Bangour Village Hospital Traditional Cache
leemc80: Gone to make way for new series
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Written on the logbook of this cache is the coordinates to the Bangour Bonus (GC1Q81Z).
This cache is hidden on within the grounds of the abandoned Bangour Village Hospital between Livingston and Bathgate.
Bangour Village Hospital officially opened as a lunatic asylum on the 13th October 1906 although it contained patients from as early as 1904. The hospital was modelled on "Alt Scherbitz" asylum of the 1870s near Leipzig in Germany and represented one of the first "colony" plan psychiatric hospitals in Scotland. It was designed by award winning architect Hippolyte Blanc, which he also won an award for. It is built on over 960 acres and has over 4 miles of road within its grounds. The grounds have over 32 villas, a church, a shop (still signed with prices in shillings), bus stops and many other buildings, all now abandoned and in a state of demise.
In 1915, the hospital was taken over as a military hospital providing aid to wounded soldiers of WW1. After the war, in commemoration to the vital role it played, Bangour Village War Memorial Church was erected and opened in 1929.
Bangour reopened as a psychiatric hospital in 1922. However,at the outbreak of war in Sept 1939, it was transformed, once again, into Edinburgh War Hospital. Once again, after the war it resorted back to its former use as a psychiatric hospital.
Bangour was at the fore front of psychiatric medicine throughout its time. So much so that nurses accomodation was constructed within the grounds so that the nurses and doctors could live and breathe their work.
More recently, in 2005, the holywood film, "The Jacket" starring Kiera Knightley and Adrian Brody and directed by George Cloony was filmed here.
Sadly, by the 1980s, with new technology advances and scientific findings, there was no need for an entire village dedicated to psychiatric medicine and by 1990s only a few of the villas (wards) were still active and in 2004, 100 years after it was first conceived, Bangour Village Hospital closed its doors.
Today the hospital and all its buildings still stand. The bus stops still have their timetables. The shop is still set up with tables and chairs and prices in shillings. Some of the buildings still have beds set up. It is almost like everyone just upped and left. It is quite a surreal experience walking around here.
The 960 acre site is now owned by Persimmons Homes who's intentions were to create luxury homes in the 13 grade A listed buildings. Their plans for the other buildings and all the land is unknown. They have filed for planning permission since 2005 and as of March 2008 have given up on receiving it, blaming the downturn in the economy rather than the years of failed attempts.
As mentioned before, there are coordinates in this logbook for a bonus bangour cache. The reason for this was to make people walk around this vast and amazing site rather than hit it with a cache and dash. However it could take several visits to take in all the buildings and views of this place. Please bring a camera with you as you will probably regret it if you don't.
All the entrances to the buildings are boarded up. This is for a very good reason. It is unsafe to enter the buildings. By all means have a look through the windows to get an idea of the place, but DO NOT attempt to enter ANY building. The grounds are patrolled by a watchman who has no problems with visitors on the grounds. So do not be alarmed if he appears in his truck. Just don't give away the cache location to him LOL.
*****Congratulations to Mine070 for being First To Find*****
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Haqre obggbz fgrc
Treasures
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