West Park Hospital Asylum - Epsom
Investigation date: 6 October 2011
Time: 7.00pm till 9.00pm
West Park was the last mental hospital to be developed on the Horton Estate, having been planned since 1906, prior to the opening of neighbouring Long Grove asylum. Initial development to have been completed for opening in 1916. From 1917 the main hospital was largely complete and utilised by Canadian Military, and subsequently handed back to London county council. The complete hospital was anticipated to hold approximately 2,000 patients of mixed class.
The Horton Light Railway, which was extended to convey materials to the site during development, remained in place for goods traffic and entered the grounds from the north terminating at a building close to the water tower. The railway was later closed and removed around 1960. A large detached residence, Hollywood Lodge, was also previously part of the Horton Estate was later used as part of the hospital.
We didn't know what to expect when we turned up to check out this place and when we arrived we were meet by security who refused us access due to health and safety. We had a good walk around where the security said we could go and when no one was looking dived in one of the buildings that was open. We couldn't stop long, but what a place this was. We would love to do a full investigtion here, but it will soon be fully demolished.
West Park Hospital - The Report
Those present: Jim, Jane, Mac, Carol
We arrived hoping to miss the security that we knew would be around, but we were not that lucky and drove straight up to one. We spent some time explaining what we were doing and wanted to do, but we were told we couldn’t enter the main buildings because of health and safety. However, we were told that we could drive down the road and look there.
We parked up and all were drawn to the building nearest the car, which is still partly used. Jane and Jim believed they saw a spirit person standing in the window when they had come earlier. There was a feeling here, but we wanted to come here and have a look round before it got too dark.
Jim asked how everyone was feeling. Mac complained of a very bad headache and had been fine up to this point. Jane and Jim were both feeling a little sick and Carol felt sad.
We decided to walk along the path marked pedestrian footpath, which just happened to go down towards the empty buildings we so much wanted to see. At this point it was getting quite dark, but just light enough to see without the torch. We looked around and could see no signs saying not to enter and the metal link fence was down and the door was missing, so in the name of paranormal we decided to take a look.
On reaching the door we could see that the floors were sound, as were the stairs as they were made out of concrete. The problem could have been the roof which was missing in places.
We walked up to the first floor and could feel a great sadness throughout on what, we believed to be one of the hospital wings. Some of you may feel that this is the power of suggestion, knowing what has gone on in a place like this, but it was far more than that. Even though the asylum has been empty for many years, Jim and Jane could smell disinfectant. Jim asked again how was everyone feeling. Mac's head was really hurting, Jim and Jane were still feeling sick and Carol a little funny. There was birds within the room which did not help and we were not sure if it was us that startled them or something else.
With each step we took we felt more depressed. We checked out a few of the small rooms leading of the main hall, and felt these could have been padded cells. Jim came up to one and stopped. He felt that he was being held back and feeling even more sick and giddy. He was not allowed in the room, so he invited the others to try. Carol could not enter the room, said she didn’t like it. Jane felt she was going face to face with someone and it was not a nice feeling coming in here. She also felt a hot breath in her face. Mac went into the room, but was unable to stay in.
The further Jim went in the worse he felt, there was a feeling of despair, giving up, yet the need of help. There were strange sounds, which could have been coming from outside, but the footsteps seemed close by and there were no one else around. Jim and Jane heard what sounded like something being moved or being dragged on the floor below. It did sound as though there were people below us, but that was not possible.
Jim wanted to do a séance, but it was decided to leave the building and continue outside, incase security came by. We walked to the old seating area, which was just outside the fence around the building. We felt this would be a good place to try a séance, as we approached the area Mac headache was feels worse.
We start the séance and Carol wanted to move round a little, as she is being drawn to the other side to where we were standing. Jim called out again and Carol complained about her left leg, it felt as though it was missing from the knee down. She started to feel funny and needed to sit down.
We started to feel that someone was closing in on us; both Carol and Jim had a feeling of so many lost souls here; it was hard to pick one out to help. Jane heard a noise like someone coughing. Jim picked up on a lady with long black hair, around her forties and an average looking woman, but there was a feeling of her being dragged. Jim could see her screaming for help, he shouldn’t be here, but no one believed her.
The feeling of being watched continued. Jane believes she sees someone, but we are unable to see anything. She also hears voices. Jim feels like he is being pulled back, yet he feels no one close to him. Mac felt a "Whoosh" go past her and into Jim. We take turns in calling out and there was a feeling of spirits wanted to come closer, but they appeared scared.
Jim leaves the circle for a moment with a bad chest pain, unsure as to why or where it came from. Carol says there are so many spirits here, it is like they have come out to see us. She then heard was she thought was a chain and Jane confirmed that she too also heard a clink of chains. Mac asked if there could have been children here, as it felt as though her coat was being tugged.
After a while we move towards a corner of the building that we were being drawn to. Jim felt the more he moved forward, the more he was being pushed away. We tried another séance below the window that Jane and Jim both believe they saw a spirit person. Jim sees someone behind Jane and she informed him that she could feel someone tickling her hand. There were sounds which could have been a number of things, at one point it sounded like someone walking on dry leaves. There was a tapping sound, but it could have been a drip from the pipes.
Jim could hear footsteps again and Carol felt they were coming from the building. She can also see someone near the tree. Jim feels that this spirit is not patient, but more like a worker. Carol hears talking; it’s so loud she was surprised no one else could hear it. The feeling of someone close, but not close enough continued until we packed up. It was a shame as there were so many in need of crossing over, but they were too scared to come forward.
This could be a great place for an all night investigation, but I don’t feel that will be possible as the buildings are unsafe and will be pulled down over the next few weeks.
I have been too many places over the years carrying out paranormal investigations, but I have never come across a place where you could feel the fear, the pain, and the need to leave so much as I did in this place. I left there feeling that I had failed a little because of their need.
Jim
Medium
South West London Paranormal
Time: 7.00pm till 9.00pm
West Park was the last mental hospital to be developed on the Horton Estate, having been planned since 1906, prior to the opening of neighbouring Long Grove asylum. Initial development to have been completed for opening in 1916. From 1917 the main hospital was largely complete and utilised by Canadian Military, and subsequently handed back to London county council. The complete hospital was anticipated to hold approximately 2,000 patients of mixed class.
The Horton Light Railway, which was extended to convey materials to the site during development, remained in place for goods traffic and entered the grounds from the north terminating at a building close to the water tower. The railway was later closed and removed around 1960. A large detached residence, Hollywood Lodge, was also previously part of the Horton Estate was later used as part of the hospital.
We didn't know what to expect when we turned up to check out this place and when we arrived we were meet by security who refused us access due to health and safety. We had a good walk around where the security said we could go and when no one was looking dived in one of the buildings that was open. We couldn't stop long, but what a place this was. We would love to do a full investigtion here, but it will soon be fully demolished.
West Park Hospital - The Report
Those present: Jim, Jane, Mac, Carol
We arrived hoping to miss the security that we knew would be around, but we were not that lucky and drove straight up to one. We spent some time explaining what we were doing and wanted to do, but we were told we couldn’t enter the main buildings because of health and safety. However, we were told that we could drive down the road and look there.
We parked up and all were drawn to the building nearest the car, which is still partly used. Jane and Jim believed they saw a spirit person standing in the window when they had come earlier. There was a feeling here, but we wanted to come here and have a look round before it got too dark.
Jim asked how everyone was feeling. Mac complained of a very bad headache and had been fine up to this point. Jane and Jim were both feeling a little sick and Carol felt sad.
We decided to walk along the path marked pedestrian footpath, which just happened to go down towards the empty buildings we so much wanted to see. At this point it was getting quite dark, but just light enough to see without the torch. We looked around and could see no signs saying not to enter and the metal link fence was down and the door was missing, so in the name of paranormal we decided to take a look.
On reaching the door we could see that the floors were sound, as were the stairs as they were made out of concrete. The problem could have been the roof which was missing in places.
We walked up to the first floor and could feel a great sadness throughout on what, we believed to be one of the hospital wings. Some of you may feel that this is the power of suggestion, knowing what has gone on in a place like this, but it was far more than that. Even though the asylum has been empty for many years, Jim and Jane could smell disinfectant. Jim asked again how was everyone feeling. Mac's head was really hurting, Jim and Jane were still feeling sick and Carol a little funny. There was birds within the room which did not help and we were not sure if it was us that startled them or something else.
With each step we took we felt more depressed. We checked out a few of the small rooms leading of the main hall, and felt these could have been padded cells. Jim came up to one and stopped. He felt that he was being held back and feeling even more sick and giddy. He was not allowed in the room, so he invited the others to try. Carol could not enter the room, said she didn’t like it. Jane felt she was going face to face with someone and it was not a nice feeling coming in here. She also felt a hot breath in her face. Mac went into the room, but was unable to stay in.
The further Jim went in the worse he felt, there was a feeling of despair, giving up, yet the need of help. There were strange sounds, which could have been coming from outside, but the footsteps seemed close by and there were no one else around. Jim and Jane heard what sounded like something being moved or being dragged on the floor below. It did sound as though there were people below us, but that was not possible.
Jim wanted to do a séance, but it was decided to leave the building and continue outside, incase security came by. We walked to the old seating area, which was just outside the fence around the building. We felt this would be a good place to try a séance, as we approached the area Mac headache was feels worse.
We start the séance and Carol wanted to move round a little, as she is being drawn to the other side to where we were standing. Jim called out again and Carol complained about her left leg, it felt as though it was missing from the knee down. She started to feel funny and needed to sit down.
We started to feel that someone was closing in on us; both Carol and Jim had a feeling of so many lost souls here; it was hard to pick one out to help. Jane heard a noise like someone coughing. Jim picked up on a lady with long black hair, around her forties and an average looking woman, but there was a feeling of her being dragged. Jim could see her screaming for help, he shouldn’t be here, but no one believed her.
The feeling of being watched continued. Jane believes she sees someone, but we are unable to see anything. She also hears voices. Jim feels like he is being pulled back, yet he feels no one close to him. Mac felt a "Whoosh" go past her and into Jim. We take turns in calling out and there was a feeling of spirits wanted to come closer, but they appeared scared.
Jim leaves the circle for a moment with a bad chest pain, unsure as to why or where it came from. Carol says there are so many spirits here, it is like they have come out to see us. She then heard was she thought was a chain and Jane confirmed that she too also heard a clink of chains. Mac asked if there could have been children here, as it felt as though her coat was being tugged.
After a while we move towards a corner of the building that we were being drawn to. Jim felt the more he moved forward, the more he was being pushed away. We tried another séance below the window that Jane and Jim both believe they saw a spirit person. Jim sees someone behind Jane and she informed him that she could feel someone tickling her hand. There were sounds which could have been a number of things, at one point it sounded like someone walking on dry leaves. There was a tapping sound, but it could have been a drip from the pipes.
Jim could hear footsteps again and Carol felt they were coming from the building. She can also see someone near the tree. Jim feels that this spirit is not patient, but more like a worker. Carol hears talking; it’s so loud she was surprised no one else could hear it. The feeling of someone close, but not close enough continued until we packed up. It was a shame as there were so many in need of crossing over, but they were too scared to come forward.
This could be a great place for an all night investigation, but I don’t feel that will be possible as the buildings are unsafe and will be pulled down over the next few weeks.
I have been too many places over the years carrying out paranormal investigations, but I have never come across a place where you could feel the fear, the pain, and the need to leave so much as I did in this place. I left there feeling that I had failed a little because of their need.
Jim
Medium
South West London Paranormal
