Inside haunting remains of UK TB hospital - with morgue and bloodied floor

An urban explorer has shared a glimpse inside an abandoned children's hospital - which includes a morgue and traces of blood.

James Bishop, 25, from Fleet, Hampshire, shared what remains of Heatherwood , which focused on TB patients in Berkshire. The site, which originally opened in 1923, used to be packed with sick patients. But now, it is derelict and is reportedly set to welcome a new housing development on site.

James said he wanted to step inside before the property was "demolished forever". He snapped images of the exterior which showed empty morgue drawers, old equipment left behind, and the floor of the bay, which seemed to have blood splattered on it. "It's always a little strange when exploring an old hospital. It was once an active building and then nothing," James said.

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"Closed and empty. Walking the empty corridors and then looking into the morgue was a surreal experience. It is an incredible building with lots of history. Strange seeing all the old workers signing the whiteboards which were only dated a few months previous." Heatherwood Hospital, located in Ascot, originates from Victorian country known as "Heatherfield" built in 1876, possibly for the Farrar family whose motto 'Ferre va Ferme', meaning 'Shod goes Steady', which appears over the front door.

The building was in the ownership of the Ponsonby family between 1881 and 1891, when the Hon. Ashley Ponsonby, a Justice of the Peace and cousin of Sir Henry Ponsonby, Equerry to Queen Victoria, and his family had their country seat there. By 1900 the estate was known as Heatherwood and had been acquired by Sir Thomas Lucas, Bt., the son of Thomas Lucas, one of the founders of Lucas Brothers, the builders. The estate was offered for sale at auction by Messers Chancellor and Sons in 1906, but initially failed to find a .

The and estate were eventually acquired by the United Services Fund which converted the building into a hospital for the children of ex-servicemen from the First World War. Patients were admitted in 1922 and the new hospital was officially opened by the Duke of Connaught in May 1923.

The new specialised in the treatment of children suffering from tuberculosis and orthopaedic diseases. The hospital joined the National Health Service in 1948 and new accident and emergency, out-patient, physiotherapy and hydrotherapy facilities were opened by the Princess Royal in 1961.

A new department opened in 1972 and a new mental health and elderly health unit was opened by Princess Anne in 1988. Following cutbacks, the birth unit closed in September 2011 and the minor injuries unit closed in January 2014. James photographed the forgotten hospital on his Pixel 7 Pro.

He explained how the opportunity to visit came about. "A new hospital building with six operating , 48 inpatient beds and facilities for 22 day cases, was constructed on a site close to the Ascot Stables and completed in April 2022," he said. "There was security on site and they also had . We got in while the building was being stripped, prior to demolition. Literally all the windows and doors were wide open."

He continued: "I love an old , been in many across the UK and Europe. It's a place that you only ever get to visit once you are dead. So, to experience what a morgue is like is a fascinating experience. It's a great talking point, looking in old morgues and . People are fascinated by what we find.

"A closed morgue will always be a little scary considering what it was used for. The oldare always a little spooky when you open them. I love getting into these places before they are demolished forever and the landscape changes. The photos are then preserved forever and show what the history was like. The former hospital will be demolished, with a new housing development built on the site."