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In brief
The ghostly forms of small children, a strict-looking matron, and an old woman who watches from an upstairs window are just some of the countless souls trapped within the crumbling walls of this Victorian former orphanage with a callous past.
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About
Newsham Park Hospital is a Grade II listed Victorian building in Liverpool that was built as an orphanage and used as a psychiatric hospital and asylum for the mentally ill. Now derelict and abandoned, the creepy building has a well-established haunted reputation with a track record of ghostly activity occurring long before its closure in 1997.
IMPORTANT
Please be advised that abandoned buildings like Newsham Park hospital are frequently in a state of severe disrepair and structural instability, which can present a serious risk to anyone entering. The environment may also be unsafe due to the presence of hazardous and lethal materials that pose a danger to health and safety.
For health and safety purposes entry into such buildings is therefore strictly prohibited without the express permission of the property owners or their agents where an event has been properly organised. Ghost hunting events at this location are organised by paranormal events company Haunted Happenings.
Reputable event organisers should have experienced staff in attendance, carry all the appropriate insurance and should ensure that proper risk assessments have been fully conducted while ensuring that any necessary precautions to protect participants have been put in place. Anyone attending such events should make all necessary enquiries with Haunted Happenings.
Please note that unauthorised entry may result in legal consequences and serious injury to trespassers.
History
The building started life in 1874 as an institution for the orphans of British Merchant Navy sailors lost at sea. Once housing up to 1,000 children, this stark and forbidding place was known to be cruel and Dickensian, even up to the 1930s and 1940s, when accommodating children during the Second World War. Punishments were merciless and brutal in nature, and siblings were kept isolated from one another.
Following the post-war expansion and development of social service facilities, the use of orphanages gradually declined, and following severe financial losses, the Newsham Park Orphanage closed in 1949. In 1951, the vast premises, which covered 99,000 square feet, became a general hospital and included a psychiatric wing, a nurses' accommodation block, and a chapel. In 1992, it was fully converted into a psychiatric hospital, and the seriously mentally ill were transferred to Newsham from Rainhill Lunatic Asylum in Lancashire, following its closure.
The psychiatric hospital continued treating patients for just five years but closed for good in 1997. Since then, the sprawling and eerie property has remained deserted and abandoned in a state of disrepair, and its reputation as one of the UK's most haunted buildings has spread far and wide. Dark corridors with peeling painted walls, winding staircases fitted with aniti-suicide grills, broken beds, mortuary refrigerators, and disused old wheelchairs add to the unearthly atmosphere.
Ghostly activity
- The hospital's notoriety as a home for restless spirits began long before it was deserted and unused. Former switchboard operator and receptionist, John Gray, worked at the hospital for 13 years and described the place as extremely haunted and "pure evil." John had a number of frightening experiences whilst employed at the hospital and recalls a time when he was in reception and looked up at the stone staircase to see a woman in a Victorian style dress standing on the stairs looking back at him. She was there for a few seconds before she completely disappeared. John later learned that the ghost had been seen by a number of colleagues and was thought to be that of a former matron.
- On another occasion, when feeling cold, John went to collect a blanket from the basement, whereupon he witnessed the headless figure of a man in a white coat disappearing through a wall. He described feeling absolutely terrified and fleeing back to reception in a shaken state.
- On the old C Ward, where a corridor can be reached up a cast-iron staircase, there is a row of small cupboards where naughty children were said to have been locked as a punishment. The area has since been dubbed "Naughty Boys' Corridor." Knocks and bangs have been heard coming from the cupboards, and former employee John Gray confirmed that staff refused to go up to the area as unexplained bumps and thuds were regularly heard.
- Visitors describe seeing the figures of small children in the corridor area.
- An unmistakable presence, thought to be sinister and evil, has been felt in many parts of the building by visitors and was regularly reported by staff when it was a working hospital.
- The ghost of an unkempt small boy dressed in old-fashioned clothing has been seen on the upper floors.
- Shadowy figures have been described as rushing down the staircases and doors open and slam shut with no explanation.
- Disembodied voices, whispering, and the sounds of children's laughter have been reported on many occasions.
- The ghostly figure of an old woman sitting at an upstairs window is regularly seen from outside the building.
- A scraping or dragging sound is heard from the balcony, which overlooks the main hall.
- People describe feeling a sense of sadness and despair, while others report sensing a dark and negative energy.
Features
Location
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Newsham Park Hospital, Orphan Drive, Tuebrook, Liverpool L6 7UL, UK
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