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Bradley Drive, HAILSHAM, BN27 4DF

Hellingly Hospital was a large mental hospital in the village of Hellingly, east of Hailsham, in East Sussex. The hospital, also known as East Sussex County Asylum or just Hellingly, was opened in 1903. Its architect was GT Hine, one of the great asylum architects of the era. The hospital boasted its own railway line, the Hellingly Hospital Railway, used principally for transport of coal. This branch line led from the main line to the boilerhouse. The hospital also had a vast laundry, ball room, patients' shop, sewing rooms, nurses home, extensive grounds, and an advanced utilities network for its time, including a large boilerhouse and a water tower. It followed the compact arrow plan for the main hospital, with separate villas surrounding this. The majority of the hospital closed throughout 1994, however, and to this day much of the 25.4 hectare site stands derelict and extremely run down, after suffering repeated vandalism and multiple arson attacks.

Hellingly was designed by architect GT Hine and built to a late Victorian design during a period of massive expansion for mental health facilities in Britain. Hellingly First opened its doors to patients in 1903 and continued to serve the local community for almost the next 90 years. As with so many other asylums a change in policy on the treatment of many patients meant closure of the majority of buildings in 1994. Some excellent pictures of the last days of the hospital can be seen here http://www.abandoned-britain.com/PP/hellingly/1.htm

Admin block of Hellingly Hospital, formerly known as the East Sussex County Asylum. Opened in 1903 this vast site (covering most of the grid square) was an enclosed community having a farm, church and even its own railway connected to the nearby Cuckoo Line. Now vandalised and ravaged by the elements it closed in the 1990's apart from the nearby secure unit.

This huge mental hospital has nearly all been demolished for redevelopment, but parts look as if they may be spared for conversion.

The hospital has stood ruined and dilapidated since closure, but many of the older buildings are being demolished now and housing is sprouting up on the old hospital land.

On the large redevelopment of the old hospital site.