Barnes Hospital

:"For the hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, see Barnes-Jewish Hospital. For other uses, see Barnes."Infobox building
building_name = Barnes Hospital
native_building_name=


caption = The main building of Barnes Hospital in April 2008
former_names = Barnes Convalescent Home
building_type = Former hospital
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location = Cheadle, England
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coordinates = coord|53|23|49.12|N|2|13|24.4|W|display=title,inline
start_date = 1871
completion_date = 1875
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Barnes Hospital, also known as Barnes Convalescent Home, in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England, is a former hospital. It is located near to the A34 road and is in the middle of the complex interchange between the A34, M60 motorway and M56 motorway. Whilst the hospital was constructed in a rural setting, it is now surrounded by roads. The main building is Grade II listed, and lies on green belt land.

A donation of £26,000 for the founding of a new convalescent hospital in Cheadle was made in 1869 by Robert Barnes. Construction of the hospital, named the Barnes Convalescent Home, started in 1871 and was completed in 1875. It was constructed of bricks, the clay for which was provided locally.cite web | url=http://www.opacity.us/site144_barnes_hospital.htm | title=Barnes Hospital History — Abandoned Photography | publisher=opacity.us | accessdate=2008-04-14]

Broken remains of three stone high crosses were discovered in 1874 during the construction of the hospital. The location of only one of these is known today; this consists of a crosshead of Celtic cross form with a central boss, and dates from the late 10th or 11th century. It is now located in St Mary's Church, Cheadle. The other two pieces are said to be part of a much older cross, and the upper part of an Anglo-Saxon cross shaft.cite web | url=http://www.stockport.gov.uk/content/business/regeneration/historicareasregeneration/Conservation1/conservationareas/cheadlevillapp?a=5 | title=Cheadle Conservation Area Character Appraisal | publisher=Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council | date=March 2006 | accessdate=2008-04-14] cite web | url=http://www.cheadle.org/cross.htm | title=Cheadle Parish Church—St Mary's | accessdate=2008-04-14]

The main use for the hospital in its later life was for geriatric care and stroke patients. It closed in September 1999 while Manchester Healthcare Trust was undergoing a £2 million cost cut.

The hospital was sold in 2001,cite news | url=http://www.stockportexpress.co.uk/news/s/306/306771_hospital_sold_to_mystery_buyer.html | title=Hospital sold to mystery buyer | publisher=Stockport Express | date=28 February 2001 | accessdate=2008-04-14] and is now owned by Reality Estates. The main building is currently being converted into 42 flats, with the other buildings on the site having been demolished for the construction of 18 houses and 77 more flats.cite news | url=http://www.stockportexpress.co.uk/news/s/310/310358_exhospital_due_to_become_flats.html | title=Ex-hospital due to become flats | first=Jon | last=Weisgard | date=4 December 2002 | publisher=Stockport Express | accessdate=2008-04-14] The other flats will be in two blocks. The work will cost £10 million, and will take 72 weeks.cite web | url=http://www.bcgl.co.uk/pages/case_study.asp?id=8 | title=Browns Construction Group Ltd Case Studies — Barnes Hospital, Cheadle | publisher=Browns Construction Group Ltd | accessdate=2008-04-14]

During World War II the hospital was used as a convalescent home for wounded soldiers.cite web | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/81/a3536381.shtml | title=WW2 People's War — an archive of World War Two memories | date=17 January 2005 | accessdate=2008-04-14] The hospital temporarily housed a large group of Kosovan refugees following its closure.cite web | url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=506&pageNumber=18 | title=Kosovan Refugees | publisher=Manchester City Council | accessdate=2008-04-14] It was featured on Most Haunted Live in September 2005. The site was briefly occupied by around 100 gypsy families in February 2007.cite news | url=http://www.stockportexpress.co.uk/news/s/524/524038_gatley_counts_cost_of_cleanup_after_gypsies.html | title=Gatley counts cost of clean-up after Gypsies | first=Miles | last=Skinner | publisher=Stockport Express | date=28 February 2007 | accessdate=2008-04-14]

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