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View of centre of S front from S Digital image of E 8555 CN
SC 785515
Description View of centre of S front from S Digital image of E 8555 CN
Date 21/4/2001
Catalogue Number SC 785515
Category On-line Digital Images
Scope and Content Central Administration Block, Murthly Hospital, Perth & Kinross, from the south (closed 1984 and now demolished) This large central two-storeyed block was designed in an Italianate style by the architect, David Smart (1824-1914), and added to the main block c.1871. It has long mullioned and transommed windows, and a broad string-course which runs at first-floor level. A large octagonal timber cupola, topped by a turret and weathervane, rises from the roof to serve as an observation tower. This central block was designed to contain a communal dining hall on the ground floor and a large recreation hall on the floor above. The latter was a feature of all asylums, and provided a room where staff and patients could meet together on an informal basis. The hall was usually very elaborate and spacious, attempting to recreate the atmosphere of a grand country house. Here patients had the opportunity to engage in a series of quiet pastimes such as reading, drawing or writing or take part in a range of indoor sports. Patients and staff often staged amateur theatricals for the entertainment of other patients, and patients who could play a musical instrument were encouraged to take part in musical evenings. The hall hosted balls, concerts, and lectures from guest speakers, as well as special events such as the hospital's annual Christmas Ball and Burns' Supper. Church services were held in the hall on Sundays. Murthly Hospital, designed by the Dundee firm of architects, Charles Edward & Thomas S Robertson, opened in 1864 as the Perth District Asylum for pauper lunatics. It was the second district asylum to open in Scotland, and in 1894 became one of the first to build villas within its grounds in an early attempt to provide accommodation for patients based on the colony or village system. The hospital closed in 1984 and is now demolished. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.
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