Eerie photographs reveal abandoned bedrooms and living areas of Victorian-era asylum that was still being used until last year

In 1895 Portrane Lunatic Asylum was the most expensive building in Ireland paid for by the British Government



The hospital had an initial budget of £200,000 but this rose to £300,000 by the time it was finally completed



The facility was seen as being at the forefront of mental health care when it was opened in 1903




The crumbling St Ita's hospital in Portrane, Co Dublin was the most expensive building ever sanctioned by the British Government in Ireland when commissioned in 1895.

With a capacity of 1,200 beds, the facility, known then as the Portrane Lunatic Asylum, was seen as being at the frontier of mental health care. Over the past decade Irish health authorities have been gradually closing the final Victorian era facilities.

The last 27 patients housed on two wings were moved to accommodation late last year as the neo-Gothic style hospital was closed.



Now, the building in Portrane is silent. However an urban explorer called Obscuraprints accessed the site and took this series of eerie images, offering a fascinating insight into Victorian mental health care.



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When it was commissioned in 1895, the Portrane Lunatic Asylum was the most expensive ever building paid for by the British in Ireland at a planned cost of £200,000

The asylum was designed by architect George Coppinger Ashlin in a neo-gothical style and as a result the costs spiraled to £300,000 - £32 million in today's money

St Ita's at its height housed 1,200 patients but there were just 27 remaining by mid 2013 as health authorities prepared the decaying unit for its eventual closure



The hospital was divided between men and women, and then it was further divided into four further sections depending on a the severity of the mental illness involved



When the final patients were removed from the Victorian facility, not all of their personal effects were collected and left strewn across the floor



Despite the decay, St Ita's was considered state of the art, with each of the wings having a view of the sea just 500 metres away to aid in the patients' recovery



The building was designed to be functional as well, with the clock tower doubling as a water tower which could be used in the event of a fire at the facility



The project was supervised by Alfred Ignatius McGloughlin who was forced to flee to the US during construction after he had an 'illicit liaison' with one of his maids



According to the Irish Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht: 'Ireland had a leading place in the establishment of lunatic asylums in the nineteenth century'





