North Wales Hospital

Denbigh, United Kingdom

The North Wales Lunatic Asylum was the first psychiatric institution built in Wales; construction began in 1844 and completed in 1848 in the town of Denbigh. The U-shaped Tudorbethain style hospital was built due to the spreading word of mistreatment of Welsh people in English asylums; The North Wales Hospital would be a haven for Welsh speaking residents to seek treatment without prejudice or a language barrier, but it was closed in sections from 1991 to 2002 and is now derelict.On October 31, 2008, Living TV's Most Haunted did a live series, The Village of the Damned on location in the North Wales Hospital which spanned over the course of a week. The producers of the show were criticized by residents of Denbigh for slurs against the town and the hospital.On 22 November 2008, during work to renovate the building site and convert it to apartments and residential properties, the building caught fire; it was later confirmed that the main hall of the hospital was destroyed. Arson is suspected