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Paranormal enthusiasts love a good ghost story, and not many stories are as sinister as that of Bron Y Garth Hospital in Wales.
This now-abandoned hospital has transitioned from a workhouse to a mental facility to a hospital over the past two centuries, so it comes as no surprise that there are souls here that never departed.
Join us as we uncover the macabre history of Bron Y Garth Hospital and the ghosts that haunt the building… if you dare!
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The History Of Bron Y Garth Hospital
Let’s first dive into the history of Bron Y Garth Hospital to shape an understanding of why it is so haunted.
A horrific workhouse
Bron Y Garth was originally constructed as a Ffestiniog Union Workhouse in 1839 in North Wales.
The poor and destitute came to live here while doing tough jobs. Bron Y Garth was originally built to house 150 individuals who were desperate for work and to improve their lives.
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The workhouse was managed by John and Jane Parry Jones.
Over the years, the building underwent several renovations to increase its size. By 1875, a new ward was included for Victorian vagrants. This ward had six living and working cells.
Conditions were anything but luxurious. It was a terrible place to live, and many viewed it as an absolute last resort. Soon, families and single mothers filled the dirty halls.
Workers slept in metal-wire beds devoid of mattresses.
The workhouse also housed hardened criminals who were forced to do hard labour, like breaking stone in the work cells. The stone was then passed through metal grids once it was small enough.
Those who didn’t work hard enough or were standoffish were secluded in what was called the “vagrant’s wing”.
It was a sad reality of the time when many workhouses intended to help the poor became detainment centres for society’s most vulnerable.
And with the dirty conditions, diseases like smallpox were common. There was no hospital for the workhouse, and the situation got even more dire.
However, there was a mortuary, as well as “The Cottage” – a building where sick and infectious inmates were housed (with no medical care).
The Ffestiniog Union Workhouse was inspected by the British Medical Journal in 1894 as part of a campaign to improve the situation in workhouses across the country. It was deemed “inadequate” because of the ghastly living and working conditions and lack of staff running the place.
A shift towards a hospital
In 1918, Bron Y Garth underwent a transformation – it became a facility that housed the mentally ill. However, conditions never really improved.
The building changed its name and became known as the Ffestiniog Public Assistance Institution in 1930 when it was taken over by the Merionethshire Council.
The biggest change came in 1948 when the building was converted into Bron Y Garth Hospital as part of the NHS. It remained a hospital until 2009 when it finally closed and the medical services were transferred to Ysbyty Alltwen Hospital.
Bron Y Garth Hospital remains stuck in the past, with many of the wards left almost untouched. Even some of the workhouse living and working cells haven’t been changed despite the many years that have passed.
And with so many aspects of its past still remaining, it is no surprise that the tormented spirits of those who lived and died here also stuck around.
The haunted Bron Y Garth Hospital saw hundreds of deaths before it closed its doors for good.
The Ghosts Of Bron Y Garth Hospital
With such a long and twisted history, it comes as no surprise to most ghost hunters that Bron Y Garth Hospital has become a hotspot for the paranormal.
The current owners sometimes arrange private ghost hunting tours through the hospital, and paranormal investigators have uncovered plenty of ghostly activities in these haunted halls.
The White Lady
One of the most famous ghosts of Bron Y Garth Hospital is the White Lady.
She’s been spotted wandering the corridors of the abandoned hospital… possibly seeking revenge?
The White Lady appears in many different ways to those unfortunate enough to come across her. Some say she has an ethereal glow, like an angel walking on earth. Others say she is a mournful spirit, who chills the air and saps all the joy out of the room.
But who is she?
No one knows. Some speculate she was a former patient who died at the hospital, while others whisper that her soul became trapped here after dying in the harsh conditions of the workhouse.
The nurse(s)
Another common ghostly sighting is that of a nurse. Now, none of the paranormal investigators can confirm whether they’ve all seen the same nurse.
Whether it is one ghostly nurse or many, ghost hunters have reported the figure of a female nurse still diligently doing her rounds.
The young boy
Ghost hunters have reported seeing a playful little boy in one of the passages of the abandoned hospital. It is said that his father passed away in one of the rooms in that hallway.
The boy has often been spotted running and playing here, while others reported hearing his gleeful giggles. He is said to always run towards a particular bed that is still in the ward, speculated to be the bed where his father left the living world.
Other ghostly apparitions
There are said to be dozens (if not more) of ghosts in Bron Y Garth Hospital. Sometimes, paranormal investigators see full apparitions, while other times they only sense that something sinister is lurking nearby.
Here are some additional reported ghostly encounters that will have your hair standing on end!
- There have been reports of a young girl trapped in the maternity wards.
- Disembodied voices, whispers and screams echo through the empty hospital.
- Footsteps are heard when there’s no one around.
- Visitors to the abandoned building have been pushed or grabbed by unseen hands.
- Doors slam even when there are no windows open.
- Cold spots radiate from some rooms while the rest of the wing is warm and there are no open windows.
- Figures are seen in the shadows but when you look closely, nothing’s there.
- Singing, banging, tapping and knocking noises are heard in rooms, but when investigators enter the room, the noises stop.
- Poltergeist activity has been reported in the old vagrant cells which remain untouched to this day.
- A heavy, dark atmosphere makes those in the area feel incredibly depressed as if there’s no joy left in the world.
Some ghost hunters have even used a “human pendulum” to communicate with the ghosts at the hospital. For this practice, they reached out to a ghost and asked it to move a person in a specific direction, like a swinging pendulum, to provide answers to questions. Through this, they discovered the ghost was a lady who was murdered in the hospital by someone she knew.
FAQs
Can I ghost hunt at Bron Y Garth Hospital?
Currently, Bron Y Garth Hospital is closed to the public. This is mainly due to safety and security concerns since the building is slowly falling apart.
However, the current owners do arrange the occasional private ghost hunt, so keep an eye out if you’re interested.
What’s the future of Bron Y Garth Hospital?
The dark history of Bron Y Garth Hospital will soon be a thing of the past! The plans for this site look positive, with the owners planning to build a luxury hotel at the property. You can track the progress on the Bron Y Garth Facebook Page to see how they’re getting on.
The proposal for the development states: “The unique selling point in creating this development is its historic context and using this as a basis for creating a destination holiday resort, rather than just another hotel or holiday accommodation establishment.”
Final Thoughts
The former hospital of Bron Y Garth has a dark, twisted and sad history. It has witnessed the most vulnerable members of society, the mentally ill, and the deaths of many in the hospital.
The hospital continues to capture the attention of ghost hunters brave enough to go on a private ghost hunt here and discover the souls who never departed.
