Photographs: Asylum Series, London by Amy Connolly

There’s stories embedded in these derelict walls, in the hard, curled edges of peeling paint, in tousled bedsheets that still hold the shape of a twisting, turning body, in sharp edges of cracked glass in broken windows.

It doesn’t exist anymore, this mysterious building that was once home for the residents of Cane Hill Hospital in Coulsden, London Borough of Croydon. It was the Third Surrey County Pauper Lunatic Asylum, built in 1882, after the Springfield and Brookwood Asylums were filled to capacity. Built on a hill to give the patients a view over London, parts of the grounds were designated for farming so that the asylum could be as self-sufficient as possible.

These photographs were taken by Amy Connolly, an artist originally from Liverpool, now living in London. They are part of a mesmerising series called Asylum. Amy focuses her work on the human condition, now and in the past. From 2007-2010, she visited and photographed abandoned mental hospitals around the UK.

You will find more of Amy’s Asylum series on her website.

If you’d like to contact Amy regarding her project or anything else for that matter, you can find her at: amy@amyart.co.uk  

Also, another related link, not connected to Amy, an asylum list, with status, dates, etc.

You can also check out my Derelict board on Pinterest if you feel so inclined!

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On a side note, this will be my last post until sometime at the beginning of August because I am off to escape the London rain and bask in the glorious sunshine of Tenerife for a while. I hope to bring some back for you.