Denbigh Asylum
1st January 2012 – My 2nd and probably last trip to Denbigh Asylum. The first visit back in 2010 went without a hitch, it was a random unplanned visit as we were driving through Wales so I was unprepared and not carrying my SLR. I bagged a few shots with the compact and we pretty much had free roam of the entire site, not really struggling to access any areas. This time around was much different, the area we had previously entered the site was now occupied and the site itself was much more tightly sealed off. I managed to get into the main compound but found every single building that I checked to be recently reboarded and very well secured. Heavy plant vehicles are on site and notices confirm that restoration and conversion into flats is currently underway.
Before being escorted off the site by the local security guards (the white haired farmer) to anyone that has met him. He was extremely aggressive and confrontational despite me calmly offering to leave the area and proceeded to threaten me driving beside me as I walked out.
This beautiful built in 1848 was originally known as the North Wales Lunatic Asylum and was the first psychiatric institute built in Wales. Closed in 1995 it has been abandoned ever since awaiting redevelopment.
A few more external shots from my visit of the Church and Nurses quarters:
Denbigh Asylum Church
Denbigh Asylum Nurses Quarters
The final shot above is the only none HDR of the bunch and was taken as my submission for a little mini photog competition I have running with my father. We are each submitting a single shot every week for the whole year and mutually deciding on a winner each week. I’m incredibly jealous though because whilst I spent the first day of the new year in Wales my father was living it up travelling in Sri Lanka. So unbelievably jealous and I think its a given that he’ll be winning the first 3 weeks 
Next up I have a bit of a shout out to friend and fellow Yorkshire Photographer Peter Marfleet. Please check out his site, titled Photographer York | Family & Commercial Portrait Photographer and the sooner the better as he is currently running a competition to win a free Nikon Coolpix S9100 camera
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and enjoyed their New Years celebrations. All the best for 2012.
Oooo one last thing for anyone who enjoys a good Urbex story check out this link from the daily mail about some girl who managed to get into a missile plant!!!: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2083556/Meet-girl-blogger-sneaked-inside-Russian-missile-factory–security.html
Looks like an awesome place for urbex. I wish I could get inside somewhere like that myself.
Ryan Sexton recently posted..Beam Me Up Scotty!!! – Space Shuttle Enterprise Air and Space Museum
Cheers Ryan, These places can be a bit tricky sometimes, certainly wasn’t expecting this one to be as tightly secured though after last time being able to freely walk around.
Ben Tucker Photography recently posted..Renault World Series – Silverstone Racetrack UK, 21st August 2011
I love these pictures! I’ve been looking at other people’s work as i live in north wales and would love to go there to take pictures for my a-level exam!
Is there any way you can take pictures or get permission and so on? i know at least another who would like to come with me, help and advice please! I’ve never been and am very tempted though it’s not the best time! xD
Thanks!
<3
Hi Courtyy, I’m not sure if they would alloow permission as these sorts of places rarely do plus at the moment building works are getting underway and the site is pretty much boarded up and secured. You might have to look at alternative sites for shots. I’m always up for a trip out though if you want to arrange something? drop me an email at worldwideproductions (at) gmail.com
Cheers
Ben Tucker Photography recently posted..Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel & Casino – Las Vegas, September 2010
Hiya, I’m a mature student, half way through a degree in photography, at Glyndwr University in Wrexham, North Wales. I have a unit to complete for the second semester, titled ‘Elegance in decay’ or ‘Fallen Grandeur’ – trying to hunt up any ruined/derelict buildings that would fit this description, whilst staying away from the obvious castles! I wonder if you could point me in the direction of anything that would fit? looking at industrial (been to Rhydymwyn and Minera Lime quarry), and also at churches/abbeys/manor houses – and if there are any where I can get access to the interior, that would be a massive bonus
Thanks
Sue
Hi Sue, Thanks for your comment
Your unit sounds fantastic! I’m really into Urban Exploration and decaying buildings. As for recommendations… I cant say I have done a great deal in Wales as I’m located closer to the east coast of England plus recommendation can be hard as with a lot of these places access can be hit a miss. I know I myself have been to several sites that I’ve previously been inside only to find them re-secured, sometimes there are other ways in but it is a risk you have to take. The best thing I find to do is to research a bit and check out if anyone has accessed the sites recently which might suggest there is a way in. There are a couple of good forums for UK exploration I use http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk and I know http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/ is another popular one. I’d suggest having a look through there to see if you can find anywhere close by that interests you. I would strongly advise against asking about access on both of those sites though as they often don’t take kindly to public discussions over how to get in I can only assume over fears that it will lead to access being restricted. Best bet is to just eye up a couple you like the look of and drag a friend along for company and safety reasons.
I hope this help, have you got a website or flickr or something you want to post a link to? I wouldn’t mind seeing the results when you get some shots
Tucker
Ben Tucker Photography recently posted..New Camera Canon 7D – Thorpe Marsh Power Station
Thanks for that Ben – I will definitely check out those sites:) I’ve taken a few for this unit – some at a derelict windmill, others at derelict cottages, around the Minera Lime Quarry site – some good-ish pics, but would still like to find something different! Maddening thing is, near Talacre, which isn’t far away from me on the coast, is a fantastic place myself and some friends found last year – BUT we used it as a location to make a short film, so I can’t use it again now! We think its a ‘folly’, of some sort, but cannot find any definitive info about it on the net – its really an extensive one, though, comprising of a 2 story tower – upper floor totally fallen through, but the one room at the base has for some reason been completely ‘plastered’ with shells and fossils – and in one corner, is a couch, carved out of rock. Another building behind it, starts with stone steps going down – off to one way are more steep steps leading to a small, very dark cell – a carved bed in this one, plus a life sized stone figure of a seated monk – minus his head!
In the other direction, you cross a ‘room’ missing its ceiling, and enter what we took to calling ‘the grotto’ – the most amazing carvings in the walls, a very scary hooded skull figure, a boars head, a bear – even a massive Cyclops’ head. And on the edge of the place, is a graveyard, which we are pretty sure was part of a near by property that used to be a monastery – all the graves except one, are marked by a simple metal cross within a circle, the exception being a stone marker, at the foot of a large wooded crucifix, from which it seems the figure of Christ has been removed. We can find reference to the monastery – but nothing other than a brief mention of a ‘folly’, anywhere else:(
Once I do get the images, I’ll be posting them up on my blog – http://coaphotographer.blogspot.com – I have till May to complete this, and 6 other units.
Thanks so much for the links to those sites – fingers crossed I’ll find something by having a good look on them:)
Hi Sue,
Sorry for the delayed reply. I’ve had a quick skim through your blog but I’m going to have a much more in depth read of it later as it looks like you’ve put alot of time and effort into writing the articles so I want to have a proper read of them
The location on the coast that you mentioned sounds brilliant can you link me up to some photos of it? are there any on your blog?
Hope you found some use from those site. I’ve just signed up to a couple more and I’m actively trying to get back into Urban Exploration as I havent done any decent trips in a good year or 2!
Regards
Tucker
Ben Tucker Photography recently posted..Flamborough Bay a Failed attempt to photography the Supermoon on May 5th 2012
Hi Ben,
Love the photos. Do you by any chance know who is in control of the building at the minute? Whether it is the council or a charity/company?
Any info would be a great help
Thanks
Hi Alice,
I dont know exactly who is in charge of the site at the moment but my guess would be either a private firm hoping to develop it into housing or there maybe still some council involvement given the age and nature of the building I would expect it to be listed to some degree.
Either way development is ongoing and the pace seems to be speeding up which might not be a bad thing in this case as the buildings were really falling apart inside.
Tucker
Ben Tucker Photography recently posted..Flamborough Bay a Failed attempt to photography the Supermoon on May 5th 2012