warley | the chapels of warley
 Written: 06|11|06
Rather than publish another urban exploration narrative, typified by the "we got in", "we rushed around a bit" and "we then got out", I decided to publish a set of Warley pictures in a slightly different way. The mechanics of urban exploration do sometimes dilute, or overshadow, the actual subject being explored. Take away all the sneaking around and subterfuge and you’re left with a subject which has its own fascinating story to tell.

Given my many pictures of Warley, I decided to present the asylum in a slightly different way. Whilst my explorations of Cane Hill and Severalls are heavily routed in urban exploration methods (albeit different from the norm as they’re dated, mapped and methodically approached), and Rauceby is being systematically covered, I thought Warley should have a historical grounding, and its buildings covered in a more historic, orderly fashion.

This idea started to form with my comparison of two asylums, taking Warley and Severalls, and comparing the two institutions side by side, the two Essex asylums being separated my fifty years, and both buildings showing how form and function had changed over the last fifty years of the 19th century.

So, here’s the first essay devoted to Warley; an examination of the various chapels built around the site gives away the hospital’s history, and how the number of patients rose and fell.

(Note: larger sized pictures are available. E-mail me if you require them.)













  Part of: Warley Hospital: In Depth