years he removed teeth and limbs to allow infections to fester in his patients. Cotton supposedly mutilated thousands of patients.
14.Whittingham Hospital in Lancashire, England
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Another psychiatric hospital to open in Lancashire, the hospital officially opened in 1873. Whittingham was considered the largest mental hospital in England at the time. In the 1960’s the hospital was placed under investigation for abuse to patients such as, leaving patients untreated and locking them outside. The hospital finally closed down in 1995 after suffering a huge decline in patients.
15.Danvers Lunatic Asylum in Danvers, Massachusetts
Photo: Danvers State Insane Asylum
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Opened in 1878 rumor has it that this hospital was the original birth place of the lobotomy. In the 1940’s the hospitals capacity grew to over 2,000 people which created a serious overcrowding issue. The amount of patients committed to the hospital began to decline as mental health care began to change and the hospital was shut down in 1992. The buildings on the property have since been renovated to create apartments.