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Inverness, Leachkin Road, Northern Counties District Lunatic Asylum Interior -view of corridor Digital image of E 3026 cn

SC 776618

Description Inverness, Leachkin Road, Northern Counties District Lunatic Asylum Interior -view of corridor Digital image of E 3026 cn

Date 12/6/2000

Catalogue Number SC 776618

Category On-line Digital Images

Scope and Content Entrance Corridor, Craig Dunain Hospital, Leachkin Road, Inverness, Highland (now closed) This entrance corridor, painted in light, warm colours, leads from the main entrance hall (centre). The walls are divided into three sections, with a panelled dado, and a heavily embossed wallpaper frieze below an elaborate plasterwork cornice. The section between the dado and frieze is papered in a brightly coloured wallpaper, and the corridor is flooded with natural light from ceiling lights. The arched entrance from the hall is flanked by fluted pilasters, and a gateway at dado height could be closed to restrict the entry of patients. The asylum was designed to provide a warm, secure and homely environment for the patients, and was designed in the style of a great country house. The interior was luxuriously appointed, spacious, light and airy, with the 'sun and air allowed to enter at every window', no shutters or bars, and light, bright colours on the walls and ceilings. The atmosphere was designed to make the patient feel relaxed and free from stress, and removed from their ordinary existence. Many patients, however, were not mentally ill, and entered the asylum of their own accord simply because they believed it to be a better place than the outside world. Craig Dunain Hospital, designed by the Aberdeen architect, James Matthews (1808-98), opened in 1864 as the Northern Counties District Lunatic Asylum with accommodation for 250-300 patients in single rooms. It was the third District Asylum to be built in Scotland, and occupies a splendid hillside site above Inverness. Additions were made in 1898-1901 to include male and female wards, and further expansion in the 1920s saw the construction of a recreation hall. The last major building scheme before the hospital closed in 2000 included the construction of a new chapel which was completed in 1963. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/776618

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap

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Attribution: © RCAHMS

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