Kent County Lunatic Asylum (later the Oakwood Hospital) in Maidstone

[Hotlipzism]

Im a mental health nurse and its hard when you see this to imagine its people that have problems ggo to such places

[loriburr]

My first husband and many of my colleagues  trained as nurses at Oakwood in the 70's and also worked there until it closed. Im still in touch with some and im trying to get hold of old photos.

[loriburr]

i worked at Oakwood from 87 until its closure in 94. Some of the buildings were badly damaged in the great storm of 87 several months after i started working there.Those wards never reopened as the demolition, and construction of new homes was already planned. i feel lucky to have seen oakwood before its close down and witness the changes that shaped history in psychiatric nursing.

[catmadali44]

I used to work here in the 80's up until 85 when i left to have my daughter! I loved working there as we used to have some laughs. I become friends with one of the patients, haven't seen her in years though.

[FruityBooti]

Ha! I was actually sectioned on ash ward here in my 20's.

When the buildings were sold and re-vampt into flats I went and viewed the one where my section took place, it was really strange (but not as strange as me lol)!

[themontypythonmuseum]

Oh, look, my old looney bin. Whenever I did not take my medication, I used to be locked up in the room at 1:24.

[themontypythonmuseum]

(Just kidding, obviously.)

[exproggo]

Brilliant photographs. I'm so glad that someone took them (was it you, Moriarty?) I wrote a bit about the old hospital in a novel....back in 1990.

It gave me a lot of inspiration. Congrats on these photos, once again. :)

[Moriarty0001]

Thanks for the comment. The photos were taken by Oxford Archaeology as part of a survey carried out in 2000 prior to the building being converted. They kindly allowed me to reproduce their original photographs.

[powercutloud]

I'm also from Maidstone, live about 5 minutes from this site, gutted that I wasn't able to look around when it was still in this state.

Tell ya, if anyone from maidstone is up for any explores at any point, I'm on 28DL as well :)

Hellingly is definitely worth a look.

[garfield2279]

I worked in a few of these buildings a number of years ago,by then the place was empty.Very bleak and depressing,more like a prison,which in some ways it was.Igot the impression,that if you had'nt completely lost it when you went in,you had after a while.

[exproggo]

Your "prison" remark is pretty spot on...cos the man who designed/built this hospital also designed/built Maidstone prison. (I guess I should have said "architect")

[TheTrevorGoodchild]

Hope to speak soon on the 28DL forums! Once again, nice work!

[TheTrevorGoodchild]

Hello Moriarty, I'm a new user of the 28DL forums where you posted the link to these amazing photos. I would have posted on the 28DL forums but my account is awaiting activation by the mods. I, like you, am a Maidstonite. I've lived here all my life and for years thought about what was on the other side of those walls before the site was developed. I've only recently got into 'intruding' these derelicts, though I've always been into exploring the outside and countryside but mainly at night.

[Astroboytotherescue]

It's funny how buildings are so much more picturesque when they're mash up! It's sad to think how those poor people were treated in the days of the asylums: "You raise the blade, You make the change, You re-arange me 'till I'm sane, You lock the door, You throw away the key, There's someone in my head and it's not me"