Kingseat Hospital was named after a hospital in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, following the Director-General of the Mental Health Division of the Health Department (Dr. George Gray) upon returning from an overseas trip and he felt it appropriate to have a sister hospital with the same name in New Zealand. Please respect the locations and the owners. This involved propositions of re-zoning to residential a majority of the land around Kingseat Hospital although certain buildings, structures and plant life on the former hospital site were protected due to historic and cultural value. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Today, Kingseat Hospital will be officially closed. "I havehorrible memories, and Ican't get them out of my mind," says Alison Pascoe, a 75-year-old who arrived at Kingseat in 1950, age 8. 'This disappeared as the field moved away from Kel. We do not condone or encourage the breaking in and entering of secure buildings. Motivated by a picture of his two young boys, Adam worked hard with his interdisciplinary care team to be liberated from the ventilator and regain . The hospital closed its doors in 1999 . Kingseat Hospital is a former mental health facility near Newmachar in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Spookers is believed to be Australasia's only haunted attraction scream park as of 2011[update],[3] and "the number 1 Haunted Attraction in the Southern Hemisphere". Save my name, email, and site URL in my browser for next time I post a comment. I get really sad when I walk around and dont know why . I spent a night there once and as you can imagine it was pretty weird. It is sited within the old Spinal Unit complex and is surrounded by electrified fences. [35] In April 2014, the Haunted Auckland team requested former workers to share their experiences. Your email address will not be published. Adam's Story: A Father's Fight Against Guillain-Barre Syndrome. "Iwish they" - the owners of Spookers- "gave a s..t aboutthereal people and their circumstances at the time. Some former patients continue to live with the trauma of their time there. One of the most prolific reports is of the 'Grey Nurse', believed to be the ghost of a former worker who died while the psychiatric hospital was still operational. [7] During the 1950s, Dr. Henry Bennett (the man whom the mental health wing at Waikato Hospital is named after) was a senior medical officer of health at Kingseat Hospital. The Haunted Auckland group returned to the Spookers building at Kingseat to look further into incidents which had happened on the previous investigation sessions, looking for explanations and to gather more evidence of the paranormal activity in this former psychiatric hospital.. Return Visit to Spookers / Nurses Hostel 7th April 2013. Copyright 2011-2021 Haunted Auckland. In 1996, South Auckland Health sold Kingseat Hospital after government decisions to replace ongoing hospitalisation of mentally ill patients with community care and rehabilitation units. Aberdeen Journals Ltd 2023. If the building's past lends horror to the Spookersexperience, "it's absolutely secondary" to the cast's performance, she says. Do not cause damage or steal from locations. "Ithink it's really demeaning. The team at Haunted Auckland are not the first to discover the checkered history of the hospital, and new evidence prompted local police to re-open a 36-year-old cold case in 2004 into the death of an 11-year-old boy at the hospital. Some rooms I entered had an instantly noticeable icy cold chill in them, whilst the one next to it was warm and felt normal. The new mental unit is secure. How they treated the elderly and mentally handicapped people back then was horrible.. Kingseat re-visit. You can rent them, I lived in the church. Please respect the locations and the owners. The Orville is blasting off at SBS VICELAND. Please sent me a message via facebook, or send an email and lets talk further. I cried with relief to learn this hospital has closed. Due to Manukau City Council consent conditions a Liaison committee between South Auckland Health and local resident representatives has been set up. [8] In 1973, a therapeutic pool was opened by the then-Mayoress of Auckland, Mrs. Barbara Goodman, four years before the main swimming pool was added to the hospital in 1977. The nurse then kicked him hard in his back and I heard something snap,' Mr Matthews claimed. This time our mission was to try to recapture, recreate . East Garioch councillor Martin Ford instigated a report earlier this year to find out what measures could be taken by the council to ensure the development was finished. Mark The thing that dawned on me as we wandered the maze-like corridors and interconnecting levels, was how deceptive the building is from the outside. In 1939, the Public Works Department and Fletcher Construction Company, Ltd. agreed on the construction of a two-storey nurses home at Kingseat Hospital, with the government to provide the steel for the building. Please be safe and act in a responsible and respectful manner. One room would have a whole different feeling to the one right next to it. The old Kingseat psychiatric hospital is bulging at the seams. Hotels with Ghosts in NZ - Best Bits Kingseat Hospital was in operation from 1932. One of the most high profile cases of alleged abuse at Kingseat Hospital is the death of 11-year-old Clement Matthews. It is located in Karaka, New Zealand, south of Auckland and since 2005 has been used as a site for Spookers; a New Zealand attraction that is believed to be Australasias only haunted attraction scream park, and The number one Haunted Attraction in the Southern Hemisphere. The Kingseat Hospital grounds in Kingseat, south Auckland, where Spookers is now based. For the time being, former residential quarters have been turned into villas which are rented by members of the local community. [11] In later years, the hospital accepted voluntary patients. The goal of the Bairds Road unit is to rehabilitate the patients and eventually to allow them to again live within the community. [28] Spookers were finalists of the year's Tourism Industry Awards. I can confirm this, My family and I lived here before it closed, I have tonnes of paranormal stories from living there. Beth Israel Medical Center - 10 Nathan D Perlman Place. [26] Spookers hold annual O'Scares Awards at the old Kingseat Hospital. [37], A 2017 namesake documentary about the attraction was directed by Florian Habicht. Kingseat Hospital, in Newmachar, was closed in 1999 before being taken over by Avant Homes which subsequently built 300 . What began with the discovery of a body on a bridge quickly became a worldwide obsession. Wallbank wrote in his initial report that the space was disorienting, and that there was a 'heavy energy', and reported an 'energy field' that kept moving. welcome to urban kiwiana a real life walk through and explore of an hodpital wing at kingsseat hospital in auckland new zealand during 2020, this was last year while the world was in lockdown new. [25], In 2019, it was announced that Spookers would host a Halloween event called "Seven Deadly Sins". Although living mainly in farmhouses in the district, I did reside for periods in the Nurses hostel. Kingseat Hospital is a former psychiatric hospital that is considered to be one of New Zealand's most notoriously haunted locations with over one hundred claims of apparitions being reported, as of 2011. "Like so many others, all we want is answers.. In 2009, the owning company of the former hospital claimed it would proceed with plans to disconnect the water supply of residents within the local region, leaving many to either pay large fees for a different supply or to install new water tanks. How The Bridge kick-started a global phenomenon. From 1964, nursing staff at Kingseat were given name tags to wear on their uniforms. 'We could use the hours between meals to just clean up the dining rooms.. [41], For the hospital in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, see. An obstacle race involving zombie attacks and known as Run for your Freakn Life was held by Spookers on 15 April 2012, in a Fun Run in celebration of being open for 6 years, 6 months, and 6 days on that date. But some residents insisted that the complex represented a sad past and shouldnt be highlighted as heritage. The sprawling compound at one stage housed over 800 patients, with a maximum security wing and a morgue onsite. In 1939, the Public Works Department and Fletcher Construction Company, Ltd. agreed on the construction of a two-storey nurses home at Kingseat Hospital, with the government to provide the steel for the building. In the first overnight session, the team used Go-Pros, motion sensor cameras, and nightshot, UV, infrared and digital cameras to ensure that they caught anything paranormal on footage. Interestingly, its the nursing arena that seems to have provided fertile ground for ghost hunting at Kingseat. Some rooms had a heaviness that was instantly noticeable on entering. But neither body was ever found. All Rights Reserved. Many of the special effects at Spookers were created with assistance from Weta Workshop. Voices have been heard, sulphur smelt, and shadowy figures seen. By 2004, more than two-hundred people had come forward to file complaints against the national government for claims of mistreatment and abuse of patients at New Zealands psychiatric institutions (including Kingseat Hospital) during the 1960s and 1970s. A family living in one of the villas told the Haunted Auckland team that spirits regularly showed themselves. Another thing I noticed was that certain rooms felt different to others. About Us; Careers; Employees; Call us to talk to a Registered Nurse. With a tragic backstory, Kingseat Hospital is said to be the most haunted place in New Zealand. The Morgan Spurlock documentary where we meet people unashamed to have the surname Hitler. In doing so, the documentary prompts a question itavoids answering:is it appropriateto use a former psychiatric hospital building as a haunted house? [13], After the closure of Kingseat Hospital in 1999, the grounds were initially considered as a potential site for a new prison, able to accommodate for six hundred inmates. Search. We were told that more nurses died at Kingseat than patients. [4] According to stuff.co.nz, Kingseat Hospital is considered one of the most haunted locations in New Zealand. "Spookers Ltd | Activities and Tours in Auckland, New Zealand", "From hospital to haunted house: Former patients criticise Spookers", "Last Patients Moved from Kingseat Today", "Kingseat Looks Likely As New 600 Inmate Prison", "Hospital sale dispute adds to Tainui's financial woes", "Ghost Hunt (NZ): Abandoned Psychiatric Hospital", "Spookers celebrates two years with three awards nominations", "Hospital do-up plan hears calls for do-over", Go behind the scenes of the Shortland Street 2014 promo, "Spookers Haunted Attraction Theme Park is for sale", "Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic Development", "Karaka: Lost and found in a maze of maize", Complaint over spooky Parnell billboard upheld, Spookers to open in Australia using Kickstarter, "Inside the haunted history of Spookers' Kingseat Hospital", "Metallica concert cancellation: What else fans can do in Auckland on the show dates", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kingseat_Hospital_(New_Zealand)&oldid=1096062326, This page was last edited on 2 July 2022, at 01:55. The gardens were kept beautiful with its tennis courts and pool, but what was behind closed doors sucks. Meanwhile, TV show Ghost Hunt features footage of an unplugged dentist chair turning itself on (you can check it out here) and claims to have captured the shape of a ghosts face in a shower stall. Certainly didnt feel natural to me at all.'. Haunted Auckland makes their third visit to the Kingseat Psychiatric Hospital Maximum Security buildings for an overnight investigation. 'Every time we went to see him he was covered in bruises,' John Mitchell, Bruce's brother, told the New Zealand Herald. Alok Wanchoo is listed with Companies House as the sole director of ZTK, with the firm registered to an address in Manchester. However, he could not be reached for comment. I hope that after so much pain was felt there, that we can provide some fun for people in the properties new role! I worked as a psychiatric nurse in Kingseat from 1978 through 1980. Wallbank, along with his team, began gathering information from those who had worked at the hospital, and were told that both patients and nurses regularly died within the grounds. The property contains abandoned nurse's quarters where the apparition is meant to have been spotted lurking in the shadows. Kingseat Hospital was in operation from 1932. During the five years she spent there, Pascoe says she suffered abuse from staff and residents, and was consistently intimidated and threatened. During the 1970s and 1980s, there were many places attached to psychiatric hospitals in New Zealand where alcoholics were treated for their drinking addictions and Villas 4 and 11 at Kingseat Hospital served this purpose. As he takes the lead in Deep State, we explore his great supporting work. That place was creepy af. Police claimed to have found footprints leading in to the water in the case of Mitchell, and the only evidence found of Collins was a shoe in a paddock. 'I first heard about Kingseat in the 80's. Meetings have been held over the past three months to allay community fears. Your email address will not be published. Ref Watch: Was VAR operational for Ryan Kent's 'punch' on Aberdeen's Liam Scales - and why wasn't ref Nick Walsh sent to monitor if it was? The road around the hospital is probably haunted from traffic accidents caused by people living there. But whether you believe in the supernatural or not, its undeniable the walls of Kingseat Hospital have seen real horror unimaginable to many of us. Hi, Yes please, we would certainly like to hear froM anyone that has stories from their time at Kingseat. and our It insists no forensic patients will be held at the unit. I cried looking at the elderly dement people being held here, their only crime was not being of sound mind and having no living relations.. One of my worst teenage memories working in a prehistoric mental hospital 16 April 2012. In 2005, the haunted attraction Spookers opened in the area of the former hospital in the former nurse hostel. [1] When we entered the room temperature had dropped and we got a real awkward feeling that we just rushed out. We do not condone or encourage the breaking in and entering of secure buildings. [14] In 2000, legal action was taken against the Tainui tribe for financial issues involving the former hospital. I had heard something snap. We will continue to manage security operations on the site until the end of November 2017, after which time responsibility will be transferred to the new owners.. Kingseat Hospital, in Newmachar, was closed in 1999 before being taken over by Avant Homes which subsequently built 300 houses at the site. After the closure of Kingseat Hospital in 1999, the grounds were initially considered as a potential site for a new prison, able to accommodate for six hundred inmates. on Edge TV, Kingseat Photo Gallery Maximum Security, Kingseat Maximum Security Third Overnight Session, Carrington former Psychiatric Asylum / Unitech Revisit, VIP opening event for the Yokai Parade: Supernatural monsters from Japan exhibition. Here's what we know about 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' returning. Back to the drawing board (Part 1) Could we be creating our own monsters. What year did tokanui hospital close? It is currently the site of residential villas, created from former patient housing, the Spookers attraction, located in the former Nurses Hostel as well as several large disused and vacant hospital buildings. They decided to convert the former nurses quarters, rather than a treatment facility orpatient accommodation. How The Bridge kick-started a global phenomenon But thanks for making this a wicked experience, one of the best through out my teenage years:D. Thanks for your comment! Kingseat Hospital was a psychiatric hospital that is considered to be one of New Zealand's notorious haunted locations with over one hundred claims of apparitions being reported, as of 2011. Debra Lampshire, photographed at the grounds of the former Kingseat Hospital, where she lived for 18 years. 'Big claims require big evidence to back them up. Two deeply troubled 13-year-old boys vanished without a trace from Kingseat in 1967. ', The comments below have not been moderated, By This led to the eventual closure of Kingseat Hospital in July 1999, when the final patients were re-located off the complex to a mental health unit in Otara. Nobody knows what it'slikeuntil they'restruck down with it," she says. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. [1] It is located in Karaka, New Zealand, south of Auckland and since 2005 has been used as a site for Spookers;[2] and since 2013 a site for Asylum Paintball and Laser Combat; three New Zealand . Kingseat operated from 1932 to 1999 when it was closed as part of New Zealands reform of its mental health system. But we can support our own staff.". The site celebrated its 50th Anniversary Jubilee in 1982. In 2013, a property developer revealed a plan to transform the site of the hospital into a countryside living estate with four hundred and fifty homes. [21] That same year, Haunted Auckland conducted a paranormal investigation at the site. But in its 67 years of operation, some patients faced psychological and physical abuse, asdocumented in the 1988 Mason Report, and the 2007 report of the Confidential Forum for Former In-Patients of Psychiatric Hospitals. 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