Collapsed roofs , mangled cages and sunken floors - these are the eerie pictures taken inside an abandoned psychiatric hospital where patients were once locked up and given lobotomies . The abandoned site in north Wales , known as Denbigh Asylum , has been partially devastated by fire while there are still cages intact that were used to prevent patients escaping from their designated areas . More than 20 patients were selected for prefrontal lobotomy treatments between 1942 and 1944 at the hospital , with one patient dying from the controversial procedure . Lobotomies , which consisted of the removal of parts of the brain , began to be routinely carried out in the 1930s as a supposed treatment for those considered insane - but the barbaric practice was stopped two decades later with the introduction of antipsychotic medicines . The once eloquent and imposing building was built in 1848 and designed by architect Thomas Full James . It was designated for closure by MP Enoch Powell in 1960 and was finally shut for good in 1995 . Photographer Mathew Growcoot described the scene : 'It was by far the creepiest place I have ever been into . There were so many strange noises emanating from the buildings that I really did n't want to wander too far from my companion . 'At one point we both heard what sounded like a groan and just stopped and stared at each other . I do n't believe in ghosts but I did n't want to hang around . ' The site has been subject to a compulsory purchase order by Denbighshire council . But that is being appealed by the site 's current owners . The front facade is Grade II listed and a proposal to build homes around the entrance has been put forward . However , the restoration cost is set to be close to a million pounds . Mr Growcoot added : 'It was in a really poor state . It looked as thought a bomb had tore through the site , everything was damaged . There was nothing to stop you entering the site and as a result the vandalism and fire damage was plain to see . ' I wonder how far a million pounds would go to restoring the hospital . Seems as though it would make more sense to flatten the site and start over . ' Scroll down for video . The exterior of the Denbigh hospital ( pictured ) is partially destroyed after years of neglect and a fire that tore through large parts of the complex . A wheelchair sits bent , twisted and rusting inside the hospital in north Wales , which once housed 1,500 patients . Built in 1848 , the hospital was the scene of at least 20 lobotomies in the mid-1940s and at least once patient died from the controversial procedure . Debris and dust lies scattered on the floor of a hallway adorned with vandalism . The building was designated for closure by MP Enoch Powell in 1960 but was not shut for good until 1995 . Ashes and a pile of wood , pictured through a broken window inside the building , reveal the centre of a fire which damaged a large portion of the notorious former psychiatric hospital . A roof sits partially collapsed amid the ruins of the notorious hospital , where many patients were caged to prevent them from fleeing . Photographer Mathew Growcoot said it looked as though ' a bomb had tore through the site ' . Pictured is an old wooden cabinet ( left ) and piece of porcelain bearing the hospital 's name . The wider property of the hospital has been left to overgrow while a proposal to build homes around the entrance has been mooted . Located in Denbigh , north Wales , the hospital was the site of at least 20 lobotomies in the 1940s , with at least one patient dying from the barbaric medical procedure . A hallway , covered in debris , appears not to have been touched for decades . The asylum was designed by architect Thomas Full James . What was once a tiled bathroom or kitchen area is now covered in graffiti , carried out by trespassers in the years since it closed . The site has been subject to a compulsory purchase order by Denbighshire council which is being appealed by the site 's current owners . However , a proposal to build homes around the entrance has been put forward but the restoration cost is set to be close to £1million . Pictured are treatment rooms , where patients were once given lobotomies . The site once boasted a gas works , farmland , Turkish baths and even produced its own porcelain . Pictured right are rooms inside the building 's former living quarters . The building 's impressive front facade ( pictured ) is Grade II listed but the rest of the property remains in dire need of maintenance .
The abandoned hospital in north Wales was once the home of 1,500 patients who were caged and given lobotomies . Eerie pictures reveal a partially destroyed building with mangled cages , sunken floors and collapsed roofs . Photographer Mathew Growcoot described hearing a 'groan ' inside abandoned complex , known as Denbigh .