Pool Park

Pool Park Asylum was a mental health hospital in Ruthin, Wales, housed in a large country house dating from the early 19th century and operating from the 1930s until 1989. The building has stood empty for decades and shows signs of decay, with broken windows and damaged interiors.

The country house was built between 1826 and 1829 to designs by architect John Buckler for the Bagot family. In the 1930s it was converted into a mental health hospital and served that purpose until it closed in 1989.

The name Pool Park recalls old hunting grounds near Ruthin Castle where deer once roamed. Families in the area remember glimpsing the estate through the trees and thinking it looked like a fairy-tale house.

The building stands empty and is not accessible, but current owners are working on plans for future use of the site. The area around Ruthin offers other historical places if you are interested in the region's past.

Inside stands a grand oak staircase from the early 20th century, with wood that may have come from another old house. Urban explorers and photographers regularly document the condition of the abandoned rooms.