Haunting Nights Ghost Hunting Adventure continues
Haunting Nights Ghost Hunts are back in haunted Liverpool at Newsham Park Abandoned Orphanage and Hospital Following on from some spooky nights at St James cemetery and Lowlands Mansion in Liverpool for 2023 we have added Newsham Park Abandoned Orphanage and Hospital to our growing list of haunted locations in the North West Over the years so much has been said about the history and hauntings of this gothic abandoned building in the heart of Liverpool, on an overnight ghost hunt with haunting nights maybe we will find out for ourselves as we attempt to make contact with those who remain
This vast sprawling location has many areas to investigate, the list is endless, empty decaying wards, the derelict theatre, the Naughty Boys corridor, hidden away at the very top of the building where it is said that the orphans were locked away as punishment. Will you hear the crack of the headmaster cane as he walks the corridor still keeping order today?
Below the main building are the laundry rooms, dark and foreboding, we defy anyone to spend time alone down here. Footsteps are heard pacing the corridor, a harrowing figure is seen on the stairs and the sounds of something being dragged in the adjoining empty rooms. During your overnight ghost hunt with Haunting Nights at Newsham Park Abandoned Orphanage and Hospital you will be ghost hunting in groups of 8 to 10 people expertly guided by a Haunting Nights Team member
We will be covering the full spectrum of ghost hunting techniques from the Victorian era, Ouija Boards, Glass Divination, Scrying, table tipping and seances to the more modern day methods with meters trigger objects, Alice Box DNA and we might even attempt our sensory experiment for the brave
On a ghost hunt with haunting Nights the night is yours, we will facilitate the very best experience possible with nothing fake or set up, you will be joining us for a genuine paranormal experience
We just hope you are ready to experience the hauntings of Newsham Park Abandoned Orphanage and Hospital
The History Of Newsham Park
Before 1869, there was nothing in Liverpool for the support and education of the orphans of British seamen. The first move to establish such an institution was made by a group of leading Liverpool ship-owners in 1868.
The sponsors of the project comprised a group of ship-owners who for some time had been concerned how best to help the widows and families of deceased Merseyside men including those lost at sea. Members of the public were invited to attend a meeting at the Mercantile Marine Service Association Rooms on 16 December 1868, at which the resolution to found such an establishment was proposed by Ralph Brocklebank and Bryce Allan, both leading ship-owners . James Beazley, another leading ship-owner, was invited to be chairman of the committee to establish an orphanage
Newsham Park Orphanage was Born
As of June 1884, around 800 fatherless children were being supported by the orphanage, of which around half were living at the orphanage and an equal number being supported with their mothers at home. It was understood that the average annual cost to support one child in the orphanage was around £15 (equivalent to £1,700 in 2019), compared with £8 (equivalent to £900 in 2019) annually for those supported at home. The institution was financially supported entirely by voluntary donations. In May 1886, Queen Victoria visited the institution, and added her name to the list of patrons. From the outset the education of the children was given top priority, and from 1892 the boys' school, and from 1898 the girls' school were administered strictly under government regulations, and the institution received a share of the Parliamentary Grant from the Education Department.
By 1899 there were 321 children in the orphanage, while 508 were receiving outdoor relief in the form of monetary grants and clothing. Children of all religious denominations were assisted, with preference given to orphans of British seamen connected with the Port of Liverpool. The scholastic and religious instruction were under the supervision of the Church of England Chaplain. The First World War brought problems, and by 1918 one thousand orphans were being assisted. Royal appreciation of the work was shown from time to time by visits to Newsham Park, and following a visit by Queen Mary and the Princess Royal in 1921 George V bestowed upon the institution the title "Royal" and granted it a Royal Charter of Incorporation.
In 1946, preparations were made for a return to Newsham Park, but with the great expansion in the country's social service schemes, many surviving parents were understandably reluctant to place their children in the orphanage. This led to a gradual decline in the number of resident children. New laws prohibited children under 11 years of age being educated at the same school as older children, and young children living in an institutional school.
Despite Newsham Park's endowment, financial difficulties were increasing and there seemed little prospect of bridging the widening gap between income and expenditure. As a result, the orphanage was closed on 27 July 1949 while continuing to implement the objectives of the founders in providing means for the education and maintenance of the children of deceased British merchant navy seamen. Places in various schools were found for those then being housed and educated at Newsham Park. Most were transferred to the Royal Merchant Navy School at Bearwood, fees, etc. being borne by Newsham Park.
The sale of the premises at Newsham Park to the Ministry of Health for use as a hospital realised £125,000 in 1951; the proceeds were forwarded to the Charity Commissioners for investment. The committee continued to provide support to orphaned seamen's children on a non-resident basis, thus continuing to pursue the original objectives of the institution's founders, with special emphasis on education. The work of the Institution in providing for the relief and education of the orphaned children of seamen continues today, and in 1969 the Institution celebrated its centenary.
Newsham Park Hospital
Newsham Park Hospital opened its doors in 1954. The hospital developed its own psychiatric department and received an influx of patients with severe mental problems. The hospital officially stopped taking new patients in 1988, and by 1992 all remaining patients and staff were relocated.
Today Newsham Park Orphanage and Hospital in Liverpool lies abandoned and decaying but the echo's from the past still resonate around this vast location
Book Your Overnight Ghost Hunt at Newsham Park Orphanage and Hospital with Haunting Nights with just a £15 per person deposit and pay the balance 21 days prior to your event date
