View of W side from WSW Digital image of E 8570 CN

Description View of W side from WSW Digital image of E 8570 CN

Date 21/4/2001

Catalogue Number SC 785525

Category On-line Digital Images

Scope and Content West Wing, Murthly Hospital, Perth & Kinross, from the west-south-west (closed 1984 and now demolished) This red sandstone, rubble-built, two-storeyed wing stands amidst extensive lawns. The long, rather plain west front is enlivened by semi-octagonal bays and advanced two-bayed end blocks with piended (hipped) roofs. A Victorian lean-to conservatory (right), possibly a later addition, provided a pleasant south-facing sitting area for patients. The west wing accommodated patients carefully classified by sex, class and complaint. It contained day rooms, dormitories, infirmaries, and single rooms for difficult or noisy and disruptive patients, as well as communal bathrooms and toilets. Although each room was locked, there were no bars or shutters on the windows, and the patients were encouraged to take exercise in the grounds under supervision in the summer. Sunlight and fresh air were considered vital for the patients' well-being, and the wing was constructed to admit as much natural light as possible. 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.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/785525

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap