Kingseat - first site visit

Finally made it to see Kingseat - I made contact with the property manager who arranged for the caretaker ('Woody') to let me into the main administration block. I had a chat with Woody who clarified a few things about it's recent history. It's current owner bought it from the previous Korean businessman who owed money to the bank. During the latter's ownership, the previous caretaker renovated the top storey to live in, so the floors above had vinyl covering the tiles and wood flooring, and the walls had been painted.

I also chatted to one of the rental people who lived in one of the villas - he was wandering around with a friend who showed me the old morgue..
Coincidentally, while trying on shoes later (of course) I bumped into an old friend (also trying on shoes) who told me something about her past I never knew - she originally trained as a psychiatric nurse and had worked out at Kingseat as a student nurse. Her first comment was how gorgeous the grounds used to be which seems to reinforce a previous comment I'd read about how patients and staff at many of these old psychiatric hospitals became very attached to the grounds.

Impressions

Fantastically atmospheric place. The entrance is pretty powerful, long driveway lined with trees and huge palms with the main admin building staring at you like the custodian of the site (which I guess it was).
Everything driving in seems very symmetrical and ordered - the buildings, the plantings.

Walking in through the front door reinforced this order - the long corridor with a glimpse of the internal courtyard/light well at the end, lined with wood paneling in a grid pattern and flooring like parquet (was it? might have been)

Smells & temparature - walking in the building had that locked up slightly stale smell and was several degrees cooler in the first part, however, as you walked out to the winds it warmed up and felt more lived in for some reason.

The main sounds all the time I was there and wherever I was were the pigeons - either cooing, or flying or walking on the roof. And the crickets.

Big contrast between the ground floor rooms and the upper levels - those above had a more homely feel, less institutional, especially with the staircase treatment. Sunnier, more cosy, less of that strange empty vibe.