Cookridge Hospital - Living a nightmare

Cookridge Hospital, situated in an unassuming district of Leeds is without a doubt the most memorable explore of 2010 thus far. It also led to what is in my opinion, one of the most traumatizing discoveries a human being can ever experience.. well, almost. I visited this site with Paul and John. Once providing relief for cancer patients treated at Leeds General Infirmary, the atmosphere of comfort and reassurance this building once gave to the disheartened has long disappeared. A labyrinth of well lit sterile corridors would surely seem less spooky than dank, dark and decaying hospital rooms, wouldn't it? Guess again. There is something very unsettling about a disused hospital in pristine condition. It enhances that atmosphere of 'I realllly shouldn't be here!'. To put it into perspective, Cookridge Hospital is so unblemished that the operating theatres still retain tangible evidence of what exactly happened there. Keep reading for more. However, this was only the beginning of those truly unforgettable events that were soon to occur. Enough talk though, you want to see some pictures right?

Click images for larger version
Pictured above is the Radiotherapy section. Naturally, I didn't linger here for very long given the possibility that radiation is still in the atmosphere.

Would you ever believe this hospital was 'abandoned' at a first glance? As I wandered down these empty corridors alone, I couldn't help but notice the complete silence that was nothing short of haunting. I'd peer into each room, half expecting to find a patient staring back at me. Although 2 years had passed, chairs were still organized in circles from final staff meetings, clocks were still ticking, and peoples jackets were hung up on coat hangars.

Onwards, to the operating theatre...

The operating theatre was our first major discovery, and it most certainly appealed to me, as I have a true fascination with time capsules and tangible remains of the past. This has mainly gravitated towards the personal possessions people have left behind, and what could be more personal than the blood of oneself? This satisfied my morbid curiosity, and after spending close to an hour absorbing the ambiance, I decided to move on. Shortly after, I linked back up with my friends and we proceeded to the next floor in search of the Children's Ward. Perhaps it's just myself but I have always found the combination of children and hospitals, or any somber environment for that matter to be really quite chilling!

Upstairs... to the children's ward
The second floor led us directly to the children's ward. The hospitals condition from here on began to deteriorate. Electricity did not extend to much of the building, and it's signs of age led us to believe that this wing was possibly disused before the main hospital itself closed it's doors. Nevertheless, the children's ward was impressive and gave off that 'Silent Hill' sort of feel! Note how lighting is at this point becoming more scarce.

After the children's ward, there was no electricity in the remainder of the building. What we were now heading towards was the Annex. At this time, I can't confirm exactly what the purpose of the Annex was. However, our chances for what would have been, without question our best photographs of the day were brought to a sudden end.

If only at this point we had decided that enough was enough. For an unknown reason, the atmosphere suddenly changed in the hospital. Myself and Paul felt that it was best to leave, but my friend John was persistent. He said that the size of this hospital would surely have a mortuary, and he wasn't enthusiastic about leaving without a thorough search. The bad vibes now in the atmosphere were only to get worse when we stumbled across half-life and radioactive material. I felt extremely uneasy, but carried on regardless.

As we reached the end of this last corridor, we turned left and hastily descended a set of stairs into the basement. John remained adamant that this was the mortuary. I was leading the way, and turned to my friends 'God that stinks, smells like fish down here!', I said. I held my nose as the stench grew stronger. We carried on walking through the darkness, and then suddenly, I saw it. In a small room to my right was what I immediately recognized as makeshift bedding. Lying with it's back to me I clearly recognized a human shape. 'Jesus Christ!' I said, pushing John back as he peered over my shoulder. I heard Paul asking, 'what the hell is it?', John told him that it was a tramp, but I suspected something much worse. I was shining my torch over it, and it was definitely a person, the clothes were worn and tatty. 'I think it's a fucking body guys...', I said, and with the click of the fingers, Paul and John were running!

Taken from inside the police van!

The next 6 hours we spent contemplating what exactly we were going to do. Paul had taken the train home, while myself and John were left to make the final decision. An anonymous tip off seemed desirable, but we wanted to eliminate ourselves as suspects. In the end, we came to the conclusion that we had to inform the police. After a long winded phone call, we waited anxiously for their response. They contacted us near enough to midnight to inform us that we had to accompany them and lead them to the corpse. At this moment in time, I would have traded anything to be at home with of a cup of coffee, Modern Warfare 2 and a few slices of pizza. After an hour along the motorway, we arrived in Leeds once more and were acquainted with a PC who shall remain anonymous, as well as scientific support, sniffer dogs and several other officers. We slapped on police jackets (it was a cold night!) and were then acquainted with the hospital on-site security, who seemed surprisingly intrigued by our hobby. After roughly 20 minutes, security opened the hospital doors and I led them through the maze of corridors 'Hmmm.. I see what you mean now mate, the lighting is pretty photogenic isn't it?' one of the officers said. It was reassuring and comforting to maintain a sense of humour in such a situation. Eventually, I reached the stairs and we began our descent. My heart was in my throat and I knew that what I was about to see would haunt me for a long time to come. We reached the room, and the police shone their torches across the corpse. Scientific support were at the ready, 'Yeah... that is a body too' they said. I pulled myself back and was pressed against the wall, but couldn't turn away. The officers approached the body and turned it over, it was looking directly into my eyes. My horrified expression suddenly became a confused one. It's face was pale, completely pale in fact - and featureless. 'No it's not', said the officer. 'It's a training dummy!'.

Myself and the officers gave an enormous sigh of relief. They too were young, possibly inexperienced and most importantly, human. I think it's fair to say we were all euphoric that we had been spared what would have been a traumatic experience. I suspect the experience brought out my humanity, I was glad to know that somebody had not suffered a miserable and lonely fate in a hospital basement. The scientific support themselves had been deceived and, I do suspect that we were looking at a potential setup. The stench was identified as rotting fish, meat and hospital food that had been disposed of improperly. On a final note, the police were outstanding and thoroughly professional My gratitude goes out to the officers for their kindness and efforts. As I left the hospital for the last time, I knew that I would never forget the adventure of Cookridge Hospital!