Barnes Hospital

Barnes Hospital / Convalescent Home, is located in Cheadle, Greater Manchester. It now sits in the middle of the complex interchange between the A34, M60 and M56 motorways when, originally, it was constructed in open countryside. The urban sprawl of Manchester and surrounding areas have closed in on the hospital with the demand for roads showing no regard. The main building is Grade II listed, but the remainder of the hospital has been demolished.

Robert Barnes made a donation of £26,000 in 1869 for a new convalescent hospital to be built in Cheadle. Construction of the hospital started in 1871, using locally made bricks and materials and was completed in 1875. The broken remains of three stone crosses were discovered in 1874 during the construction. One, located in St Marys church in Cheadle, shaped in the form of a Celtic cross with a central boss, and dates from the late 10th century. The other two are thought to be much older but have been lost.

Although the hospital had many uses through out its history, such as a convalescent home for wounded soldiers during World War II, it was last used for geriatric care and stroke patients. Sadly it closed in September 1999 when Manchester Healthcare Trust was undergoing a £2 million cost cuts. They sold the hospital for £2 million to Reality Estates who plan to convert the main building into 42 flats. Although work started with the demolition of the outer buildings and the gutting of the main building, work seems to have stopped. The hospital temporarily housed a large group of Kosovan refugees following its closure.