Former North Wales Hospital, Denbigh
During a rare sunny day in February 2026, we partnered up with Bangor University's Heritage Department and with full permission and supervision from Jones Bros., we started surveying the main building of the famous Former North Wales Hospital or more popularly known as Denbigh Asylum in an effort to produce a digital copy of the building.
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Established in 1848 and designed by architect Thomas Fulljames, it initially housed 200 patients before expansion meant that during the 20th century it was housing up to 1500. The hospital served as a mass employer for the North Wales area and accepted patients who were suffering from mental distress or other disorders that we recognise today. Infamous for the foreboding presence of the building, it has appeared across various media types including cartoon shows such as Family Guy, games and others over the years as the façade of such Victorian institutions.
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It was closed in 1995 due to deteriorating conditions. Today, the hospital site stands empty with collapsed roofs, floors, falling walls, stripped of its copper, its doors and most of its glass windows smashed in. We were there with express permission from Jones Bros. who are overseeing the site. It is an incredibly dangerous site and venturing into the grounds without express permission is trespassing.
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Our images from the day, partnered with Bangor University will produce a 3-D model of the building which will be digitally explorable and include a vast and in-depth history of the site, its patients, staff and others through its history. The project aims to preserve a key Welsh heritage site with significant history while the building is still in such a condition to be photographed and recorded. Preservation efforts remain to try and maintain the original architecture on site where possible. However the large site having been neglected for such a long time has many features that are completely unsafe, on the verge of collapse or otherwise have conditions which mean they are not able to be saved.
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A plan to preserve as much of the site as digitally possible means that this incredible building, its intriguing appearance and both daunting and interesting past will forever be preserved for generations to come.
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Resolution Drones Ltd. is very proud to have been part of this heritage project and is very grateful to Jones Bros. cooperation and to Bangor University for deciding on us to do the initial photography work.
