A rare example of a padded cell still in situ. This Pocock Brother's padded cell is in the Royal Hospital Haslar, a Naval hospital in Gosport.
Gosport, UK Disused Padded cells are few and far between now-a-days, so the opportunity to visit one doesn’t present itself very often. So rare in fact, that I should imagine this will be the only padded cell I ever get the opportunity to visit, in situ and outside of a museum.
It’s a long way to Gosport from where we live up north, however looking back I don’t even know why I was in two minds about visiting. I should have jumped at the chance instantly – but 12 hours of travelling in total for a single, small room seemed ludicrous! It still does, to be honest, but once-in-a-lifetime opportunities have to be taken and I’m so glad we took this one!
The padded cell is inside the ‘G Block’ at the Royal Hospital Haslar – a disused naval hospital on the south coast of England. The hospital is huge and is by far the most impressive hospital I have visited, and I’ve made the journey down south to visit on a few occasions before. Unfortunately G Block – the psychiatric ward – has always been locked up tight before. See my report about the main hospital here.
G Block was established in 1910 as a purpose-built psychiatric unit and was comprised of 2 wards, each with 12 beds. G-Block served as an assessment centre and sailors requiring longer term treatment were transferred to a psychiatric unit at Great Yarmouth. The padded cell was built by Pocock Brothers, a company who were responsible for the creation of a few other similar padded cells around that time. In practice the cell was rarely used.
The door to the cell was jammed closed due to damp expansion when I was here there other day. Tugged at it but it just wouldn’t open. A shame but I will go back at somepoint.
awsome set of photos mate
When I worked at Haslar this cell was invariably packed tight with old furniture and couldn’t have been used for anyting else. It was like the scenes in The Green Mile although there may not have been any mice there! Strangely, as in The Green Mile, the floors were the colour of faded limes. Spooky.