Footage found online explores Paisley's old Royal Alexandra Infirmary building, which has been left to rot for decades.
While some of the former infirmary buildings have been converted into new uses, much of the fine structure is in a dilapidated state. Having stood since the 1890s, and suffered damages of fire and vandalism, the Renfrewshire hospital has been the feature of several campaigns hoping to save it.
In clips uploaded to YouTube from Urbandoned, we see the former hospital as it stands - with nature taking control over the building, and greenery blooming from every spot. As the explorers tell us, the infirmary has been boarded up since 2008 with metal shutters on almost every window.
READ MORE - Fascinating drone footage shows Glasgow’s abandoned railway lines
Sign up to our Glasgow Live nostalgia newsletters for more local history and heritage content straight to your inbox
Built in 1896 by architect TG Abercrombie, the buildings are often considered some of his most impressive work in Paisley. When it was opened it offered 234 beds, three pavilions, a separate block for infectious patients and a 100-seat chapel.
Its stunning designs have all but disappeared, covered by boards and shrubbery.
While it's definitely not recommended, the team at Urbandoned manage to find a way into the building through a door to a basement room - which then leads them upstairs. Moving their way round the rotting structure they find walls covered with graffiti, crumbling staircases and stained glass windows that have been smashed in.
Much of the damage has been caused by fire, most recently in March this year when a mystery blaze caused the nearby buildings to be evacuated. Fire teams confirmed nobody was injured, and the fire failed to destroy the historic structure.
The Infirmary was closed for good in 1987, when the new hospital opened in Craw Road. Part of the building was then used as a care home, while the rest was converted into flats in 1995.
After the care home closed in 2008, this part of the former Infirmary began to deteriorate - and was eventually placed on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland in 2010.
Last year, with threats of the wrecking ball, one passionate local launched a campaign to try and save the rotting hospital.
Jim McIlroy said: “I am asking for the support of Paisley residents to send a clear message that we want the wilful neglect of this listed building to stop. “Further inaction is not acceptable and we are battling to have this historic property secured, re-sold and redeveloped. This historically important listed building has deliberately been left to rot and it’s now in a dangerous state.
“It’s been ignored for too long and that’s encouraged anti-social and criminal behaviour It’s important for the people who live around it that something is done and it’s important for the town that our listed buildings are saved, restored and redeveloped.”
A spokesman for Renfrewshire Council responded: “It is unfortunate that the Royal Alexandra Infirmary building has been allowed to deteriorate to the extent it has, and we share the frustration of the local community. As it is a privately-owned building, the council has very little scope to intervene, beyond making sure the building is safe.
“We have been in contact with the owner over the years and understand his aim is to sell.”
As it stands, the structure remains on the Buildings at Risk list - and no updates have been given on its purchase.
READ NEXT
- Footage explores Glasgow’s abandoned schools that have been left to rot
- The forgotten Glasgow suffragette protest that saw Emmeline Pankhurst arrested
- The forgotten Glasgow suffragette protest that saw Emmeline Pankhurst arrested
- The automatic 'chippery' that served Glasgow a portion of chips for 2p
- Remembering the tragic Glasgow fire that killed seven firemen
- Glasgow's abandoned concrete 'skyscraper' - the mysterious Lion Chambers
