Inside abandoned mortuary that left explorer so horrified he bolted after disturbing find – The Mirror
A curious photographer explored the abandoned Croydon Public Mortuary, and found patient files and intake lists of those who came through the mortuary – leaving him fleeing with fear
A photographer who explored an abandoned mortuary said he felt like he had to "run" out of there as it felt "sinister," after discovering victim’s medical files and a well-stocked autopsy tools cupboard.
Ben James, 32 who works in the medical field from Cambridge, England explored the abandoned Croydon Public Mortuary and found patient files and intake lists of those who came through the mortuary.
Ben explored the building which has been abandoned since 2017, taking images of the tools set out neatly waiting to be used on the next body, while another image shows a booklet filled with real patient files left behind.
Upon exploring the mortuary, Ben said it felt very surreal to him as it was by far the biggest mortuary he had ever visited, with over seven autopsy tables and fridges that could hold up to 50 bodies at a time.
He said: "It was very very surreal because it was one of the biggest mortuaries I’ve ever been in. There were about seven autopsy tables which are quite impressive because normally there is only one or two at a push."
Adding: "There was a lot there. The fridges held up to 50 bodies as well."
However, the most surprising find for Ben was the list of patient records and intake list from 2017. Ben was able to find one patient who had died of a severe car crash when they were autopsied there.
Ben said: "My favourite thing that was there was that there were still all the intake forms left on the table from 2017 from some of the deceased who had come in which was quite weird because I could Google them if I wanted to and find out how they died."
He added: “I found that one guy had died in a bad car crash. I just thought, "How was this left?" I loved finding the cabinets with all the tools, which was quite cool.
"The weirdest thing was definitely seeing the intake list of all the names of people who had come through."
The morgue was shut down due to the examination of bodies being moved to the more modern facilities at Croydon University Hospital. Whilst the mortuary was passed for its standards In 2012, the Human Tissue Authority, it was noted that the facilities were quite dated.
In a final internal audit in 2019 taken of Croydon Public Mortuary, it listed that all post mortems were done at the Croydon University Hospital and the Croydon Public Mortuary was used as reception and storage of the bodies of those who have died in the borough.
Whilst Ben didn’t think the mortuary was necessarily creepy as he walked through what did make him feel uncomfortable was the building and the thought of all the dead bodies that would have been stored there throughout the years.
Ben said: "It felt very sinister, it didn’t feel too creepy, just felt more surreal. At times, it made me feel like I had to run out of there."
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