I have watched the gradual demise and demolition of Cane Hill over the past 18 months. Today I stopped in to check on progress. As it stands the demolition team are finishing up on site, leveling land and removing what rubble remains. All that remains of a once remarkable site is the listed water tower, chapel and administration block. There are no published plans to what the future holds for the site and these buildings. I have put together a small set of photos showing the progress of demolition through to its current state. This is the end for Cane Hill and my photos of it.
History of the site:
Cane Hill was a psychiatric hospital in Coulsdon in the London Borough of Croydon. Built to handle patients unable to attend the Springfield and Brookwood Asylums, both of which were filled to capacity, it opened in 1882 as the Third Surrey County Lunatic Asylum. Following a gradual winding down of operations, it closed all but its secure unit in late 1991
The main buildings on the site were designed by Charles Henry Howell and built on a hill-top overlooking Coulsdon and Farthing Downs. It opened in two phases, in 1882 and in 1888.
The site stood for 17 years falling into a state of complete dereliction; suffering from damage from the natural ellements and the not so natural. Despite efforts by many to get the site listed and protected demolition started in June 2008 and was scheduled to take 18 months.
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