Talgarth Asylum at The Black Mountains

It was a few months back when we visited Talgarth Asylum, back when it was hot and sunny, but I didn’t have a website then; nor was the creative aspect of my photography as accomplished, so although the site was far superior to Sandhill Park for subject matter and atmosphere, the photo’s are of a par.

Talgarth is a small town to the north west of the black mountains. The Asylum, or ‘Mid Wales Hospital’ as it was properly known, is a large site comprising of many buildings, arranged in what is known as a ‘compact arrow’ formation, a common layout in hospitals to facilitate quick movement between any two areas. Built in 1903 to cater for 352 patients, the asylum was original called the ‘Brecon and Radnor joint asylum’. During and after the first world war a number of the inmates there were soldiers, suffering from shell shock. It closed in 2000, and since then has stood derelict, whilst proposed redevelopments of the site have been considered. I believe reaching a decision on the site has taken so long because it is not near to any major towns or major transport routes.

At the time of our visit, 30th June, the asylum appeared to be in the process of demolition. Large areas of the site had been knocked down, whilst others were firmly bricked up. There was still a lot to explore however, and probably more that we missed. There was no security, you could walk right in. We gained access through a corridor that has been bisected, which was fairly odd.

A friend contacted the owner of the site before hand, and was told it was okay to have a look around, but not to do any damage and that if any nearby residents became worried and called the old bill, be prepared to leave. None of that happened though, and we had free run of the place to take as many photos as we wanted, undisturbed. I have no idea what state the site is in now, or if security has been stepped up. It may have all been demolished for all I know…

PLEASE NOTE this page has been updated on 30th April 2010 with some new photos, scroll down to see them!