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. Mr Robertson insisted that the Bairds Road site was inappropriate to hold the 16 patients as it was within a narrow radius walking distance of six schools. 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. Neil Drysdale: What's the best alternative anthem if Flower of Scotland needs replacing? What's in a name? The nurse is just one of many 'shadows' spotted in the halls, a phenomena which Mark described as having 'always existed and feed[ing] on negative energies and the emotions of fear'. Heather Mcnab for Daily Mail Australia Readers' Ombudsman: Your chance to shape the journalism rule book, Terms and Conditions for Subscriptions (excluding Home News Delivery Subscriptions), Evening Express and Press and Journal combined site. Nobody knows what it'slikeuntil they'restruck down with it," she says. Ex patients of psychiatric hospitals in New Zealand in the 1960s and 1970s have claimed systemic abuse included beatings, sexual assault, and misuse of electric-shock therapy and drugs as punishment, according to the New Zealand Herald. 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. In 2005, a television episode of Ghost Hunt featured the site of the former hospital. [37], A 2017 namesake documentary about the attraction was directed by Florian Habicht. For more information, please see our [22] In the following two years, Haunted Auckland conducted a further ten research visits within various buildings at Kingseat; including the notorious Maximum Security Wing. His case was reopened by police in 2004, 36 years after his death, after fellow patient and friend Stephen Lindsay came forward as a witness. We dont run the Spookers attraction, so if youre interested in employment it may be better to check on their website. Neither knew of the building's current occupants. I'm searching for. The Orville is blasting off at SBS VICELAND. 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. As of 2007, the most common apparition reportedly seen at Kingseat Hospital was the Grey Nurse, believed to be a former staff member, in and around the former nurses home. Wikid ! As of 2007, the most common apparition reportedly seen at Kingseat Hospital was the Grey Nurse, believed to be a former staff member, in and around the former nurses home. Inside Kingseat Hospitals maximum security wing, stained floors and scratched walls are remnants of real horror Source: Haunted Auckland / YouTube. A few years after my leaving I had a short horror story published entitled Bandages, using some of my experience of working in some of the back wards. The three quantities of 6 (years, months, days) are a reference to 666, the Number of the Beast. Kingseat closed in 1999, but the buildings remained(and arenow protected underthe Auckland Unitary Plan). I get really sad when I walk around and dont know why . The Haunted Auckland team did an initial 'walk through' of the property, before conducting the overnight investigations, bringing along a host of equipment used to detect ghostly presences and physical energies. 1999 - (July) Kingseat Hospital was officially closed. Your email address will not be published. Two deeply troubled 13-year-old boys vanished without a trace from Kingseat in 1967. Juan Moritz and Discovery of Atlantean Dungeons. Bellevue Hospital Center - 462 First Avenue. Some rooms had a heaviness that was instantly noticeable on entering. By The nurse then kicked him hard in his back and I heard something snap,' Mr Matthews claimed. 8 great Mark Strong roles. But if they new the true history of the psychiatric hospital going in, theyd be doubly chilled to the bone. The Kingseat Hospital grounds in Kingseat, south Auckland, where Spookers is now based. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. It insists no forensic patients will be held at the unit. Carrie Zeiler, a member of the Kingseat Community Association, said: As far as we understand the company that is buying it own the administration block here and nothing has happened with that for years, so to be honest, we dont hold out much hope for anything changing.. [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. For Healthcare Questions call 1.866.KINDRED. Bruce Mitchell and Kelly Collins were also patients at Kingseat when they disappeared in separate incidents in 1967 after reports of shock treatment and continual bruising. The plan sparked debate over which buildings and their park-like surroundings should stay as a reminder of its past, with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust requesting better protection of heritage values of buildings and plants. Some of the old hospital buildings now form the central area of the village of Kingseat . We were told that more nurses died at Kingseat than patients. The problem with these claims, is that apart from A New Zealand TV show called Ghost Hunt, no real paranormal investigation groups have or may ever be able to investigate the hospital. This time our mission was to try to recapture, recreate . 'There was never enough hands to help the extremely handicapped eat, no medications to avoid being scratched or attacked nurses or kitchen or laundry staff a like-if having to go past the residents to clean up or stop them attacking each other,' the diary read. Hi, Yes please, we would certainly like to hear froM anyone that has stories from their time at Kingseat. 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'Hence I personally don't really give them much time, or take them seriously,' he said. Skip to main content. Canmore ID 110736. 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. How do you get a job there? I closed my eyes and saw a bit clearer a picture of a women being pushed under the water, she said. 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. One of the most high profile cases of alleged abuse at Kingseat Hospital is the death of 11-year-old Clement Matthews. In 2005, the haunted attraction Spookers opened in the area of the former hospital in the former nurse hostel. But we can support our own staff.". If the building's past lends horror to the Spookersexperience, "it's absolutely secondary" to the cast's performance, she says. Watson feels a strong responsibility for the wellbeing of her staff and guests. The paranormal investigator said that he understands people being skeptical of the notion of the paranormal, and that 'we are all a bit sceptical at times, ourselves. 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. "For us" - former Kingseat patients -"it's a memorialbeing defaced," says Lampshire. 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. During the five years she spent there, Pascoe says she suffered abuse from staff and residents, and was consistently intimidated and threatened. The plan sparked debate over which buildings and their park-like surroundings should stay as a reminder of its past, with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust requesting better protection of heritage values of buildings and plants. 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. Thanks for sharing with us. [18] By that year, the Freaky Forest of Fear, and CornEvil had been offered as on-site attractions. Get a case of the willies with Spookers, streaming at SBS On Demand: More at SBS: I worked as a psychiatric nurse in Kingseat from 1978 through 1980. We reckon these films and TV shows, streaming now at SBS On Demand, will have your Dad on the edge of his recliner. Mitchells siblings believe foul play may have been a factor in their brothers disappearance, and that he was being physically abused. And its for good reason its a full-blown immersive horror attraction at the haunted attraction scream park, as the documentary Spookers (screening on SBS Viceland and SBS On Demand) vividly demonstrates. Many of the complainants, who at the time of the incidents were aged between 8 and 16 years old, said that they were heavily over-medicated, unwillingly subjected to electro-shock treatment, and placed in isolation for long periods of time sometimes for months. [39], In 2018, Spookers was put up for sale. Voices have been heard, sulphur smelt, and shadowy figures seen. "For me, knowing the turmoil and anguish that went on there, to see itturned into a form of entertainment, Ifind it a little bit difficult to deal with," Lampshiretells Stuff. What's in a name? 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". However, we still need more evidence to make a call as big as whether or not the location is actually haunted,' Wallbank said. But some residents insisted that the complex represented a sad past and shouldnt be highlighted as heritage. Required fields are marked *. Former patients from hospitals in the area, including Kingseat, were hit with claims of grave abuse and neglect. Planning officers have now placed an enforcement notice alleging that Avant has breached conditions at the site by not building the play park in line with the original planning permission. Who's that guy? The road around the hospital is probably haunted from traffic accidents caused by people living there. Do not cause damage or steal from locations. 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. When she sees those buildings, she remembers the screams and anguished cries for help. ive been wanting to know ever since i had heard about this place. Kingseat Psychiatric Hospital in Auckland is claimed to be New Zealand's most haunted site with over 100 ghost sightings reported While the building is now derelict, with walls still bearing. With our Facility Locator, you can discover the nearest Kindred Hospital Facility. In 2000, legal action was taken against the Tainui tribe for financial issues involving the former hospital. Kingseat was sold by South Auckland Health in 1996, after the Governments deinstitutionalisation policy insisted a move away from continuing hospitalisation of mentally ill patients in favour of community care and smaller acute and rehabilitation units. With numerous amounts of legal complaints and cases being filed the government has expressed an interest in resolving all of the reported complaints of abuse or mistreatment against these poor patients. The horrordcoris designed to provoke certain reactions, however in the backstage corridors it felt much like an old hotel or dormitory similar to Tavistock Hotel, but with a less lived-in feel. Kingseat Road, Patumahoe Auckland Furnished room in a studio It is a boarding house located at the Kingseat Hospital, this facility has been newly decorated and it has 36 rooms ready for anyone interested in lon. The old Kingseat psychiatric hospital is bulging at the seams. Mr Robertson asked whether any of the patients had been forensic patients as detailed under the Mental Health Act, and whether any of the patients had convictions of rape and other violent crimes. The hospital closed its doors in 1999, however spirits of staff and patients are said to linger in the imposing buildings on its grounds. 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. [41], For the hospital in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, see. I hope that after so much pain was felt there, that we can provide some fun for people in the properties new role! Climbing in, she sensed something terrible had happened. Today, people claim it is one of the most haunted places in New Zealand. With over 100 reported ghost sightings at Kingseat, the most prevalent is The Grey Nurse who took his own life and now apparently dwells in the old nurses quarters. The most haunting testimonyinSpookers,FlorianHabicht's recent documentary aboutthe south Aucklandhaunted houseattraction, comes not from a maniacal clown or a chainsaw-wieldingmadman, but from a middle-aged, red-haired woman named "Debra". South Auckland Health managers say such fears are unwarranted and unjustified. Watson believes very few of the 80,000-90,000 people who visit Spookerseach year know about the building's former life, and the companyavoids mentioningit in promotional materialbeyond sayingit's "based in the former Kingseat Pshyciatric[sic] Hospital in Kingseat". I had actually gone to spookers 2weeks ago with my cousins and family, Please respect the locations and the owners. [6][38] In Australia, the documentary Spookers aired on SBS Viceland and SBS on Demand. Kingseat Hospital opened in 1932 and was operational until 1999, when it was shut down during a sweeping reform of New Zealand's public mental health system. Yes some had murdered, I hope God forgives anyone whom stayed here as a patient. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2011-2021 Haunted Auckland. Why is the US so wrapped up on the subject of UFOs right now? Please sent me a message via facebook, or send an email and lets talk further. It is said that one of the reasons that no real paranormal investigations take place is due to the court cases of mistreatment going through the courts, that along with the sale of the place, the new owner did not want the idea the place was haunted to get out there. She did not realise the facility had been a psychiatric hospital until she made inquiries into leasing 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. A Return to Kingseat and a residential assessment. Some of the criminally insane people did really bad stuff but how they were treated was worse. The hospital grew throughout the mid-late 1930s and 1940s to such an extent that by the beginning of 1947, there were over eight hundred patients. And at the Kingseat villas, theres been some serious poltergeist activity with reports of shaking cupboard doors, tapping on windows, self-operating toilets and taps, and moving furniture. [21] That same year, Haunted Auckland conducted a paranormal investigation at the site. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Unless the address is already mentioned in the article, we do not disclose addresses or locations of abandoned or derelict buildings. 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A Personal EXperience