HISTORICAL PAGES

HISTORY & INTRODUCTION.........

LOCATED IN STANWAY, WEST OF COLCHESTER, IS ST. ALBRIGHT'S HOSPITAL, WHICH WAS STILL IN USE UNTIL FAIRLY RECENTLY (2005). IT IS WIDELY ACCEPTED AS ONE OF THE BEST PRESERVED WORKHOUSES IN ESSEX, WHICH IS PARTLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT OTHER SUCH BUILDINGS WERE TRANSFERED TO THE NHS, BUT ST. ALBRIGHT'S WAS KEPT AND MANAGED BY ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL. ALTHOUGH SOME ALTERATIONS & ADDITIONS ARE APPARENT, MANY OF THE ORIGINAL FEATURES STILL REMAIN. WHEN IT OPENED IN 1836, IT WAS ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS "LEXDEN & WINSTREE UNION WORKHOUSE", AND BY 1861, HAD 238 "INMATES". THE LAYOUT OF THIS BUILDING IS TYPICAL OF A WORKHOUSE BUILT IN THE EARLY DAYS, AND IT'S DESIGN IS KNOWN AS THE "RADIAL" OR "CRUCIFORM" PLAN, BASICALLY MEANING FOUR "WINGS" BUILT AROUND A CENTRAL CORE, COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE "HUB". THE WINGS ARE THREE STOREYS, ACCESSED BY A SHARED CENTRAL STAIRCASE & LIFT (LATER ADDITIONS), BUT THE ORIGINAL SEPERATE STAIRCASES STILL EXIST, WHICH SERVE EACH WING. INTERESTINGLY, THE LOCATION OF THESE STAIRS DIFFER BETWEEN WINGS. EACH WING CONTAINED THE WARDS, ORIGINALLY THE FULL WIDTH OF EACH WING. MORE RECENTLY, FLIMSY PARTITION WALLS WERE INSTALLED, PRESUMABLY TO GIVE SOME PRIVACY TO THE PATIENTS, AS WELL AS FORMING A CORRIDOR RUNNING THE LENGTH OF EACH WING. THE TOP FLOOR (2ND) HAS SLOPING CEILINGS, DUE TO THERE BEING NOT AS MUCH HEADROOM AS THE LOWER FLOORS, AND THE GROUND FLOORS HAVE LATERLY BEEN USED FOR STAFF OFFICES & ADMINISTRATION. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE CENTRAL "HUB" WAS ORIGINALLY THE SUPERINTENDANT'S QUARTERS, PRIOR TO THE STAIRS & LIFT BEING PUT IN. THE HUB HAS AN EXTRA FLOOR (3RD), WHICH NOW HOUSES THE LIFT MOTOR GEAR, AND GIVES ACCESS TO THE BELL TOWER. -ANNOYINGLY, THE DOOR TO THIS FLOOR WAS LOCKED TIGHT, SO NO ACCESS WAS POSSIBLE!! IF ANY OTHER INTREPID EXPLORER CAN FIND ANOTHER WAY IN, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!! (PLEASE DON'T BREAK OR DAMAGE ANYTHING TO GET THERE THOUGH!) LOOKING AT THE WINDOWS FROM THE OUTSIDE, THE THIRD FLOOR ALSO LOOKS LIKE IT OFFERS GREAT PANORAMIC VIEWS! AT GROUND FLOOR, ORIGINALLY LINKING EACH WING TIP WAS A CORRIDOR, A SECTION OF WHICH IN MODERN TIMES HAVE BEEN REMOVED, BUT EVEN SO, THREE INNER COURTYARDS REMAIN. "ROSE HOUSE" ON THE SOUTH SIDE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN HEAVILY ALTERED & EXTENDED, APPEARING ON OLD O.S. MAPS AS A SINGLE DETACHED BUILDING BETWEEN THE TIPS OF WINGS 'A' & 'B'. FURTHER SOUTH IS THE CHAPEL, AGAIN WHICH DOES NOT APPEAR ON EARLIER O.S. MAPS, BUT DOES SHOW-UP ON THE 1897 MAP, SO MUST HAVE BEEN BUILT SOMETIME BETWEEN 1876 & THEN. --PICTURES OF THIS RECCE CAN BE FOUND HERE & ON THE NEXT FEW PAGES.