Inverness, Leachkin Road, Northern Counties District Lunatic Asylum Interior -view of fire door Digital image of E 3044

Description Inverness, Leachkin Road, Northern Counties District Lunatic Asylum Interior -view of fire door Digital image of E 3044

Date 12/6/2000

Catalogue Number SC 776627

Category On-line Digital Images

Scope and Content Fire-resisting Door, Craig Dunain Hospital, Leachkin Road, Inverness, Highland (now closed) This heavy, sliding fire-resisting door was possibly installed in the late 19th or early 20th century. The door, probably made of thick hardwood, iron sheeting or steel and asbestos, could be closed to prevent fire spreading into the long hospital corridor, and also to prevent air reaching a fire and fanning the flames. As in any large institution, fire was a perceivable risk. The hospital's electrical system, installed in 1899, represented a risk, as did the kitchens. The asylum was heated by open coal fires, and the cinema projection room, built in 1927 as part of the new recreation hall, stored nitrate-based reels of film which were highly inflammable. Patients were also not restricted in their movements, and many of them smoked. Carelessness with a match dropped on to bedding or furnishings could result in a fire, particularly since supervision by staff was not always possible, especially at night. For example, in 1900 there were four female nurses and four male attendants on night duty supervising 570 patients. 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/776627

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap