West Park was the last mental hospital to be developed on the Horton Estate, having been planned since 1906, prior to the opening of neighbouring Long Grove asylum. Initial development to have been completed for opening in 1916. From 1917 the main hospital was largely complete and utilised by Canadian Military, and subsequently handed back to London county council. The complete hospital was anticipated to hold approximately 2,000 patients of mixed class. The hospital started a phase closure in 2003 and is in the final stages of demolition/conversion into a mixed commercial/residential site.
With illness hampering my abilities to get out with the camera once more and West Park slowly joining the big list of asylums to meet the demolition ball I took this opportunity to look through my photos and put a selection of my favourite images from my many visits. West Park will never be on the same par as Cane Hill in my mind but many of those people who missed the opportunity to visit Cane Hill will probably regard west park as the best left. In recent years it became more accessible and sadly trashed as a result. Will another padded cell ever be found left in situ as with the one at West Park? I very much doubt it. Goodbye old friend.
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