Mid Wales Hospital, Talgarth

Designed by the London firm of Giles, Gough and Trollope, the building followed a compact arrow plan. It cost £126,000 to build. The Brecon and Radnor Joint Counties Lunatic Asylum opened on 18 March 1903 with a public ceremony. Lord Glanusk declared that "everything has been done that human ingenuity could devise for the happiness and safety of the inmates...for their speedy restoration to health."

Like other asylums of the time, this hospital was self-sufficient. It had its own water, electricity, heating, and sewage systems. A large farm provided food for the hospital, with patients working the land. The hospital included residential wards plus a large hall for recreation and dining. Kitchens and workshops allowed patients to spend their time usefully. There was also a tailor, bakery, shoe-maker, and printing shop, plus 3 hectares of gardens. At first, the asylum cared for patients from Brecknockshire and Radnorshire. After World War One, it expanded to admit patients from Montgomeryshire. It was then renamed the Mid-Wales Counties Mental Hospital.

During World War II, the hospital housed 67 men and 48 women. They came from Cardiff City Mental Hospital, which became a war hospital. In July 1940, most of the hospital was for military use. Patients moved to other Welsh mental hospitals. Civilian use resumed in 1947. In 1948, the hospital joined the National Health Service. The NHS brought art therapy and mixed genders. Before, men and women stayed on separate sides. The site also held a nursing college and a substance misuse council. Other services included care for the elderly, rehab, and day care. Reflexology, physiotherapy, ECT, chiropody, and psychiatry were also offered.

In the 1980s, "Care in the Community" led to decline. The hospital closed in 1999. Some services moved to Bronllys Hospital. After closure, the former Chief Medical Officer bought the site for £227,000. Plans emerged for a business park. Several buildings became part of Black Mountains Business Park. Its remote spot and a recession caused failure. By 2009, few businesses remained. The site was for sale in 2009. Properties like the gatehouse had been sold. Buildings grew derelict. The BBC series "Hidden Wales" showed its trouble. Signs of demolition were clear. Original slates worth over £1 million vanished from roofs.

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