Lancaster Moor Hospital
Former hospital in Lancashire, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lancaster Moor Hospital, formerly the Lancaster County Lunatic Asylum and Lancaster County Mental Hospital, was a mental hospital in Lancaster, Lancashire, England, which closed in 2000 (the mental health departments left in 1991, but others remained).
| Lancaster Moor Hospital | |
|---|---|
The 1816 building in 2008 | |
  Location in Lancaster | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Lancaster, Lancashire, England |
| Coordinates | 54.049°N 2.772°W |
| Organisation | |
| Type | Specialist |
| Services | |
| Speciality | Psychiatry |
| History | |
| Former names | Lancashire County Lunatic Asylum (1816–1930) Lancaster County Mental Hospital (1930–48) |
| Founded | 1816 |
| Closed | 2000 |
| Links | |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Official name | Moor Hospital, Blocks 40, 41, 42, 44 and 46 |
| Designated | 24 January 1994 |
| Reference no. | 1289436 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Official name | Moor Hospital, New Block |
| Designated | 24 January 1994 |
| Reference no. | 1195079 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Official name | Boundary walls, railings, gates and gate piers at Lancaster Moor Hospital |
| Designated | 13 September 2006 |
| Reference no. | 1391761 |
History
The main building, which was designed by Thomas Standen, was opened as the First Lancashire County Asylum in 1816.[1] It was extended at various times until 1850, and is Grade II* listed.[2] A further building, which was designed by Arnold W. Kershaw in the gothic style and known as "the Annexe", was completed in 1883 and is Grade II listed,[3] as are its walls, railings, and gateways.[4] The hospital's chapel, which was designed by Edward Graham Paley, was built in 1866 and is also Grade II listed.[5][6]
A female doctor, Catherine Arnott, was one of the asylum's early resident Medical Officers.[7]
Campbell House, a facility for paying "gentlemen" patients, was completed in 1909 and the Ladies' Villa, a facility for paying "lady" patients, was completed in 1916.[8] The Ladies' Villa, also known as Ridge Lea, was large enough to be classed separately as a small Mental Asylum.[6]
The hospital was renamed as Lancashire County Mental Hospital in 1930, and as Lancaster Moor Hospital in 1948.[9]
The hospital was a pioneering site for the humane treatment of the mentally ill with the introduction of treatments such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).[10] The writer Alan Bennett describes his mother's treatment in the hospital in his memoirs.[10]
Following the introduction of Care in the Community in the early 1980s, the hospital went into a period of decline and closed in 2000. The Ladies Villa "Ridge Lea" was abandoned after closing in 2013. It is currently used as a dog training ground for Lancashire Police and is surrounded by metal fencing to deter urban explorers, as it is a prime area for exploring.[11][12] A project to convert the annexe and chapel into apartments and to build houses in the grounds, was completed in 2016.[13][14]
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Lancashire
- Listed buildings in Lancaster, Lancashire
- Prestwich Hospital, the second Lancashire County Asylum
- Rainhill Hospital, the third Lancashire County Asylum
- Whittingham Hospital, the fourth Lancashire County Asylum
- Winwick Hospital, the fifth Lancashire County Asylum
- Calderstones Hospital, the sixth Lancashire County Asylum
