insane | larry

8. Insane

The Daily News Online
Warrington Psychiatric Hospital closes its doors for good
Hospital in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, England, finally ceases operations after 50 years. Investigators find more secrets within this asylum than they bargained for

Holmes Chapel | 12 Sept. 1987
Barbara Williams

After more than 50 years in operation, Warrington Psychiatric Hospital of Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, England, has closed its deadly doors. Warrington Psychiatric Hospital was built in 1930 by London clinical psychologist, Doctor Eugene F. Warring. Service began in 1934, with Eugene Warring taking place as the hospital's chief warden. Warrington Insane Asylum, as it was called by many Holmes Chapel residents, housed and treated mentally ill men and women from around the United Kingdom for years, becoming the most populated asylum in Europe over the past few decades.

During its life span, Warrington Psychiatric Hospital has made dozens of news headlines. From suicidal patients and the murders of employees and therapists, to unlawful practices and procedures, the hospital gained over 40 reported deaths, with the most recent being the murder of Warrington patient Noah Richarson, 17, on August 28, 1987. However, that is not to say that only 40 individuals died on Warrington property. It was soon discovered that such a claim was not the case.

Warrington Hospital's "successful" dynamic shifted during the early hours of October 29, 1979. Doctor and Warden Eugene Warring was killed by a rogue patient, Arthur Clark, while he was preparing for a groundbreaking experiment— can one cure homosexuality?

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QUIET TOWN OF HOLMES CHAPEL, CHESHIRE, OUTRAGED AT THE PRACTICES GOING ON INSIDE WARRINGTON PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL

After Doctor Warring was found dead, having been a part of a murder-suicide at the hands of Clark, the overpopulated hospital had to find a new way to run its course. Under new management, an endeavor spearheaded by Warden Alexander J. Brooks, Warrington continued to admit psychotic and criminally insane individuals for the next four years, up until earlier this month.

Yesterday, Holmes Chapel detectives Joan Ryder and Terry Mickelson ventured into Warrington Psychiatric Hospital. The agents had set up plans to interview Warrington nurse, Winona Quincy, who had been attacked by a rogue patient in early September. However, their intention was quickly halted, as when they arrived on Warrington grounds, they discovered that the once functional hospital had been swiftly abandoned. Police rushed to the scene, and the institution and its surrounding estate were intensely searched, however, no living patients or employees were found on the hospital grounds. Holmes Chapel police chief, Lieutenant Joseph P. Kensington stated, "It appears as if they had just gotten up and left in the dead of night. There are no people here, but their belongings, their papers and books, and their livelihoods remain." He went on to compare the incident to the Lost Colony of Roanoke, where an English settlement of 115 colonists mysteriously vanished from the United States Island of Roanoke without a trace.

After a thorough search of Warrington's land, it is stated that 15 bodies were discovered across the main wards, ages ranging from 18 to 75, with the cause of death currently being determined. A nursey room within the hospital's infantile ward held three children who had been suffocated to death. During their examination of the vast property, investigators came across Woodlands Park, a park adjacent to the hospital and behind its watchful eyes and barricade. Inside this park was a large fenced-in area, containing thousands of numbered graves.

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SECRETS OF WARRINGTON ASYLUM: UNCOVERED

News that the facility has been abandoned comes as a relief to long-term Holmes Chapel residents. Back in 1956, the small community had started a petition to shut down the asylum, stating that many untold and deadly practices are going on behind closed doors. Local authorities claim they were building a case against the institution.