Here I am at the derelict St Joseph’s building
where George Formby died aged 56. It’s just off the main shopping precinct in
the centre of Preston. As I passed a busy pub with people sat outside a lone
man glanced at my camera. He looked like a spare willy at a wedding so I
stopped and said I was going to take some photos of the deserted orphanage just
down on the right as George Formby has died there. “No way!” he said truly
surprised, “Never. Well I never knew that.” I supposed a lot of Preston folk
never knew one of Britain’s most successful highly-paid and well-loved legends
died here.
In summary George’s dominating wife had died on
Christmas Day in 1960 (having made him a star.) On Valentine’s Day in 1961 he
announced he was to marry Pat Howson who was a deeply
religious school teacher twenty years his junior. The wedding was set for March
and a Georgian manor house had been purchased in advance. March brought a
church service though it was a funeral service. Days after they announced their
engagement George and Pat were having a candle-lit meal at her home when he
experienced stomach pains. He was brought here to this hospital where a heart
attack was diagnosed. On his first day Pat visited him four times and over the
next few days he was recovering enough for him to be allowed out of bed for a
while. A couple of weeks later on Monday 6th March 1961 Pat was at
George's bedside and they were holding hands and chatting happily about the
forthcoming wedding. She’d been there for about half an hour when George
suffered a sudden heart attack. Though doctors tried to save him he was death
within minutes.
When I reached the derelict building music was
blaring out of one of the smashed windows. It stopped when I started taking a
few photos. From 1877 this was St Joseph’s Orphanage where 971 children were
cared for. It took in Roman Catholic girls in Preston, up to 60 youngsters at a
time and was run by the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady Mother of Mercy. It
closed in 1954 and became a hospital (through the First and Second World Wars
injured soldiers had been treated here.) In 1982 the hospital closed when the
last nuns left nursing but in 1982 it opened again as private care home. It
closed probably for the last time in 2003.
People have explored the inside and some of the links are here...
https://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/hospitals-and-asylums/31842-mount-street-hospital-st-josephs-orphanage-preston-2014-march-2015-a.html#.W7uL43tKh1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-miksYLMFM0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCWHwcOAXd8
George was buried in Warrington cemetery and the link is here...
http://johnhalley.uk/BP%20-%20George%20Formby.htm
The derelict building is down here
on the right…
Walking down Mount Street. The
building is further down on the right…
George and Pat…
A terrific documentary about George
is here…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLFPLwP0f_A