Exploring An Abandoned Victorian Asylum

Century Manor is a very well known location to the locals of Hamilton Ont. and the surrounding area. The Victorian building is the last fully remaining structure of the Hamilton asylum for the insane, which was closed and demolished in the 1980s.

Some people know Century Manor as one of Canada's most haunted places, some know it as the creepy looking building on the escarpment and others know it as the really cool looking piece of Victorian history. No matter how it is seen, most people are intrigued by it and want to see the inside of it. I have been lucky enough to explore it several times, the last time being 7 years ago though, because vandals started to create so much damage and so many fires that the provincial government sealed it up and it has had on site security guards and more since then.

The other day I went on a trail along the escarpment by Century Manor to document rubble and old tunnels from the asylum (post of that here: https://hive.blog/hive-163772/@terrywayne/exploring-the-ruins-of-a-victorian-asylum) and this is a continuation of my post from that.

As I approached Century Manor to snap some exterior photos, it looked as incredible as always!

As I walked around, I noticed that a second floor door that had been boarded off had a big hole in the board (door at the top of the staircase in the last photo). I got excited, could I actually get inside again after all these years?

A car was parked right behind the building (on the other side) with a couple of men talking at it. So I walked around the grounds waiting for them to leave, but then an ambulance drove to the car and lifted an injured person (who was laying on the ground by the men and I couldn't see them) onto a stretcher and drove off. The men picked up a board and started to nail it onto a hole in the ground (the area is littered with them). I assumed that the injured person must have fallen into it and these were workers sealing the building back up. Did I miss my chance by only a couple of hours? I chuckled and thought of course lol. But I wasn't ready to walk away, I sat in some grass and waited to see what would happen.

Sure enough they sealed the hole in the ground and left! As I walked up to the building, 3 kids around 11/12 years old came and asked if I was a Youtuber and if there was a way inside. I told them no to both and they rode off. I kinda feel bad for telling them no, cause I remember being that age and how cool it would have been. But couldn't in good conscience help them, incase of injury etc. Sucks being an adult sometimes!

I walked up the staircase with an excitement for the explore that I haven't had in a very very long time! I quickly slipped inside and started snapping. Surprisingly not much had changed, not even decay wise.

I am beyond happy to have had another chance to document this building! It has a really sorted and dark history, and soon will be developed into housing. Seeing it in this original state with decay etc. Will soon be a thing of the past as well.

If you want to know more about its history check out a mini documentary I made about it a few years back.