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Middlewood Hospital


Sheffield History

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Guest pllyryn

Hello, I just wanted to say that I found your article about Middlewood Hospital very interesting and also helpful in my search for my great grandfather who,I think ,was a resident at the hospital in 1901.My search continues.

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Guest WOODY2SHOES

I know your post was a while ago and don't know if you can help. I am trying to trace some evidence that when Middlewood closed the homes that opened in it's place - I think - Birch Avenue at Chapeltown and Woodland View at Norton - had some form of legal document to say that they should stay open to serve the unfortunate of Sheffield. The NHS are trying to pull the plug and deny any knowledge of this - conveniently. Hopefully, you may be able to point me in a direction to trace this info. Thanks for your time.

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Guest edie_sedgwick

Here's a mega dump of pics from the run down hospital

Some truly exceptional pictures here folks..

AMAZING PICTURES! wish i was old enough to explore middlewood, I would have only been about 12 at the time it became derelict :(

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Guest SheffieldArchives

Thanks for sharing these images of the old asylum - they're very evocative!

If you're interested in searching for information about patients who were admitted to South Yorkshire Lunatic Asylum (later Middlewood Hospital) see our searchable indexes of patients, 1874 - 1910: Patient Admission Index

There are 18,000+ names listed, painstakingly transcribed by volunteers from the Sheffield and District Family History Society from the original registers at Sheffield Archives.

Also see our short video on Middlewood Hospital on YouTube: Middlewood Hospital Video

Best wishes,

Cheryl

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Thanks for sharing these images of the old asylum - they're very evocative!

If you're interested in searching for information about patients who were admitted to South Yorkshire Lunatic Asylum (later Middlewood Hospital) see our searchable indexes of patients, 1874 - 1910: Patient Admission Index

There are 18,000+ names listed, painstakingly transcribed by volunteers from the Sheffield and District Family History Society from the original registers at Sheffield Archives.

Also see our short video on Middlewood Hospital on YouTube: Middlewood Hospital Video

Best wishes,

Cheryl

Thank you for the Patient Addmision Index, yes, as you have guessed, we are all going through

it to see if our ancestors are there.

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My sister lived in one of the apartments for the past 3 years at kingswood, lots of dodgy stuff went off!! The estate is so nice now, thankfully they kept the the 3 main buildings and restored them.

I have pics of the apartment inside if anyone wants to see them, all mezzanine flooring, and hotel like feel to it.

As a kid i used to walk about this trueley unique place, unfortunately all the pictures i got from back then have been lost :(

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If you wish to see memorable pictures showing Middlewood hospital, then visit my Facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.203717752986219.52034.100000439868327

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My sister lived in one of the apartments for the past 3 years at kingswood, lots of dodgy stuff went off!! The estate is so nice now, thankfully they kept the the 3 main buildings and restored them.

I have pics of the apartment inside if anyone wants to see them, all mezzanine flooring, and hotel like feel to it.

As a kid i used to walk about this trueley unique place, unfortunately all the pictures i got from back then have been lost :(

Yes lee , lets see the pictures and give us an idea of how it has been transformed.

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Guest shanedarbey

its an amazing place to see now, the transformation into a giant village in its own grounds is amazing, the grounds still hold lots of clues to its past, you only have to look in the right places to find the old wheel chairs and sit on pottys, the old underground water works was out of this world and went on for achers. i remember going into the clock tower corridoor and opening a door way into a MASSIVE long corridoor, that was filled from floor to ceiling with files and documents dating back to when the first hospital/asylum admissions dating back into the 1870's, at the far end were more recent doccuments up unto the 1980's..

i bet the corridoor was over 200ft long and crammed full of files, data protction wasnt an issue then lol, anyone could go look even us mentally ill patients.

fond memories and sad ones too. spending 5yrs in and out of middle wood made my world what it is today :) good and i wouldnt change it for the world

however for me i was able to leave a few months before it closed, i was lucky some wernt and died there.

the staff did a fantastic job for me and i credit them for what they did, if they hadnt i wouldnt be where i am today.

s.a.darbey1175@btinternet.com

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Guest shanedarbey

its an amazing place to see now, the transformation into a giant village in its own grounds is amazing, the grounds still hold lots of clues to its past, you only have to look in the right places to find the old wheel chairs and sit on pottys, the old underground water works was out of this world and went on for achers. i remember going into the clock tower corridoor and opening a door way into a MASSIVE long corridoor, that was filled from floor to ceiling with files and documents dating back to when the first hospital/asylum admissions dating back into the 1870's, at the far end were more recent doccuments up unto the 1980's..

i bet the corridoor was over 200ft long and crammed full of files, data protction wasnt an issue then lol, anyone could go look even us mentally ill patients.

fond memories and sad ones too. spending 5yrs in and out of middle wood made my world what it is today :) good and i wouldnt change it for the world

however for me i was able to leave a few months before it closed, i was lucky some wernt and died there.

the staff did a fantastic job for me and i credit them for what they did, if they hadnt i wouldnt be where i am today.

s.a.darbey1175@btinternet.com

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Guest traceyb

I am finding the whole world of Middlewood amazing. My son has recently moved into Middlewood Lodge ( the admin building) and I love it.

Its such a shame that more of the old buildings werent saved and even more sad that some of the beautiful things on the interior saved. Its such a peaceful magical place. It is a shame that the church is so delapidated.....a sad sad sight.

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Public Exhibition: A series of photos illustrating 'Middlewood Hospital'

21st November 23rd December

Hillsborough Library, Middlewood Road, Sheffield 6

Opening Hours (Free entry)

Monday - 9.30am-7.30pm

Tuesday - 9.30am-5.30pm

Wednesday - 9.30am-5.30pm

Thursday - Closed

Friday - 9.30am-5.30pm

Saturday - 9.30am-4pm

Sunday - Closed

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I am finding the whole world of Middlewood amazing. My son has recently moved into Middlewood Lodge ( the admin building) and I love it.

Its such a shame that more of the old buildings werent saved and even more sad that some of the beautiful things on the interior saved. Its such a peaceful magical place. It is a shame that the church is so delapidated.....a sad sad sight.

I hope it's not the same lad that's leaving beer cans on the front steps

:-)

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What about the "Normal Hospital" which was in the grounds of Middlewood Hospital ?

There were Hut like wards at the top of the road into the hospital grounds l remember visiting a relative when I was very young. I think it was Wharncliffe Hospital. This hs been gone now a long time.

The people in Middlewood even upto recent times were not all mad or a threat, I remember when my mother worked there, and I have spent many afternoons in the company of the patients.

Some of their history is very sad.

There was one lady who had had a child out of wedlock so she was put there, she had been there that long that no way could she be integrated back ito society, it was very wrong.

Had my son been born some 60/70 years ago then he too would have been admitted to such a place.

He has mild ADHD. and as this would not have been considered as normal, would have been installed as an inmate, sorry patient !! Thanks to Margaret Thatcher who wanted to integrate such back into society, we will not see such people put ito an Asylum.

Don't get me wrong, I lived and went to school very close to Middlewood Hospital, and some of the patients were free to go as they pleased. I remember a chap called Walter, he used to wear a Wisewood School Tie, he wasn't a threat, he used to wait outside the school to talk to the kids, although I know a lot used to make fun of him.

I'd also heard that David Bowie's aunt was a patient in Middlewood too.

If it was still open perhaps it could have been a place for our so called stars to go for therapy !!!!!

Middlwood carries the stigma of being an an Asylum, but most of the patients were not mad.

Oh yes I was in Middlewood Hospital, the normal part you know lol there's nothing abnormal about personality disorder, just as there's nothing abnormal about a fractured Fima..............It seems the stigma surrounding mental health lives on.

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Thanks for sharing these images of the old asylum - they're very evocative! If you're interested in searching for information about patients who were admitted to South Yorkshire Lunatic Asylum (later Middlewood Hospital) see our searchable indexes of patients, 1874 - 1910: Patient Admission Index There are 18,000+ names listed, painstakingly transcribed by volunteers from the Sheffield and District Family History Society from the original registers at Sheffield Archives. Also see our short video on Middlewood Hospital on YouTube: Middlewood Hospital Video Best wishes, Cheryl

Just watched the video and found it quite haunting-perfect choice of music to accompany the footage. The subject is fascinating.

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There is a Middlewood Hospital Exibition at the Hillsborough Library

from 21st November to the 23rd December.

Luis Arroyo a Barnsley based photographer will be displaying his

photographs plus his knowledge on the hospital that once house 2,200

patients ..

The hospital opened in 1872 so through the years there should be

some interesting pictures to view.

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Guest doodles

fantastic stories and pictures :) i am interested in the key lodge (now the nursery) does anyone have any old photos?

thanks :)

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Guest topcat70

My eldest brother spent time in middlewood hospital,he was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1983 at the age of 21,when middlewood was closed he went to live in a bungalow complex which is just up the road called FOREST CLOSE.he spent some happy years there until he sadly collapsed & died on March 25th 2004 aged 41 years from Bronchial Pneumonia,My parents were never the same after that happened,and my mum died in May 2007 & my dad just recently in November 2011. There is only me & my other brother left now who is 47 & I am 41.My brother Steven on one of his day visits homeMe with My brother's Steven & Christopher in 1998 in a pub att christmas nr stocksbridge

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My display of photos depicting Middlewood Hospital keeps travelling. Now showing at Winter Gardens in central Sheffield until 22nd March 2012.

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find this site very difficult to post photos etc. Sorry

Hi luis

Can you tell us where the problem is and maybe we could talk you through it.

We'd hate to miss out on some genuine photos.

Do you go to the " More Reply Options " then click onto browse or are you trying

to do copy - paste?

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