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All the United Kingdom Scotland Dechmont Bangour Village Hospital

Bangour Village Hospital

This abandoned hospital village was once viewed as an innovative way to deal with mental illness.

Dechmont, Scotland

Added By
Sandra McGhee
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Bangour Village Hospital   ssm67alba / Atlas Obscura User
Bangour Village Hospital   ssm67alba / Atlas Obscura User
Bangour Village Hospital   ssm67alba / Atlas Obscura User
Bangour Village Hospital   ssm67alba / Atlas Obscura User
Bangour Village Hospital   ssm67alba / Atlas Obscura User
Bangour Village Hospital   ssm67alba / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Abandoned, creepy, but still very pleasant to wander around, this former mental hospital attracts dog walkers, photographers, and curious explorers.

In 1902, the Edinburgh District Lunacy Board purchased a 960-acre estate to establish a "Continental Colony" which was a new way of treating mentally ill patients. It was thought that a new range of treatments along with the rural setting, farm, and workshops were beneficial to mental illness. It formally opened in 1906, although 200 patients were in residence by the end of 1905. The village also had it's own railway passenger service up until the end of World War I. 

Patients were not held there for long, and were sent to other asylums across Scotland in 1915 when the hospital was requisitioned for military use. It re-opened again as a hospital in 1922 when the village church was commissioned. 

In 1939, the facility became the Edinburgh War Hospital. After the war, the building became Bangour General Hospital and the older buildings were reverted back to a mental hospital.

With attitudes changing towards mental illness and with advances in medical and social care, patients began to leave the facility.

The site was also featured in the 2005 film, The Jacket. Plans are underway to do something more useful with the area and shuttered facility. 

Update as of April 2020: The hospital can no longer be accessed by the public and is set for demolition.

Related Tags

Abandoned Hospitals Architecture

Know Before You Go

Although you cant drive around the village it has very good roads around it to explore. This is ideal for wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and buggies. Going to have a closer look may be a bit more awkward for anyone with mobility issues. 

bangour village hospital can no longer be accessed by the public as they are demolishing the hospital and are doing residential work.

Community Contributors

Added By

ssm67alba

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kkyle922

  • kkyle922

Published

March 23, 2020

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Bangour Village Hospital
Unnamed Road
Dechmont, Scotland, EH52 6LL
United Kingdom
55.920243, -3.553187
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Photo of Scotland

Scotland

United Kingdom

Places 739
Stories 49

Nearby Places

Dechmont UFO Monument and Trail

Deans, Scotland

miles away

Livingston Stone Circle

Livingston, Scotland

miles away

Cairnpapple Hill

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Scotland

Scotland

United Kingdom

Places 739
Stories 49

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