Cumberland and Westmorland Counties Asylum

Garlands Hospital

Other names/synonyms: Garlands asylum, Cumberland and Westmorland joint mental hospital.

Date founded: 1857

Date opened: 2nd January 1862

Date closed: March 1999

Location: Cumwhinton Road, Carleton, near Carlisle, Cumberland

Architect(s): Plan by Thomas Worthington of Manchester, implemented by John Augustus Cory, Surveyor to the County of Cumberland

Additions from 1875 to 1883 by John Augustus Cory

Additions and extensions 1905-6 by George Dale Oliver, architect, of Carlisle

Layout: Corridor

Date of Images: October 2004

Historical and developmental summary:

Despite early plans to provide a lunatic asylum for Cumberland, both that county and neighbouring Westmorland became the last to provide an asylum in to comply with the 1845 act. Although a site had been purchased previously, it was later deemed unsuitable and resold in favour of the Garlands estate near Carleton. The two counties united for the construction of the asylum, funded according to the anticipated share of accomodation each county needed. J.A. Cory, the county architect designed an asylum for 200 inmates following a plan created in 1853 by Thomas Worthington. This had originally been prepared for a separate scheme for a location near Manchester which was not implemented. The main building was comprised of a administrative block incorporationg medical officer's accomodation, kitchen, laundry, centrally sited water tower and other essential services, three storey accomodation blocks with a south west aspect, integral chapel and dining halls and a lodge was located on the main entrance drive to the west. The buildings were constructed in red brick with shallow-pitched slate rooves, with principal buildings bearing distincive polychromatic banding.

Alterations and additions during the 1870s led to the construction of a detached chapel, opened in 1875, capable of seating 400 persons, followed by a mortuary chapel nearby. A residence for the Superintendant was provided in 1878, to the east of the main building. Further additions included two large chronic blocks located either side of the administrative building completed in 1883. The original estate farm was replaced by new facilities in 1888 and a new gas works and water pumping station were built to the north of the main drive in 1888 to provide for the asylum. Further inmate accomodation was added in 1896-7 with the construction of an isolation hospital and two villas for male and female private patients, named Cumberland and Westmorland houses respectively. In 1905 the main building was extended two projecting blocks for a total of 150 patients, linked by long corridors to the south facade and incorporating new recreation and dining halls. A new lodge and staff housing were added on the service drive during the 1920's. The superintendents residence was later altered and extended to form a nurse's home.

Plans for the development of an admissions hospital were shelved during World War II, finally being implemented under the NHS and completed in 1962. This area later developed as the Carleton clinic and with the closure of the main building during the 1990's became the focus of remaining services on the Garlands site. With the relocation of the final wards to new premises, the remainder of Garlands hospital was incorporated under Carlton clinic name.

Current status:

Following closure of the main building, much of the area to the east of the site was sold for housing development which occupies the sites of the waterworks, gasworks, adjacent farmland to the north and original patient's blocks. The lodge, administration block, chapel, mortuary, estates buildings and 1905 blocks have survived and are now converted to form private housing. The site to the east of the main buildings, north and south of the service drive still forms part of the Carleton clinic mental health service premises and incorporate the private villas, admission hospital, east lodge and staff housing. The former superintendent's residence and isolation hospital are currently empty and disused. New health service buildings have been erected to the north-west of the admission hospital.

Sources and related links:

Mind over matter: a study of the country's threatened mental asylums - by SAVE Britain's Heritage

Cumbria archive service

County record office:

Cumbria Record Office (Carlisle)
The Castle
Carlisle
CA3 8UR

Tel:01228 607285/607284
Fax:01228 707274
Email:carlisle.record.office@cumbriacc.gov.uk

	West Lodge
		Chapel of St. Luke