Abandoned buildings and how they inspire my writing

The main inspiration for the University Hospital building in Spirit Houses, and a big driving force for the book, was another abandoned building, the North Wales Hospital in Denbigh.

Opened in 1842 in response to poor treatment of Welsh Pauper Lunatics in English Asylums, the hospital continued to care for the mental health of the surrounding area until its closure in 1995. Aside from its fascinating past and very important place in social history, it’s a beautiful building and it’s a crime th...