Denbigh Asylum - Wales

Denbigh Asylum is a place we've explored countless times over the years, with each visit revealing something new. For years, the site was home to a local legend, 'Elwyn,' the self-proclaimed security guard known for confronting trespassers and even setting his German Shepherd on them.

We actually saw him on a bench when we arrived and parked nearby. He knew why we were there but was powerless to stop us. This was due to a previous incident where he set his dog on a potential business investor who was on-site with the council's permission, resulting in his ban from the property and the removal of his keys – probably for the best.

Denbigh was the first asylum I explored, and it sparked my fascination, not just with asylums but with the entire hobby. Around this time, I also started to put more effort into photographing the places I visited. For a good few years prior, I rarely took any photos, preferring to simply experience the locations.

There were countless nights spent at this place, creeping around with cheap twin-pack AA torches, bumping into other groups, and avoiding Elwyn's Suzuki Jimny, which he loved to drive frequently through the site at any given time. I sometimes look back at memories of exploring Camelot theme park and laugh at its popularity, but compared to Denbigh, it didn't measure up. Some weekend afternoons, you'd lose count of the groups you'd encounter, and their cars would fill the main road.

The place was featured on an episode of Most Haunted, which showed some intact and suspiciously new-looking hospital equipment. Anyone who had visited would find this laughable, as the place contained nothing of the sort. I made a final visit here with the aim of documenting it as best I could and bidding farewell to a place I have many fond memories of.

History

“The asylum was constructed between 1844 and 1848 and served as a refuge for Welsh-speaking mental patients. Originally designed to accommodate about 200 patients, it was expanded to alleviate overcrowding in 1899 and eventually was home to as many as 1,500 patients. Due to the hospital being privately owned there was little to no incentive for patients to be released so many stayed there till their deaths be it natural or a result of the dark history this place holds including lobotomies and electric shock therapy. The hospital eventually closed in 1995 and after the previous owner of 14 years had allowed the buildings to gradually crumble away all it took was after a few denied planning permissions a few suspiciously times arson attacks and In 2018 plans went through to turn the building into 300 new homes”.