Birkwood

Took a trip to Birkwood Hospital in Lesmagow today. It's an abandoned asylum for children. We couldn't get inside which was a crushing disappointment. It's been very securley boarded up and we weren't willing to attempt breaking and entering. Very eerie place with lots of rusted playparks dotted around.

I'll put more pics up on my Flickr at some point today.

Apesod's Flickr

Here's a bit of blurb about the place from the net.

'Birkwood House was constructed in 1819 by Scottish architect John Baird & was home to the McKirdy family. The house was altered in 1858 by John Baird & a new wing added by James Thompson in 1890.

The house was sold in 1923 to the Lanark District Board of Control for £10,000 & converted into an institution for juvenile mentally handicapped children.

In 1926 a school was built within the grounds with additional buildings being constructed to house low grade patients 3 years later.

The hospital was now known as the Birkwood Institution or Birkwood Certified Institution.

Many of the patients residing at Birkwood were long term patients, some of which were residents for nearly 50 years.

In 1946 the hospital was taken over by the NHS & renamed Birkwood Hospital.

The hospital was closed down following NHS funding cuts in October 2005.

The site was purchased in October 2008 by Eatonfield Developers.

In March 2009, one of the outbuildings on the site was subject to an arson attack, destroying the majority of the building.'