This is quite lengthy so grab a beer or coffee or whatever and plough on through

I'm going quite some way back into my archives here but it's such a memorable explore out of all the explores I have done I think it warrants posting. I will say right off the bat the photos aren't as good as my newer ones as I was using a Fujifilm bridge camera back in the spring of 2011 when me and my ex-best explore matey (another long story) embarked on a trip to deepest, darkest north Wales. The four hour car journey was uneventful and we met up with four of our exploring companions for the day in a car park somewhere, with another two set to join us later. This was an explore en masse, and if you know me you know that when I explore in a group larger than, say, three, it usually ends in a lot of running away from something and today would end no different.

Denbigh Asylum (also known as North Wales Hospital) was opened in 1848 and is one of the stalwarts of UK urban exploration. It closed in the early 1990s when mental health services were beginning to undergo huge changes across the country resulting in the closure of many of the Victorian Asylums. It is one of the most architecturally significant Asylums in the UK and one of the most important buildings in Wales. Since closure an episode of the UK paranormal investigation show Most Haunted was filmed there, which controversially involved the crew constructing fake padded cells and barred doors, as well as a replacement mortuary slab made out of wood. Shortly after the show aired and as a result of it's exposure on TV, the main hall was burnt to the ground. Since closure the buildings have deteriorated terribly with massive floor collapses in a lot of places and a couple of years ago an urgent works notice was served to the owners requiring them to do immediate emergency building work to stop it deteriorating further. This was ignored, and so the council contracted people to do it for them. The remedial work involved ripping out every single piece of the interior of the main frontal block leaving an empty brick shell without so much as a floor, and replacing the roof of the same building. Luckily I saw it before the works were done, but it's a good thing they were as the building was in a desperate state. The remedial work should ensure it doesn't get any worse and so can be saved for any future development. You can't really truly call yourself an urban explorer in the UK until you have explored Denbigh ;)

We managed to get up the tower here (a feat impossible now the interior of the building is gone) which was one of the most bum-clenchingly scary experiences I've ever had, with some extremely dangerous manouevres around collapsed floors and other really silly things.

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Sadly it was at this point things went a bit...wrong. The groundskeeper/unofficial security guard here known as Beardy is one of the most infamous of any abandoned location in the UK and regularly harasses photographers and has even gone as far as assaulting a couple and setting his dog on others before. Earlier in the explore a couple of our group had already ran into his two shotgun-wielding cronies who were in the grounds 'hunting vermin' but then we heard the familiar sound of Beardy's van pulling up outside the front building.

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We were up on the third floor hiding so felt relatively safe as he walked around the outside with his pooch, but the next thing we knew one of us heard a noise and he was in the corridor with us no more than twenty metres away! The six of us still in a group absolutely caned it down the stairs and out a side door and in the process ran straight past the pair of slightly bemused-looking cronies. I've never been so focused on getting away from anywhere else in my life, all I knew was I needed to get out the front gate to the safety of the public road and fast. I turned around and snapped one more shot, and if you look very carefully you can make out a white van behind the trees on the left. Little did we know our encounter was only just beginning.



We were dusting ourselves off and beginning the walk to our cars when suddenly this happened....



Not filmed by me I hasten to add although I wish I had done so.

After that excitement we retired back to the town of Denbigh and enjoyed a barbecue in the grounds of the ruined Denbigh Castle and had a good laugh about what just happened. Once we had finished, a few of the group headed home but myself, my mate and a couple of others headed a little further down the road to the secondary asylum.

Pool Park Hospital was originally a manor house, but was bought and converted into the overflow site for the overcrowded Denbigh Asylum to relieve pressure on the main hospital. Situated about twenty minutes drive from the main hospital it was perfectly positioned to provide a bit of space. Luckily here it was totally trouble-free, no mad caretakers or barky dogs just a chilled out explore of a beautiful building.

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I keep getting urges to return to Denbigh, but it is such a long way away I have never found the time...yet. Thanks for looking

Thankfully I had a beer in front of me when I clicked on the post. Wow, both of those locations look amazing. I absolutely love the woodwork at the second location. Are all the buildings in #4 part of the asylum? Thanks for sharing.

Posted by Seahawk Are all the buildings in #4 part of the asylum? Thanks for sharing.

Yes, that's a view of part of the rear of the asylum from the top of the admin block tower, it's a massive place. They were pretty much self-contained communities with nearly everything the patients, doctors and nurses needed available on site.

I could never explore in the UK - the second I got caught by some caretaker with a wicked accent I'd just be unable to take him seriously. I LOVE his accent so much.

Seems like a major dick though, too bad he can't put as much effort into looking after the property as he does harassing explorers.

I don't think the old guy seems half bad. I was expecting some crazed lunatic all haggard and scary looking, but he strikes me as a decent old guy trying to inflate his toughness. #13 and #16 are my personal favorites. Great points of view! If you hadn't mentioned that these were taken with an earlier camera, I probably wouldn't have noticed. Your skill as the same photographer still comes through regardless.

Riveting write up! Thanks for taking the time to share this with us. I enjoyed following along. Holy cow, that dog. Also, that guy caught on tape filming the guy has some huge balls. He doesn't even flinch when that German Shepherd snaps at him!! Hell of an eventful day.

Posted by Ground State I don't think the old guy seems half bad. I was expecting some crazed lunatic all haggard and scary looking, but he strikes me as a decent old guy trying to inflate his toughness. #13 and #16 are my personal favorites. Great points of view! If you hadn't mentioned that these were taken with an earlier camera, I probably wouldn't have noticed. Your skill as the same photographer still comes through regardless.

He has done worse if the reports are to be believed. He used to be a groundsman in the asylum when it was open and has an unhealthy attachment to the place. After numerous incidents including this one which took place on a public road were reported to the police he was served an order banning him from the grounds as he was a liability to the public but it seems he ignored it as he still roams around. Late last year someone took exception to being manhandled out of the grounds and swung a punch at him, which ended up in court and the assailant was charged with assault.

By my reckoning this will be the last derelict asylum left in the UK, the precious few others still around all have nearby infrastructure in place to ease development but this one doesn't, it's stuck out in the middle of nowhere in Wales and the owner is AWOL.

Fantastic set man, two really cool spots.


The tower from Denbigh reminds me of the clocktower at the Tome school. We had to climb a series of rotted ladders which offered a great view of the massive drop below us. It was only 15 feet or so to the ceiling of the top floor, but no chance that would break your fall. Most likely scenario, it would probably follow you to the ground and crush you.

The view was nice though.

Tome School by EsseXploreR, on Flickr

Building got torched so nobody will ever see this view again. Such a pity.

13 is an excellent shot.... and the woodwork # 26 What craftsmanship!

Posted by EsseXploreR The tower from Denbigh reminds me of the clocktower at the Tome school. We had to climb a series of rotted ladders which offered a great view of the massive drop below us. It was only 15 feet or so to the ceiling of the top floor, but no chance that would break your fall. Most likely scenario, it would probably follow you to the ground and crush you.

Just to get to the base of the stairs up the tower involved hugging the wall and inching along the few centimetres or so of wooden joists left sticking out the wall from one of the collapses with a sheer two floor drop behind, and then when you were past that obstacle you had to literally leap over a collapsed floor onto the base of the stairs. The wooden switchback staircase was actually alright but a bit narrow for so many people but there was no wood left on the landings between flights of stairs, all you could stand on were joists with a big drop below. And even after all of that when you reached the top there wasn't 'roof access' as normal, the way onto the roof was through a hole in a corner which only had pipes beneath it to stand on with a loooong drop down to the bottom of the tower below...never again!

I was awestruck by #4. That place is massive!! Was not expecting that. Also that dog is huge! You're friend who was filming while the dog was snapping at him has some balls.