Inside dark history of abandoned asylum that starred in blockbuster Hollywood thriller as it plans £22m transformation
The creepy Medfield State Hospital was
Advertisement
13
The abandoned asylum Medfield State Hospital has starred in several films
Credit: Getty
13
The eerie asylum has been abandoned for years
Credit: Jam Press/@places_forgotten
13
It housed thousands of psychiatric patients
Credit: Jam Press/@places_forgotten
13
The island was used as a filming set for an iconic 2010 thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio (R)
Credit: Handout
And the
When it was cosigned to the
The
But that was until its
Advertisement
READ MORE WORLD NEWS
The deserted asylum featured in Hollywood blockbuster Shutter Island, starring
The
The blockbuster film chilled viewers to the core - and the striking effect was only possible with the help of the historical site.
In the film, Ashecliffe Hospital is the fictional asylum used to house the Criminally Insane.
Advertisement
Most read in The Sun
Exclusive
So Medfield Hospital, with its
Brit explorer Ben Stevens travelled to the long-abandoned hospital - which used to be known as the Medfield Insane Asylum.
Shutter Island
He ventured there after learning it was used as the shooting location for Shutter Island.
The Brit told What's The Jam: "It felt very cool to be there as I'm a very big film fan.
Advertisement
"I found out about it because I wanted to know where they filmed Shutter Island."
He added: "Obviously, they dressed up a lot of the building as a set for the movie.
"But I just liked the whole feel of the place, it felt very New England with the red buildings and the leaves."
And the list of Medfield's big screen appearances doesn't stop there.
Advertisement
The sinister island has provided ambient filming locations for movies such as The New Mutants and The Box.
Chilling images of the historical hospital, which once accommodated as many as 2,200 patients, have also been revealed by Stevens.
13
One of the beds in the haunting asylum
Credit: Jam Press/@places_forgotten
13
The exterior of the abandoned asylum
Credit: Jam Press/@places_forgotten
Advertisement
13
Wheelchairs seen rotting inside
Credit: Jam Press/@places_forgotten
13
The eerie site is set to receive a massive £22million make-over
Credit: Getty
After entering the former infirmary's haunted walls, Stevens came across lots of old equipment which were abandoned along with the hospital.
Dusty wheelchairs stood motionless in corridors, alongside derelict beds which hadn't been used for years.
Advertisement
Stevens, 31, detailed: 'I even found a patient's shoes. The whole place was very sinister because I know they conducted a lot of experiments on their patients.
"They also had a very high security wing, which apparently mobsters were sent to, which is pretty cool."
Medfield State Hospital opened in 1896 and was the first of its kind to adapt a cottage-style design - which ironically maximised daylight, fresh air, exercise and socialistion.
This image stands in stark contrast to its haunted and silent reputation today.
Advertisement
The location was used by local dog walkers - as well as film crews from across the country.
Its
destiny
is set to be reshaped again - as a local nonprofit is hoping to transform the site into a hub for music and education.
Seemingly unable to escape the entertainment industry, Medfield State Hospital is facing plans to become a brand new venue.
The nonprofit has already hosted a variety of live music and festivals on the hospital grounds.
Advertisement
The town of Medfield purchased the property in 2014, with discussions over what to do with it already ongoing.
There were also concerns over how to handle a contaminated portion of the location.
13
The derelict hospital was set up in the 19th century
Credit: Jam Press/@places_forgotten
13
It was used for over a hundred years
Credit: Jam Press/@places_forgotten
Advertisement
13
The island featured in Shutter Island (2010)
Credit: Handout
After four years of collecting public input, the town completed a master plan in 2018.
And in 2020, the Bellforge Arts Center secured a 99-year lease with the town on two signature buildings at the core of the new campus.
Bellforge Arts Center programme director Paul Armstrong said: 'We're not here to copy what's being done, we're here to surprise, challenge expectations of a suburban art center and try to create something truly different for both the artists, the audiences, and the community.'
Advertisement
The nonprofit is still raising funds for the £22million megaproject, which will involve renovating the Lee Chapel and Infirmary, linking two buildings with a glass annex, and developing surrounding green space for outdoor performances and community events.
The groundbreaking performance venue will also feature a 300-seat auditorium for music, theatre, and dance.
The flexible space will accommodate lectures, films, readings, community and business meetings, as well as special events like weddings.
It will also hold indoor art exhibits, a kitchen and office space.
Advertisement
The construction is starting this summer and is set to last about 16 months.
Aside from the two buildings that will become an arts centre, the other 25 are set to become apartments.
13
Aerial view of the creepy asylum which holds 27 buildings
Credit: Jam Press/@places_forgotten
13
The site is going to be converted into an arts centre and apartment buildings
Credit: Jam Press/@places_forgotten
Advertisement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
23 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Patrick Kielty ‘didn't feel like an equal partner' in failed marriage to Cat Deeley – admitting ‘rough patches'
PATRICK Kielty has said he "didn't feel like an equal partner" in his failed marriage to Cat Deeley - and admitted they had "rough patches" they had to work through. The couple, who wed in 2012, announced 5 Patrick Kielty has said he "didn't feel like an equal partner" in his failed marriage to Cat Deeley - and admitted they had "rough patches" they had to work through Credit: Rex 5 Patrick explained that he realised he was just a junior shareholder in the partnership Credit: Free for editorial use 5 The couple, who wed in 2012, announced they had called it quits yesterday Credit: Getty "We will continue to be united as loving parents to our children and would therefore kindly ask for our family privacy to be respected. "There will be no further comment." Speaking on The Mid-Point podcast in July 2023, Patrick explained that he thought he was in a 50/50 partnership for "a long time" before realising he was just a "junior shareholder" Cat Deeley "Then you realise you're actually a junior shareholder in a 50/50 partnership. "You go, 'I thought we were 50/50? Why do you seem to have more shares?' "I think with big decisions you kind of have to float stuff and see how that's going to go. You know, drop that into conversation." Most read in News TV Asked about their decision to move back to the UK from LA, he said: "What was weird about it was it was Cat who more wanted to do that. "It was more so her decision. Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty reveal split after 13 years of marriage "I think being a new mum and not having the family around and not having the network of cousins and brothers, and so I think, for me, London is not home. It will never really be home for me. "In my head, I still live in a little village in County Down, even though I haven't lived there full time for 30 years. These are the tricks you play on yourself. "Living in London , my family was always a flight away anyway, so that idea of being a longer flight away from LA wasn't as much of a problem for me as someone who had to get a flight to go to see them anyway. "I also think because Asked if it was the happiest he and Cat had ever been, he said: "Yeah, look, you know 10 years into marriage , it is something you work at. "It's that idea that what attracts you is not going to keep you together. "It's that idea of how you work together whenever the rough and the smooth and all those things … it's a journey. "You put those kids into the mix and suddenly those priorities change, and all of those things. "I think anybody who feels they can put their feet up and go, 'Yeah, that's marriage cracked,' you're kind of going, 'Really?!' " Although their friendship developed over the years, they only began dating later, eventually tying the knot in a private ceremony in Rome. Cat, who spent more than a decade hosting So You Think You Can Dance in the U.S., continued to juggle work across both sides of the Atlantic. Speculation about their relationship emerged earlier this year when The This Morning presenter was notably missing from the occasion in Dundrum, Ireland, where Patrick - host of RTE's Late Late Show - was pictured carrying his mother's coffin. A spokesman for Cat told the Cat and Patrick have two sons - Milo, eight, and James, five. 5 Speculation about their relationship emerged earlier this year when Cat was absent from Patrick's mother Mary's funeral in February Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 5 Cat and Patrick first met while filming Fame Academy in the early 2000s Credit: Getty
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
‘That's f***ing stupid' – Tom Brady snaps at Birmingham aide in row about how David Beckham should be treated
DAVID BECKHAM gave Tom Brady a lesson in English football fans' banter when he watched Birmingham take on Wrexham. The Advertisement 4 David Beckham gave Tom Brady a lesson in English football fans' banter Credit: Getty 4 Brady invited footie legend David Beckham to be a special guest as Birmingham hosted Wrexham last September Credit: Rex Play Dream Team now! Play The Sun Dream Team ahead of the 2025/26 season Free to play Over £100,000 in total prize money Play in Mini Leagues against your mates Submit a team for Gameweek 1 to enter £5,000 prize draw NFL hero Brady, part-owner of Championship club Birmingham, sat with Beckham as the Blues won 3-1. And the two feature in a fly-on-the-wall documentary Built in Birmingham: Brady & the Blues that drops on Amazon Prime on Thursday. Beckham, 50, tells Brady: 'Your fans are singing about sheep s***gers — that's what they say about Welsh people!' The two have a clear bond — which is shown in the second of five episodes charting the American's involvement with Birmingham over the past two seasons. Advertisement READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS Ex-New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Brady, who won a staggering seven Super Bowls , has huge respect for the six-time Prem-winner. Before the game, Brady suggests to co-owner Tom Wagner that they organise a gift bag with a club sweater, hoodie, scarf and hat for the 115-cap ex-England star. Yet Wagner is told by one of his St Andrew's aides that as Beckham has no affiliation with Birmingham , that it would be a faux pas. But Brady, 47, retorts: 'That's f***ing stupid! Give him a gift bag to take home! Advertisement Most read in Football BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 'It's a sweet thing. He doesn't have to wear it.' But one person not impressed with his gift was Wrexham's Hollywood co-owner Rob McElhenney. Tom Brady's ex-wife Gisele Bundchen shares rarely-seen photos of new baby she had with Jiu-Jitsu instructor lover 4 Tom Brady has a jokey relationship with Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney Credit: Getty Advertisement The actor is presented by Brady with a Birmingham shirt on the pitch before kick-off bearing No 12 and 'McElhenney' on the back. He says: 'What am I supposed to do with that?' But Brady does please his fellow American by signing an NFL card for his son. And the actor is gushing in his praise for Brady — telling him: 'You're one of five people in the world any locker room will listen to.' Advertisement Birmingham went on to win the title and promotion back to the Championship, earning an EFL record of 111 points during the season. 4 Birmingham won promotion back to the Championship
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Danny Dyer DOUBLES his millions in just three years after being left ‘skint' before career u-turn
DANNY Dyer has had a lot to be celebrating over 2025, with his business doubling in value within the space of a year. The TV favourite has amassed a £1.4million fortune at his private firm, Arty Bucco, across the last financial year – the most lucrative earnings of his career. 7 Danny Dyer has seen a string of hit shows including Mr Bigstuff and Rivals Credit: Sky UK LTD 7 Arty Bucco is run by Danny and wife Joanne Mas Credit: Getty 7 The actor has been stealing hearts as Freddie in Rivals Credit: Robert Viglasky New accounts filed at Companies House reveal the star was sitting on over £1.5million in assets before bills, holding £896,857 in ready cash, £153,000 in investments and £483,182 worth of monies due in. Dyer's cash mountain is a staggering £712,221 up on the year before. It tops off an incredible year for the star, who took home his first ever Bafta for Sky comedy Mr Bigstuff, as well as seeing massive success with And it looks like it's only set to continue, with a new documentary series seeing him invest in a caravan park with daughter Dani for a new documentary series set to rival Clarkson's Farm. READ MORE DANNY DYER A second season of Rivals – a 'bonkbuster' based on the novels of Jilly Cooper – is currently being filmed in Bristol, and the second season of Mr Bigstuff was released last week. His success comes after he's made conscious moves to ditch his East End hard nut persona to , causing a career u-turn, which has helped boost his bank balance. He also has a podcast, Live and Let Dyer, with Dani and wife Jo, and a Danny's riches include a £161,410 profit for 2025 - which works out at £3,104 per week, while his bills – reported at £155,804 – include £149,404 in taxation and social security. Most read in TV The figures were signed off by the former EastEnders star yesterday and span the year ended 31 January 2025, with the firm only employing two members of staff – thought to be Danny and his wife, Though their pay is not reported, the small print reveals that between them they owed the business £110,949 - £400,000 less than they did in 2024. Danny Dyer reveals he was 'off his nut' on drugs during 'f***ing dark' EastEnders filming and slams 's**t' soap scripts Dyer set up the business – whose activities are listed as 'motion picture, video and television production' back in 2015 alongside Joanne. Since then it has seen a strong and steady increase, earning his first £500,000 in 2020 before passing the £1million mark three years later. It's a major improvement on his former company Old Mother Media, which was set up in 2010 and went bust just three years later. At the time, a statement of affairs signed off by Dyer reported £29,170 worth of debt – including £24,827 owned to HM Revenue and Customs. 7 Danny won his first Bafta this year after decades in the business Credit: Getty 7 Danny and Jo worked together to build the multi-million pound company Credit: Getty 7 The star remains beloved as EastEnders icon Mick Carter Credit: BBC 7 Danny has been growing his career over the past 30 years Credit: BBC
