Ruchill Hospital

Moderators: John, Sharon, Fossil, Lucky Poet, crusty_bint, Jazza, dazza

Re: Ruchill Hospital (Old hospital buildings off Bilsland Dr

Postby dazza » Tue Apr 24, 2012 8:29 pm

kirstymaclaren wrote:At least the tower will be saved.


But what will happen to the Deer who have made it their home for the past 14 years?

Image

Image

Please excuse the crap pics. Although there are a large family of them, they are very elusive and difficult to photograph.
User avatar
dazza
-
-
 
Posts: 1933
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2003 4:25 pm

Re: Ruchill Hospital (Old hospital buildings off Bilsland Dr

Postby RDR » Tue Apr 24, 2012 8:33 pm

dazza wrote:
kirstymaclaren wrote:At least the tower will be saved.


But what will happen to the Deer who have made it their home for the past 14 years?

Image

Image

Please excuse the crap pics. Although there are a large family of them, they are very elusive and difficult to photograph.


They must be well hard those deer living between Bisland Drive and Ruchill park.
I wonder if anyone chases them with machetes
He advocated for the weak against the strong, the poor against the rich and labour against capital.
User avatar
RDR
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1648
Joined: Fri Apr 02, 2010 9:58 pm
Location: West Coast

Re: Ruchill Hospital (Old hospital buildings off Bilsland Dr

Postby dazza » Tue Apr 24, 2012 8:45 pm

RDR wrote:I wonder if anyone chases them with machetes


I wouldn't doubt it. However, they've managed to survive and breed on the hospital grounds since it closed.
User avatar
dazza
-
-
 
Posts: 1933
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2003 4:25 pm

Re: Ruchill Hospital (Old hospital buildings off Bilsland Dr

Postby HollowHorn » Tue Apr 24, 2012 11:28 pm

We were walking through Ruchill park last year when a deer bounded across our path, quite startling, in a public place.
User avatar
HollowHorn
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 8921
Joined: Mon May 23, 2005 9:59 pm
Location: Paisley

Ruchill Hospital Water Tower - A Trip to the Top, May 2012

Postby dazza » Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:56 pm

This is something I did in May this year, then promptly forgot about. I noticed last week that scaffolding is now being erected around the tower, so I thought I'd stick this up incase any of you have, like me, ever wondered what it's like in the tower or looking out from it.

I need to get this rant out of my system first:

Ruchill hospital, designed in 1892 and opened in 1900, was one of two Glasgow Infectious Disease hospitals. The attractive Neo-Jacobean buildings, built of red brick and Locharbriggs sandstone, were given listed building status in 1992, partly due to the ingenious and unique way in which they were built in a coherent and symmetrical fashion on the steep gradients of the grounds.
There were originally sixteen ward blocks (with another eight completed by 1914) as well as the Administration Block, Enquiry House, Mortuary, Clearing House, Day Workers House, Stables, Laundry and Boiler House. Various additions were made throughout the years, but the positioning of the core buildings remained unchanged.

The hospital closed in 1998, and the site was acquired in 1999 by Scottish Enterprise. Scottish Enterprise immediately let the site fall into a terrible state of disrepair and, despite claims of 24 hour security, the remaining buildings were quickly stripped of lead and slate from the roofs, metal railings, and practically anything else of value. As a result, the condition of the buildings rapidly degenerated.

Although the majority of the buildings had an A, B or C listed status, Scottish Enterprise applied for complete demolition of the site. Although this was refused, they were allowed to demolish all but four of the original ward pavilions which surrounded the Water Tower, as well as other buildings such as the "White House", Boiler House, and Laundry.
Permission for this demolition was granted as it was felt it would not compromise the historical interest of the site and, whilst making it more of an attractive development site to potential bidders, it would ensure the "style design and context" was not lost when incorporated into any future developments.
Although it was a stipulation that the remaining listed buildings were to be incorporated into any future marketing and redevelopment of the site, Scottish Enterprise only carried out a bare minimum of maintenance on the remaining buildings, and it took them a further seven years after acquiring the site to actively market it for sale, by which time the buildings had reached such a terrible state of disrepair that the cost of incorporating them into any new development would have been exorbitant.

In spite of this, a private developer did come forward with ambitious plans for the site. However, Ruchill Community Council were keen to see social housing built on the grounds and, combined with the property downturn of 2008, this led to the developer withdrawing.

Scottish Enterprise again applied for demolition, claiming they could not afford to carry out any of the emergency remedial repairs outlined in a 2009 site report by Colliers CRE. This again was refused by the Council. However, an appeal was made to the Scottish Government, and the refusal was overturned.

Anyway, on with the pictures (Apologies for quality - I dropped my camera and damaged the lens as soon as I got into the tower!).

The Water Tower photographed shortly before the hospital opened in 1900:
Image

Top five levels:
Image

Some type of "thing" (generator/pump?) at the base of the beast:
Image

This is where things got interesting. The stairs on the fifth level had started to disintegrate and collapse due to water ingression from the adjacent window. Faced with stairs that had the fragility of Balsa wood, and a gaping chasm which dropped 12ft down to the previous floor, I did something slightly scary, and possibly slightly stupid. But, hey... It's more thrilling than a day at Alton Towers. Cheaper too!
Image

Onwards and upwards... One of the four huge water tanks:
Image

The penultimate level. I've never actually been in a wind tunnel before, but I imagine this was a fairly similar experience.
Image

The ninth and top level is the small, copper-topped octagon. It's flooded with a few inches of slippery, disgusting smelling water which is probably composed of putrefied dead pigeons. That, combined with a gale-force wind which seemed hellbent on thrusting me unceremoniously back down the access hatch, made it rather "not nice". Fortunately the views made up for it.

Looking down onto the Kitchens (and demolished Stores & Pharmacy), Ward 10 and the half-collapsed Mortuary. The ornate Enquiry Block, which sat to the left of the Mortuary, has also been demolished:
Image

Looking East, with the Red Road flats (pre demolition) visible at the far left:
Image

Looking towards the city centre with Forth & Clyde canal, Firhill stadium and the landmark towers of Trinity College and Park
Church in the Woodlands area of the West End visible:
Image

Looking North West - The Administration building is in the foreground, now cut-off from the rest of the hospital site by the access road for the new school built in the adjacent park.
Image

Looking North East - The Campsie Fells can be seen far in the distance:
Image

Thanks for looking. :)
User avatar
dazza
-
-
 
Posts: 1933
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2003 4:25 pm

Re: Ruchill Hospital Water Tower - A Trip to the Top, May 20

Postby John » Fri Sep 07, 2012 5:51 pm

This is stunning Dazza.
'It's a sad day for capitalism when a man can't fly a midget on a kite over Central Park'
John
-
-
 
Posts: 5152
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 9:15 pm

Re: Ruchill Hospital Water Tower - A Trip to the Top, May 20

Postby Vinegar Tom » Fri Sep 07, 2012 6:05 pm

Seconded. And balsa wood steps = brave, or something. Thanks for recording this.
Glasgow ya bas!
User avatar
Vinegar Tom
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 2403
Joined: Sat Sep 15, 2007 11:59 pm
Location: Trying to find the exit from Black Mesa

Re: Ruchill Hospital Water Tower - A Trip to the Top, May 20

Postby dazza » Fri Sep 07, 2012 6:42 pm

Thanks chaps! I didn't actually use the dodgy stairs to proceed upwards, as they wouldn't have supported any weight.
What I did was far more silly ::):
User avatar
dazza
-
-
 
Posts: 1933
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2003 4:25 pm

Re: Ruchill Hospital Water Tower - A Trip to the Top, May 20

Postby John » Fri Sep 07, 2012 7:10 pm

Out the window and up the outside?
'It's a sad day for capitalism when a man can't fly a midget on a kite over Central Park'
John
-
-
 
Posts: 5152
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 9:15 pm

Re: Ruchill Hospital Water Tower - A Trip to the Top, May 20

Postby Sharon » Sat Sep 08, 2012 7:00 am

Cracking pictures Dazza.

The sight of those stairs could give me nightmares. The reality of how you bypassed them more so?
Beware of yawning dogs.
User avatar
Sharon
Site Admin
Site Admin
 
Posts: 7495
Joined: Fri Mar 22, 2002 11:30 am
Location: Galloway

Re: Ruchill Hospital Water Tower - A Trip to the Top, May 20

Postby Lucky Poet » Sun Sep 09, 2012 1:35 pm

I mean this in a kind way, but you're completely off your nut. I dread to think what the alternative method of getting to the top might have involved.

Great stuff though, and what a view! (I can't see any image problems by the way. Hope the lens is ok.)
All the world seems in tune on a Spring afternoon, when we're poisoning pigeons in the park.
User avatar
Lucky Poet
-
-
 
Posts: 4161
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2007 1:15 am
Location: Up a close

Re: Ruchill Hospital Water Tower - A Trip to the Top, May 20

Postby Socceroo » Mon Sep 17, 2012 7:36 pm

Fascinating post dazza.

I can see a village of Timber Kit houses appearing sometime soon on the Ruchill Hospital site.
User avatar
Socceroo
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1369
Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2005 8:51 pm
Location: Mount Flo, Glasgow

Re: Ruchill Hospital Water Tower - A Trip to the Top, May 20

Postby dazza » Tue Sep 18, 2012 11:34 am

@ John - Nope!

Thanks LP - Lens will now only work when manually focused, but I guess I should only be using manual anyway.

Socceroo - Scottish Enterprise are only allowed to demolish everything on the provision that they return the water tower to its original 1900 spec using same or similar materials:
Image
User avatar
dazza
-
-
 
Posts: 1933
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2003 4:25 pm

Re: Ruchill Hospital Water Tower - A Trip to the Top, May 20

Postby Pgcc93 » Sat Nov 03, 2012 10:33 pm

Took your time bagging it. I see it's got a sheath over the bell end... steady now!
there must be a better technical term for it Eh! Socceroo? :D

Image
User avatar
Pgcc93
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 4104
Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2003 8:12 pm
Location: Hotel Du Vin

Ruchill Hospital (Old hospital buildings off Bilsland Drive)

Postby dazza » Sun Dec 07, 2014 11:30 am

shuttle534 wrote:http://www.gla.ac.uk/faculties/medicine/midspan/backgrnd/storage.html
This link tells the story of some files being moved to Ruchill Hospital at some point.

But the most interesting part is that it mentions the filming of the BBC TV programme "Cardiac Arrest" on location at Ruchill


I didn't realise I had originally seen that link here, I've been trying to find again it for years. It's changed now though, as it used to talk about staff having to go into cold, leaking, disused buildings with a torch to search through tea chests to find the files!

I was watching Cardiac Arrest last week. Ruchill is barely recognisable:

Image

Episode one appeared to have been filmed at Stobhill Hospital.
User avatar
dazza
-
-
 
Posts: 1933
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2003 4:25 pm

PreviousNext

Return to Hidden Glasgow Projects

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 57 guests