St. Ebba's, Epsom - October 2008

 

St Ebba's Hospital formerly Ewell Epileptic Colony (1904-1918) and later Ewell Mental Hospital (1927-1938) was a mentallly handicaped and former psychiatric hospital near Epsom in the county of Surrey. St. Ebba's was the third hospital to be built within the Epsom Cluster, opening in 1904, which included West Park. The colony was designed for the London County Council by William C. Clifford Smith and constructed at a cost of £98,000 to house a total of 326 epileptic patients, 60 of whom were female. The hospital consisted of eight free-standing villas housing 38 patients each centered around a central block containing administrative offices, a recreation hall and other hospital services as well as a 32-bed admission ward for female patients.

 

The site is now mostly demolished, with only the admin block remaining.

 

We started in the stores area, covered in discarded x-rays.

 

 

 

Through to laundry.

 

 

Engineering.

 

 

The admin block, now the only part of the original hospital left.

 

 

Main hall. Sadly, the wooden buttressed hammer beam roof failed to sell on e-bay and has subsequently been demolished.

 

 

 

 

Catering.

 

 

Cloud and sun motif painted on the ceiling.

 

 

We climbed the water tower although never have I had to wade through so much bird shit.

 

 

 

 

The remainder of the hospital is based on separate dispersed buildings and, as demolition had just stared, we were really lucky to see some bits that had never previously been explored.

 

 

Very similar to Harperbury Hospital.

 

 

Most of the buildings were pretty empty but we did find one that must have been some kind of children's ward as one cupboard was full of children's musical instruments and old artwork.

 

 

 

Wards.

 

 

 

Some had been torched.

 

 

 

 

Small office area in a ward.

 

 

Finally we stumbled into the toddler/baby ward.