York walks: 2004

I visited here in the summer – see the laundry, in York Walks /3: Former Clifton Hospital site. Soon afterwards a planning application was lodged to redevelop the site of the hospital's old laundry, so I expected it to be demolished at some point, but was surprised when I turned the corner off Shipton Road and found that most of it had gone already. I wasn't intending to take photos here, as I was heading for the far more attractive Rawcliffe Meadows, after also visiting Homestead Park. This might be an ugly place by comparison, but it's just as interesting in its own way.

The only striking part of the building was this tall central concrete-panelled bit, ugly but distinctive. It's in the process of being dismantled, along with the rest of the structures. I thought it was worth recording what could be seen of the remains of this presumably once very busy place.

Above: old Clifton Hospital laundry, 7 August 2004

Above, and other images on this page: demolition in progress, 31 October 2004

There's a lot of graffiti on these internal walls. The buildings looked well-secured when I visited this August, but presumably it wasn't always so.

The plans for this site: the erection of a two storey 24 bed medical diagnostic and treatment centre.

There's more information on the history of this area in my book: Chocolate and Chicory: York and beyond by bicycle