Fascinating picyures Phil.
In answer to your question, were your friends Disabled or Fit staff. I don't remember it ever closing down but if they were disabled maybe they had to make room for people who were worse off I can't say. There was a bad fire there in the eighties, it had been burning all night and when the door was opened in the morning, the air rushed in and a section of the roof went up like a rocket (a friday I think,) The Fire Brigade was there all day and came from as far away a Coventry. It was rebuilt maybe they had to lay people off at this time.