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Cromey, James Martin (2019) A system in ruins; the Victorian asylums of Britain. MPhil(R) thesis. https://theses.gla.ac.uk/41178/ Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten: Theses https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] A System in Ruins; The Victorian Asylums of Britain. The architecture, heritage and fictional reimagining of the asylum institutions of Britain and their impact on the stigma surrounding mental illness. Cover; North Wales County Pauper Asylum (Flickr, 2018) James Martin Cromey Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Master of Philosophy (Research) Archaeology; School of Humanities College of Arts University of Glasgow October 2018 Abstract Despite its closure prior to the beginning of the 21st century, echoes of the county and district asylum system still remain across Britain. These grand architectural monoliths housed hundreds of people in various sites at their peak, across the countryside of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and offered care to mental health patients for over a century. Despite this, many will know the asylum complexes from whistle-blower accounts or newspaper articles declaring them unfit for purpose and highlighting incidents where negligence was commonplace. Furthermore, the fictional renditions of asylums in films, novels and video games has resulted in a lingering disparity between the asylums’ heritage, and the history as more commonly depicted and digested by the public. The cultural perception of asylums is such that the sites now act as a focal point for perceived wrongdoing in past mental health care. Consequently, the sites retain a negative ambiance, brought about by the stigma shown towards these vast institutions, now lying derelict. This thesis will focus on the architecture of the asylum buildings, which will allow a discussion in to the stigma of asylums and the extent to which it is unfounded, instead based on the fictional portrayal of the asylum sites, and not the institutions themselves. 1 Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction and Research aims…………………………………………….6 Limitations………………………………………………………………………………….7 Methodology………………………………………………………………………………..9 Existing Evidence………………………………………………………………………….11 Chapter 2: First-hand accounts…………………………………………………………14 Bly’s undercover investigation and the critique of ‘Ten days in a madhouse’…...……….14 Critique of Taylor’s recollection of ‘The Last Asylum’………….……………….………18 Chapter 3: The architecture of the ‘Stone Goliaths’…………………………………...22 Architecture and Academia……………………………………………………………..…22 Location and Orientation……………………………………………………………..……26 Layout…………………………………………………………………………….………..32 Façade ……………………………………………………………………………………..37 Chapter 4: The ‘Medicropolis’ at Netley…………………………………………….....48 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..48 The Differences of D-Block………………………………………………………...……..52 Space, Seperation and Segregation………………………………………………………..56 Soundscape and the ‘Living Building’………………………………………...…………..61 Chapter 5: Ruins and Reimagination……………………………………...……………68 Architectural Dereliction…………………………………………………………………..68 Purpose, the Past and the Present………………………………………………………….74 Chapter 6: Historical Institutions in the Digital World………………………………81 Modern media and asylums as an environment…………………………………..………81 Chapter 7: The future of historic asylum sites…………………………….…………..89 Discussion………………………………………………………………………………...89 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………...95 2 List of Figures Cover Picture – North Wales County Lunatic Asylum, Denbigh Figure 2.1 – A drawing of Nellie Bly ‘Practicing’ her insanity…………………………..16 Figure 3.1 – 1853 Lunatic Asylum Bill Amendments…………………………………….25 Figure 3.2 – The cover page of the Scottish Lunacy report ………………………………25 Figure 3.3 – Suggestions and Instructions for optimal asylum site……………………….27 Figure 3.4 – Devon County Pauper Lunatic Asylum ……………………………………..32 Figure 3.5 – Site plan of Colney Hatch (Friern) in 1947, with the asylum in yellow and villas built on the ground in red…………………………………………………………...34 Figure 3.6 – Whalley Asylum (Calderstones Hospital) …………………………………..35 Figure 3.7 – Map showing the layout of West Riding Asylum (High Royds) at Menston, Yorkshire …………………………………………………………………………………36 Figure 3.8 – Gartloch hospital building…………………………………………………...37 Figure 3.9 – Gartnavel hospital building…………………………………………………..37 Figure 3.10 – Gartnavel floor plan showing the general layout of the asylum building ….38 Figure 3.11 – Lanark district asylum……………………………………………………...40 Figure 3.12 – High Royds, Menston, Yorkshire………………………………………….42 Figure 3.13 – Eglinton Hospital building…………………………………………………43 Figure 3.14 – St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh………………………………...…………..43 Figure 3.15 – Eglinton site plan, showing the various stages of hospital buildings..……..44 Figure 4.1 – Aerial photograph, with D-Block visible in the top centre, behind the main hospital………………………………………………………………………………….…52 Figure 4.2 – Photograph depicting the D-Block Military Psychiatric Ward as depicted on a postcard …………………………………………………………………………………...53 Figure 4.3 – A corridor in D-block displaying the asymmetrical walls and heavy doors…54 Figure 4.4 – Orderly in Netley Hospital with ‘an ominous looking trolley’………………55 Figure 4.5 – Photograph showing an officer sat in one of the wings of the Royal Victoria Hospital…………………………………………………………………………………....63 Figure 4.6 – Sikh patients recovering in Netley…………………………………………..64 Figure 5.1 – Haunted Evening header for a ghost hunt in the Towers Asylum…………..69 Figure 5.2 – The front façade of the North Wales County Asylum ……………………...70 Figure 5.3 – West Riding Pauper Asylum at High Royds………………………………...72 Figure 5.4 – Gartloch Hospital’s Iconic two towered block……………………………....73 Figure 5.5 – Eglinton Asylum on fire in 2010…………………………………………….75 3 Figure 5.6 – Ruins of Woodilee prior to renovation, with vandalised and graffitied exterior……………………………………………………………………………….……77 Figure 6.1 – The fictional façade of Moira Asylum in Thief………………………….…..82 Figure 6.2 – A hallway inside Moira, showing blood streaks and semblances of uproar…84 Figure 6.3 – Image of the roaming NPC enemies within Moira Asylum, called ‘The Freaks………………………………………………………………………………...85 Figure 6.4 – Dr Walter Freeman Jackson II………………………………………….……87 Figure 6.7 – Dr Richard Trager…………………………………………………………...87 Figure 7.1– St Luke’s Hospital, (1787)……………………………………………………89 Figure 7.2 – Bethlem Hospital at St George’s Field, Post-1810…………………………..90 Abbreviations H.o.C – House of Commons SCL – Scottish Commison in Lunacy 4 Acknowledgements This research undertaken over the past 12 months would not have been achievable were it not for a number of people. Firstly, I would like to thank my parents and family for their continued encouragement and support and unwavering belief in my abilities, not only over the past 12 months, but also throughout the 4 years prior. In particular, I would like to thank my dad for suffering through many chapter drafts and literary ‘faux pas’! Secondly, I would like to thank my advisors, Cheryl, Michael and Stephen for helping me with this interdisciplinary topic. Without their guidance, enthusiasm and knowledge, this thesis would have been much less enjoyable to research and write, and they continue to act as inspiration for me to pursue a career in research and academia. Thirdly I would like to thank my friends from across the world who have given me so much in the last 12 months. In particular, I would like to thank Sammy, for keeping me going through both the ups and downs. I would also like to thank my friends Ali, Hanna, Henna, Hera, Keri, Morgan, Ollie, Peter, Sean and Simon, as well as all the other friends I have made across the world who have kept me company, given me confidence and have motivated me to push myself in many aspects of life, I am immeasurably grateful to you all! Finally, I would like to thank my Grandparents, who gave me the means and the motivation to tackle this very difficult subject matter. I hope that this work will help, in some small way, change the perception of Mental Health and Mental illness for the better. 5 Author’s Declaration I declare that, except where explicit reference is made to the contribution of others, this thesis is the result of my own work and has not been submitted for any other degree at the University of Glasgow or any other institution. Signature ........................................ Printed Name 6 Chapter 1: Introduction and Research aims The study of mental health is an important topic in academia, with its science, stigma and medical treatment well documented (Corrigan, 2004. Gary, 2005). Importantly, it has also been recognised that mental health and its issues are a significant concern outside the medical field, as seen in areas such as geography (Parr 1998) and history (Drake et al, 2003. Jones, 1993). By combining disciplines, this work will be able to fully examine the two aspects at the core of historic mental health care; the material world of the asylum buildings,

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