Denbigh Asylum- Wales, UK
Denbigh Asylum was constructed in 1844 in response to the terrible neglect Welsh patients were facing in English prisons in the 1800s. Since Wales didn’t have the funds to build their own asylums, their sickest patients had to be sent to asylums in the greater UK. Although they received similar treatment to the other English patients, most Welsh patients didn’t speak a word of English, and their doctors in turn spoke no Welsh.
Clearly, something had to be done and money was set aside to build Wales its own asylum where patients could receive proper care. After Denbigh was completed it housed 1,500 patients and 1,000 staff
Although it was in use for years, the arrival of mental health reform in the ’60s meant the end for Denbigh, and it was closed in sections from 1991 to 2002. Since 2002 the buildings have stood empty, but the asylum still had one important visitor in the last few years; the Prince of Wales visited in 2004, granting the buildings historic status and saved them from destruction. Although some asbestos removal has started, not much has changed since 2004.
Plans to turn Denbigh into a housing development have been approved, and construction could begin any day.
