Menu

Pictures show inside St Joseph’s Orphanage with urban explorer Lost Places & Forgotten Faces

Posted on - 22nd January, 2021 - 7:00pm | Author - | Posted in - History, Housing, Nostalgia, Preston City Centre, Preston News, Redevelopment
Outside the orphanage. Pictures in this article are credited to: ‘Lost Places & Forgotten Faces’

St Joseph’s Orphanage opened in Preston in 1872 on the site of a former almshouse.

Advertisement

Its construction was funded by a £10,000 donation from a wealthy widow named Maria Holland.

The decor is a little bit worse for wear after 18 years

At the time, Preston had one of the worst mortality rates in the county due to poor housing and low paid mill jobs causing illness.

Read more: Ghostly face seen in tower window at St Joseph’s Orphanage

There was also a lack of funds for medication or treatment.

Advertisements
Broken window in the former orpahange

The orphanage was run by the Sisters of Charity our Lady Mother of Mercy and was the first welfare provider for Roman Catholic girls in Preston.

These dirty corridors hold so many secrets…

The orphanage took up to 60 youngsters in at a time across two dormitories.

This bed has not been used for many years

A chapel was added in 1910, which held collections to help pay for health care for poor and sick children.

Inside the former orphanage

The top floor was used as accommodation for the nuns working in the orphanage, and during the First World War, St Joseph’s provided care for wounded soldiers.

A creepy looking staircase in the former orphanage

Read more: Victorian Society opposes demolition of St Joseph’s Orphanage

Advertisements
barton manor gym

By 1988, the orphanage had closed and the building had been converted into a care home, which operated smoothly until it closed its doors in February 2003.

The building has been neglected ever since.

The building has been disused since 2003, but these artificial flowers have certainly stood the test of time

There were plans to convert the building into flats in 2004 which were given the green light but they remained mothballed.

Until April last year when major redevelopment proposals to convert the majority of the site into flats and townhouses was approved.

Read moreSt Joseph’s Orphanage among England’s most ‘at risk’ buildings

‘Lost Places & Forgotten Faces’, an urban explorer of places in the north of England said: “Most explorers will only visit this place in groups, and at night under the cover and safety of darkness, as it is notoriously hard to access during the day due to its prominent and unmissable location right in the centre of Preston.

“I felt it was important to take the risk and go alone during the daytime. Not only did this present the challenge of a much more difficult daytime explore, going by myself only enhanced the levels of creepiness only an abandoned orphanage can offer.

“Whilst natural daylight flooding in through the smashed upper windows allowed me to capture the buildings interior on the upper levels, the flooded basement was pitch black.

“There were lots of dripping noises and creaks accompanied me throughout the explore, which culminated when I finally found the old, smashed mortuary slab. If only walls could talk…”

See the latest news and information near you

Advertisements
caritas fostering advert

Read moreSee the latest Preston news and headlines

What do you think the future of the disused orphanage should be? Let us know in the comments below.

Share
Advertisements
caritas fostering advert
Preston in pictures Avenham ParkAutumn reflectionsUnder the bridgePreston 2023Unit [Northern] 331102 240216 PrestonUnit [Northern] 195126 240216 PrestonUnit [TransPennine] 397007 240216 PrestonUnit [TransPennine] 397002 240216 Preston View more Advertisement Subscribe to the newsletter

Sign up below to receive Blog Preston's email newsletter. It wings its way into inboxes every Sunday and Wednesday rounding up our top stories and more.

Advertisement News by location

Find news by location, select an area of your choice to be kept up to date with the latest goings on.

The Preston Guide

Discover local businesses and services near you.

    Advertisements
Advertisement Categories

Find news by category, select an category of your choice to be kept up to date with the latest goings on.

Blog Preston email updates

Receive our digest of the biggest and best stories every Sunday to your email inbox

We respect your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time from our emails