We love hearing people’s experiences exploring abandoned places and were delighted to hear from Lewis Neilson. You can find him on Twitter at @neilson_lewis. Here’s his account of Caldwell House in Uplawmoor, East Renfrewshire, Scotland.
Caldwell House was built sometime between 1770 and 1773 although there’s conflicting reports on the exact date. The house was built for the Mure family, one of the wealthiest families in East Renfrewshire. The estate stayed with the family until 1909.
Caldwell House as it was in its heyday.
Around 1927, the Govan Health Board turned Caldwell House into a hospital for children with mental health issues and it remained as such until 1985. During this time additional buildings were added such as the main boiler house and nurses accommodation. The main staircase was also replaced with an elevator shaft.
After the closure of the hospital, the building was sold to a private individual with the intention to convert it into a care home for the elderly however this was never undertaken and the building fell into a dilapidated stated. In 1995, a serious fire ruined the whole interior and caused extensive damage to the roof. As a result, the council stepped in and undertook works to make the house safe. A lot of the building had to be demolished or reinforced to prevent it from collapsing.
The main entrance to Caldwell House as it looks now.
Caldwell House is now a hollow shell of what it once was with no roof, bare walls and only the steel beams holding it together. Graffiti covers the walls and local wildlife now shelters in the building.
You can see the extensive damage caused to the interior of the house and how little remains.
When I posted my photos up, a former boss of mine commented on the photo. It turns out when she was born (1960’s) she had a sister who was staying at the house at the time, back when it was a hospital of course. I wasn’t able to get much information due to delicate nature of the situation, but her sister died inside of the house. My first thought was “wow, amazing, she has a real connection to the building”. Of course it’s very sad that she lost her sister but now that she knows the building is still here, she plans to visit it and see where her sister lived. What a great way to end the story, don’t you think? Reconnecting with the past.
A fence erected to prevent trespassing has been knocked down.
Hope you guys find this of interest, I certainly love exploring and discovering the history of these old buildings.
Abandoned: 1985