Gladesville Mental Hospital

Last updated

Gladesville Mental Hospital
Gladesville Mental Hospital Medical Superintendent's Residence.jpg
The Medical Superintendent's Residence of the former hospital
Gladesville Mental Hospital
Geography
Location Gladesville, New South Wales, Australia
Organisation
Type Disused mental hospital
Services
Links
Lists Hospitals in Australia
Gladesville Mental Hospital
Gladesville Mental Hospital
Alternative namesTarban Creek Lunatic Asylum
General information
Coordinates 33°50′16″S151°07′51″E / 33.8379°S 151.1309°E / -33.8379; 151.1309
Construction started1836
Completed1838
Opened19 November 1838 (1838-11-19)
Closed29 January 1993 (1993-01-29)
Owner Government of New South Wales via NSW Ministry of Health
Technical details
Material Sandstone
Size25.4 Hectarea
Design and construction
Architect(s)
Architecture firm Colonial Architect of New South Wales
Other designers
References
[1] [2]
Official nameGladesville Hospital Precinct
Criteria a., c., d., e.
Designated1 December 1995
Reference no.s.170 NSW State agency heritage register

The Gladesville Mental Hospital, formerly known as the Tarban Creek Lunatic Asylum, was a psychiatric hospital established in 1838 in the Sydney suburb of Gladesville. The hospital officially closed in 1993, with the last inpatient services ceasing in 1997.

Contents

Description and history

Before 1838, people with mental or emotional problems in the Sydney area were housed in a "lunatic asylum" in Gladesville, a suburb located on the Parramatta River's Northern banks between Sydney and Parramatta, or in the Female Factory at Parramatta, twenty-four kilometres west of Sydney. In the 1830s, construction of a purpose-built asylum began on the banks of the Parramatta River, in the area now known as Gladesville. The original sandstone complex, known initially as Tarban Creek Lunatic Asylum, was designed by the Colonial Architect, Mortimer Lewis, between 1836 and 1838. [3] Patients were then transferred from Liverpool and the Female Factory. James Barnet designed additional buildings in the hospital grounds precinct. [4] [5]

On 29 January 1993, Gladesville Hospital, together with Macquarie Hospital, was revoked as a hospital, and was amalgamated to form the Gladesville Macquarie Hospital. The last inpatient services were closed in 1997. [2]

The first supervisor was John Thomas Digby, who sought to improve the treatment of the mentally ill, as did his successor, Frederick Norton Manning. On a visit to Sydney in 1867, Manning was invited by Henry Parkes to become medical superintendent of the Tarban Creek Lunatic Asylum. Before accepting, Manning went overseas and studied methods of patient care and administration of asylums; on his return to Sydney, he submitted a notable report. He was appointed to Tarban Creek on 15 October 1868 and immediately reported on the isolation of patients from their relations in accommodation best described as 'prison-like and gloomy', the inadequate facilities for their gainful employment and recreation and the monotonous diets deficient in both quantity and quality. In January 1869, the asylum's name was changed to the Hospital for the Insane, Gladesville, wherein patients were to receive treatment rather than be confined in a 'cemetery for diseased intellects'. By 1879 radical changes in patient care and accommodation had been made. Gladesville was extended and modernized, and an asylum for imbeciles set up in Newcastle and a temporary asylum at Cooma. Manning minimized the use of restraint and provided for patient activities

The hospital continued to grow, sometimes through acquiring nearby properties. One notable acquisition was the heritage-listed The Priory, a two-storey sandstone house in Salter Street, Gladesville. [6] The house was built in the late 1840s, possibly by a family named Stubbs. In the 1850s, it was sold to the Marist Fathers, who influenced the early development of Hunters Hill. The hospital acquired it in 1888. It was listed on the (now defunct) Register of the National Estate in 1978. [7]

In 1915, the designation was changed again when the complex became known as the Gladesville Mental Hospital. In 1993, the Gladesville hospital was amalgamated with the Macquarie Hospital at North Ryde to create Gladesville Macquarie Hospital. In 1997, all inpatient services were consolidated at the Macquarie, North Ryde site. [2]

Heritage listings

The following buildings and structures have various heritage listings on the New South Wales State Heritage Register, the local government register of the New South Wales Heritage Database, and/or the (now defunct) Register of the National Estate. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parramatta</span> Suburb of City of Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia

Parramatta is a suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi) west of Central Sydney, on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the local government area of the City of Parramatta and is often regarded as the main commercial centre of Greater Western Sydney Metropolitan area. Parramatta also has a long history as a second administrative centre in the Sydney metropolitan region, playing host to a number of state government departments as well as state and federal courts. It is often colloquially referred to as "Parra".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Jackson</span> Body of water in Sydney, Australia

Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea. It is the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. The location of the first European settlement and colony on the Australian mainland, Port Jackson has continued to play a key role in the history and development of Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gladesville Bridge</span> Bridge in Sydney, Australia

Gladesville Bridge is a heritage-listed concrete arch road bridge that carries Victoria Road over the Parramatta River, linking the Sydney suburbs of Huntleys Point and Drummoyne, in the local government areas of Canada Bay and Hunter's Hill, in New South Wales, Australia. Despite its name, the bridge is not in Gladesville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parramatta River</span> River in Australia

The Parramatta River is an intermediate tide-dominated, drowned valley estuary located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With an average depth of 5.1 metres (17 ft), the Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson. Secondary tributaries include the smaller Lane Cove and Duck rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gladesville, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Gladesville is a suburb in the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Gladesville is located 10 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Ryde and the Municipality of Hunter's Hill. Gladesville is part of the federal electorates of North Sydney and Bennelong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipality of Hunter's Hill</span> Local government area in New South Wales, Australia

The Municipality of Hunter's Hill is a local government area on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The municipality was first proclaimed in 1861, which includes the suburbs of Hunters Hill, Woolwich, Huntleys Point, Tarban, Henley and part of Gladesville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney</span> Heritage-listed building in Sydney, Australia

The Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney is a heritage-listed former barracks, hospital, convict accommodation, mint and courthouse and now museum and cafe located at Macquarie Street in the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. Originally built from 1811 to 1819 as a brick building and compound to house convict men and boys, it was designed by convict architect Francis Greenway. It is also known as the Mint Building and Hyde Park Barracks Group and Rum Hospital; Royal Mint – Sydney Branch; Sydney Infirmary and Dispensary; Queen's Square Courts; Queen's Square. The site is managed by the Sydney Living Museums, an agency of the Government of New South Wales, as a living history museum open to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Callan Park Hospital for the Insane</span> Former hospital in New South Wales, Australia

The Callan Park Hospital for the Insane is a heritage-listed former insane asylum, which was subsequently, for a time, used as a college campus, located in the grounds of Callan Park, an area on the shores of Iron Cove in Lilyfield, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. In 1915, the facility was renamed as the Callan Park Mental Hospital and, again in 1976, to Callan Park Hospital. Since 1994, the facility has been formally known as Rozelle Hospital. In April 2008, all Rozelle Hospital services and patients were transferred to Concord Hospital. The Callan Park Act, 2002 (NSW) restricts future uses of the site to health, tertiary education and community uses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parramatta Female Factory</span>

The Parramatta Female Factory, is a National Heritage Listed place and has three original sandstone buildings and the sandstone gaol walls. The Parramatta Female Factory was designed by convict architect Francis Greenway in 1818 and the only female building authorized by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. It comprises the 1821 Matron's Quarters and Administration and Stores Building, the 1821 Female Hospital and the 1826 3rd Class Female Penitentiary. It is the first female factory in the penal colony of New South Wales, and is located at 5 Fleet Street, North Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia. It was one of 13 female factories in the colonies of New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land. In New South Wales, female factories were also established in Bathurst, Newcastle, Port Macquarie and Moreton Bay. The factory idea was a combination of the functions of the British bridewells, prisons and workhouses. The Parramatta Female Factory is being considered for World Heritage listing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huntleys Cove, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Huntleys Cove is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Huntleys Cove is located 9 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Hunter's Hill. Huntleys Cove sits on the peninsula between Tarban Creek and the Parramatta River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kew Asylum</span> Former hospital in Victoria, Australia

Kew Lunatic Asylum is a decommissioned psychiatric hospital located between Princess Street and Yarra Boulevard in Kew, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Operational from 1871 to 1988, Kew was one of the largest asylums ever built in Australia. Later known as Willsmere, the complex of buildings were constructed between 1864 and 1872 to the design of architects G.W. Vivian and Frederick Kawerau of the Victorian Public Works Office to house the growing number of "lunatics", "inebriates", and "idiots" in the Colony of Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yarra Bend Asylum</span> Former hospital in Victoria, Australia

Yarra Bend Asylum was the first permanent institution established in Victoria that was devoted to the treatment of the mentally ill. It opened in 1848 as a ward of the Asylum at Tarban Creek in New South Wales. It was not officially called Yarra Bend Asylum until July 1851 when the Port Phillip District separated from the Colony of New South Wales. Prior to the establishment of Yarra Bend, lunatic patients had been kept in the District's gaols. Yarra Bend was proclaimed an Asylum under the provisions of the Lunacy Statute 1867 (No.309) in the Government Gazette in October 1867.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Norton Manning</span>

Frederick Norton Manning, was a medical practitioner, military surgeon, Inspector General of the Insane for the Colony of New South Wales, and was an Australian Lunatic Asylum Superintendent. He was a leading figure in the establishment of a number of lunatic asylums in the colonies of New South Wales and Victoria, and participated in inquests and reviews of asylums throughout the colonies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mortimer Lewis</span>

Mortimer William Lewis was an English-born architect, surveyor and public servant who migrated to Australia and became Colonial Architect in the colony of New South Wales from 1835 to 1849. Lewis was responsible for designing and overseeing many government buildings in Sydney and rural New South Wales, many of which are heritage listed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Priory, Gladesville</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

The Priory is a heritage-listed former farm, mental health facility, convent and homestead and now building, vacant building and proposed community arts uses at Manning Road, Gladesville in the Municipality of Hunter's Hill local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The main part of The Priory was designed by William Weaver and Henry Hardie Kemp, and built from 1847 to 1874 by Thomas Stubbs, The Marist Fathers in Australia, and Thomas Salter. It is also known as Gladesville Hospital, Gladesville Asylum and The Priory and curtilage. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 3 December 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parramatta Female Factory and Institutions Precinct</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

The Parramatta Female Factory and Institutions Precinct is a heritage-listed conservation site in Parramatta, in the City of Parramatta local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The site was used as the historically significant Parramatta Female Factory from 1821 to 1848. After its closure, the main factory buildings became the basis for the Parramatta Lunatic Asylum, while another section of the site was used for a series of other significant institutions: the Roman Catholic Orphan School (1841–1886), the Parramatta Girls Home (1887–1974), the "Kamballa" and "Taldree" welfare institutions (1974–1980), and the Norma Parker Centre (1980–2008).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle Government House</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Newcastle Government House is a heritage-listed former military post and official residence and now park and psychiatric hospital at 72 Watt Street, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It is also known as Newcastle Government House and Domain, Newcastle Military Barracks & Hospital, Girls' Industrial School, Reformatory for Girls, Lunatic Asylum for Imbeciles, James Fletcher Hospital and Fletcher Park. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 22 March 2011.

References

  1. "Gladesville Hospital Precinct". New South Wales State Heritage Register . Department of Planning & Environment . Retrieved 22 November 2017. CC-BY icon.svg Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
  2. 1 2 3 "Records agency: Gladesville Hospital". State Records and Archives. Government of New South Wales . Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  3. The Heritage of Australia, Macmillan Company, 1981, p.2/29
  4. 1 2 "NSW Medical Board Offices". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment & Heritage . Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Ward 18 - Acute Admissions". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment & Heritage . Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  6. 1 2 "The Priory". New South Wales State Heritage Register . Department of Planning & Environment. H01720. Retrieved 2 June 2018. CC-BY icon.svg Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence .
  7. "Gladesville Mental Hospital Precinct, Punt Rd, Gladesville, NSW, Australia (Place ID 2620)". Australian Heritage Database . Australian Government . Retrieved 16 January 2009.
  8. The Heritage of Australia, p.2/30
  9. "Cypress Grove". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment & Heritage . Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  10. "Medical Records Department". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment & Heritage . Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  11. "Punt Road Gates". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment & Heritage . Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  12. "Stores (General and Provision)". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment & Heritage . Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  13. "Punt Road Gates". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment & Heritage . Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  14. "Sandstone walling". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment & Heritage . Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  15. "Stone Wall". New South Wales State Heritage Register . Department of Planning & Environment . Retrieved 22 November 2017. CC-BY icon.svg Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence .
  16. "The Priory". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment & Heritage . Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  17. "The Priory". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment & Heritage . Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  18. "Workshops". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment & Heritage . Retrieved 22 November 2017.

Attribution

CC BY icon-80x15.png  This article incorporates text by New South Wales State Heritage Register available under the CC BY 3.0 AU licence.