My parents were both born in Glasgow, married in Glasgow and had there first home there. As the first born of three children I was born there too. After I was born and before my brother was born 5 years later my parents moved to Livingston which was a new town being built from the ground up to accommodate the overspill from not only Glasgow but Edinburgh too as it was bang in the middle of both major cities. Going back now I find it strange how much it has changed but I do forget there was not much there when I was a child and it was still being built when I was a teenager. It has grown so much its virtually unrecognisable.
My brother and then my sister were not born in Glasgow as a result but were instead born in Bangour Village hospital which was the major hospital in the area. Bangour Village hospital was actually a psychiatric hospital primarily and only later was the general hospital created within including the maternity ward. The hospital was though wound down in the 90s and finally closed in 2004. This was because a brand new one was built within the new town also being built and St Johns was finally opened by the Queen in 1989. All babies from then on were born there.
Its another place I have vague memories about but do know I was there because not only would I have visited my younger siblings in hospital but I remember when I was 13 years old having to go to hospital after spraining my ankle which would have been 1985. Of course I was going back. I was going back because its become a place of intrigue for a lot of people. I mean I was not born there so why go there when the hospital where I was born, Stobhill, is not only still open but closer at hand? There is just something about an abandoned hospital which is more alluring than an open one. Or any purpose building for that matter. Not only is a favourite of urban explorers but of course has become a hub of supernatural rumour (see YouTube) as well as lore relating to the psychiatric function of the place. It was also used in the film "The Jacket" starring Adrien Brody and Keira Knightley
Things have definitely changed. My parents wanted to take the kids to the zoo so we had agreed to drop them off and there was no anxiety. Once dropped off we had time to kill which was when I suggested Bangour to kill some time. Not only that but with an empty car I called my brother and he came along too. Changed days indeed. In all we were out 8 hours and ended at my parents with my sister and her family there too. Everything is starting to feel normal again.
Bangour Village itself is kind of eerie. Security patrols the large site by car ensuring noone breaks into any of the buildings more for health and safety than anything else. As I said before its become a focus for urban explorers and there are many videos online of the interiors to testify to that. I must admit I wanted to see inside too but was not going to break in to do it. Instead I had to make do with looking in the few windows which I could see in. That was fine though.
Its a huge complex and to be honest its a shame not only that it has been left to ruin but more so now that it looks like many of the buildings will be demolished. One day it may all be gone and that is a shame but I guess things move on. It was weird walking about and thinking about how populated it used to be. My mum told me later that the psychiatric patients actually used to wander about the grounds among the visitors to the general hospital. It was strange seeing bus stops being lost to vegetation. And once again memories started flooding back. I remember getting off the bus. I remember the sun. I remember the shop. I remember the buildings. And not just for me but my brother too. It was so huge and even had its own church. One time full of life and now not. I wouldn't much fancy being there at night mind you.
There is not a lot though you can say about a collection of abandonded buildings so I thought it best to end the post with a selection of photos I took.
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