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Asylum for Imbecile Poor at Leavesden Wood
The designs for this building (ten, we believe) were sent in to the officers
of the Metropolitan Asylum District Board on the 2nd inst. Designs for a similar
building, for a similar purpose, to be erected at Caterham, were sent in on the
9th inst.
Source: The Builder 1868 Vol XXVI 952 pp 14th March 1868
Submitted by Alan Longbottom
Metropolitan Asylums Board
The Board of Managers of the metropolitan asylums district met on Saturday
for
the first time since the vacation, at the Board Room of the Metropolitan Board
of Works, Spring Gardens. Dr. Brewer occupied the chair. Letters were received
from the Poor Law Board, approving of applications to the Public Works Loans
Commissioners, for £15,500 for the purchase of the site at Stockwell, and for
£128,000 (or £64,000 a moiety thereof) for the purposes of the Leavesden
Asylum.
The finance committee reported that having had under their consideration the question
of the contribution to be assessed upon the several parishes and unions to
meet the demands upon the managers, they recommended the levying of a rate of
one-eighth of a penny in the pound to be payable on the 25th of December of the
present year. The report was adopted.
Source: The Builder 1868 Vol XXVI 3rd October 1868 p.740
Submitted by Alan Longbottom
Leavesden - Asylum
We learn from the daily papers that the foundation stone of the 1st asylum
for
the imbecile poor of the metropolis, to be established under the provisions of the
Metropolitan Poor Act of 1867, was laid at Leavesden, Woodside, about 4 miles
from Watford, on Saturday last. The Metropolitan Poor Act of 1867, introduced by
Mr.Gathorne Hardy, constituted what is termed a Board of Management of the
Metropolitan Asylum District, consisting of 60 members, three-fourths elected
from the 39 parishes and unions comprised in the Metropolitan Area, and
one-fourth nominated by the Poor Law Board.
The Board are to provide asylums for the imbecile poor, and hospitals for the
reception of the poor who are afflicted with fever and smallpox. Two asylums,
each to contain 1,560 patients are now being erected, one at Leavesden for the
North side of the river, and one at Caterham, near Croydon, for the South side.
The Leavesden site contains 76 acres and cost £100 an acre, £7,600. The
Caterham
site contains 72 acres and cost £80 an acre, £5,756.
There is to be accommodation in each of these asylums for 860 females in six
separate blocks, and for 700 males in five separate blocks. The estimated cost
of the building, furniture, clothing etc for the Leavesden Asylum is £128,000
and £129,000 for Caterham.
Source: The Builder 1868 Vol XXVI 7th November 1868 p.819
Submitted by Alan Longbottom
Asylums for the Imbecile Poor - Metropolitan
Our readers will remember that at the beginning of the present year the
Board
acting for the Metropolitan Asylum District offered premiums for the best
designs that might be submitted for two proposed asylums for the Imbecile Poor:
one to be erected in Leavesden Woodside, near Watford, Herts; and the other at
Caterham near Croydon, Surrey. We gave at the time some particulars of the
designs sent in, and stated that a design by Messrs J Giles and Biven had been
selected, and would be carried out at both places with merely such differences
as might be enforced by differences in the sites.
This design we now illustrate by a view of the buildings, a block plan showing
the general arrangement of them, and plans drawn to a larger scale of the
administrative portion, the dormitories and Infirmary. These asylums being the
first of their kind that will be erected under the new arrangements, a full
description of the intended buildings will interest many of our readers, and for
this, where the engravings are insufficient, we shall go to the designers own
statements. The small plans shows that the central administrative block extends
from the south front, facing the road to a lower part of the ground northwards.
The south front is occupied by the medical and official department, the centre
by the stores department, the extreme north by the laundry and engineer's
department, to obviate nuisance from steam and the necessarily offensive
exhalations. The corridor to these buildings has a fall of about 1 in 30, to
meet the natural fall of the ground, without resorting to steps.
From the central kitchen, right and left are corridors 10 ft.wide, with the
workrooms of the females and the workshops of the males each on their respective
sides, occupying the space which forms the connecting link between the
administrative department and the blocks on either side, and convenient for
access from both. The entire width between these is 110 ft. giving space for the
erection of the chapel without interfering with the free passage of air. At
right angles with this corridor, north and south, on either side, xtend the
corridors connecting the blocks. These are 8 ft. wide, one story high, and
fireproof, both sides having windows, with tops opening, so as to admit of the
free passage of air through them. By this means each block is entirely isolated.
The infirmary block occupies the south end of each corridor, and next to these
on either side, are placed the steward's and matron's houses. It has been
thought better in each case to give a small detached house at a distance from
these central offices, than apartments immediately adjoining them. Practically
these officials spend a certain number of hours each day at their business, and
after that time it is thought equally convenient and more agreeable to be
somewhat removed from the scenes of their duties, but within call if required by
the head attendants.
There are on the female side 5 general blocks each for 160, and 1 Infirmary
block for 60 patients, this gives 860. On the male side are 3 blocks of 160 each
and a shorter one for 110, these with the Infirmary block, give a total of 650.
This shorter block, can, if required, be extended to the general size, and will
accommodate 50 more. The extreme length of the corridors from the kitchen to the
most distant blocks is 180 yards on the female side and 138 on the male side.
The detached infirmary, for infectious diseases, is placed in the rear, north of
all the buildings, so that the prevailing winds which blow south-west, would not
pass from it to the other buildings. The chapel is placed on the left of the
administrative block, rather than in front of it (as at first seemed its best
position) because it is believed that a large detached chapel in front of the
entrance to such a building must have a gloomy effect, and practically throw
into shadow that to which it should be but an accessory.
The engineer's house is on the right, within easy reach of the boiler and engine
houses, and those parts of the building likely to require his attention. The
chaplain's house is on the right of the main body of the buildings, and near to
the main road. Both these have private access to their houses without passing
the asylum grounds.
Administrative or Central Block.
This being the great centre - the store-house - the manufactory of everything
consumed by so great a number of people, it is of the highest importance to its
economical working, that every apartment within it shall be neither so
unnecessarily large as to cause waste in building and require extra labour and
attendance, nor so small as to impede the due and proper execution of each
attendant's work There are fireproof corridors to every part of the building;
every apartment, it is claimed, can be reached without passing through any
other; each is accessible both from the male and female sides, and all food,
stores, clean linen, etc, can be obtained for their respective patients' blocks
without either sex of attendants trespassing on the department of the other.
Male and female departments of attendants are separated day and night by the
door across the centre corridor, and that across the corridor by the female's
visiting room. In the front and centre of the main building is what for
convenience of examination we may call :-
The Official and Medical Department.
Here is the principal entrance-hall, on one side of which are placed the
board-room, waiting-room, clerks' offices etc, and on the other the medical
superintendent's residence, a house complete in itself, having bed-rooms on the
floor above, in addition to the 3 reception rooms, kitchen and scullery etc. On
the right is the board-room with retiring-room and offices, and the apartments
of the medical assistants on the floor above them. It is also near the
head-attendant's offices, and the visiting rooms of both sexes. From each side
of the entrance hall branch two corridors, one to the male, the other to the
female side of the buildings, thus giving from this point a separation of sexes
both as regards patients and attendants. On the outer side of these corridors
are placed the visiting rooms for patients, with separate entrance, overlooked
by he head attendant's office adjoining in each case. Here commences the :-
Attendant's Department.
Male and female, on either side. These entrances are for all the subordinate
officer, as well as the visitors to patients; thus no person can enter or leave
the building without being seen by the head attendant on duty. On each side, and
under the head attendant's supervision, are the staircases leading to the
attendants' dormitories of each sex. The centre of the administrative department
is occupied by the general store, large enough for separation of the different
kinds of stores, and with small stores leading out of it. The steward's office
is in the centre. On one side is a large open court, into which all carts
containing beer, flour, or stores can be taken and unloaded under the eyes of
the steward and his attendants. Beyond this is the bakehouse, with scullery etc,
attached, and this extends to the line formed by the intersecting corridor. The
kitchen is 50 ft. by 45 ft. by 25 ft. high, with through ventilation and light
above, large enough to cook for fully 2,000 persons if necessary. The scullery
adjoins the kitchen, and is 50 ft. by 25 ft, by 22 ft. high. Adjoining are the
cook's larder and dairy, and a meat store is placed on the left conveniently
near, in which all meat will be received and weighed before entering the kitchen
to be cooked. Near these are cooks' store and kitchen servants' rooms, and, on
the opposite side, a coal store for kitchen and the general daily
distribution.Outside the corridors, which enclose the kitchen, and in the
north-angle formed by these and the intersecting corridor leading to the
patients' blocks, on the male side are work-shops, and on the female side the
work-room, with the matron's offices and store, and the workmistresses
apartments and stores adjoining. Beyond these, and near the boiler house, on
both sides, are the bath-houses for both sexes, each containing 12baths, with
dressing-rooms and W.C.
The Laundry Department.
The linen, conveyed by trucks from the patient's blocks, will be brought into
the receiving rooms, passed into the washhouses, for either sex, and washed and
dried either in the grounds or on the steam-horses, thence passed into the
laundry, and folded, mangled, or ironed, as may be necessary. It will then be
passed into the delivering room, and there sorted and given out at the slides to
trucks in the lobby. It is calculated that about eighty female patients will be
required to assist in the laundry, and, as great loss of time and inconvenience
would arise if these were compelled to return to their respective blocks for
their meals, a hall for dining has been placed close to the laundry, with a
servants' mess-room adjoining. Close by the laundry is :-
The Engineer's Department.
This is kept distinct in itself, and is entered from the yard only. This
position of the boiler and engine-houses and their attendant workshops is, for
convenience of supplying steam to the kitchen and scullery, bath-houses,
laundry, machinery-room, drying-horses, etc. and it will be seen that economy of
heat, and necessarily fuel and labour, will be effected by its position being
central between these apartments. It will also be seen that the infirmary
patients' blocks of both sexes have their baths supplied from these boilers, one
boiler house thus supplying the entire establishment without waste of heat. Here
also is placed the water tower, with the smoke shaft from the boiler within it.
This tower will rise to a height of 65 ft., and have a cistern at the top
containing 30,000 gallons, for the supply of water in case of fire in any block
or part of the building - an efficient supply until the engine could be got to
act. Fire-cocks, with hose, will be fixed on the staircases of each block and at
other parts of the buildings, by means of which, if kept right, any portion
could be deluged with water in a few minutes.
Patients' General Blocks.
Of the blocks, which run at right angles to the intersecting corridor, all are,
with the exception of the infirmary block, precisely alike.The ground floor of
each block is a day-room for the patients, 105 ft by 36 ft by 14 ft high, with
windows on the north side 6 ft from the ground of the day room, on the south
side within 3 ft. and with a large bay on that side also. The designs differ
from the plan followed in modern infirmary pavilion blocks of placing all the
W.C.'s and lavatories at the end farthest from the connecting corridor. It is
essential that the class of persons here should be, with the least possible
labour to attendants, constantly watched, and this could never be the case with
these places far removed from the centre of supervision. Each of the two
dormitory floors is alike, and accommodates 80 patients on a floor, divided by
an iron partition and iron columns in the centre.Eah division has an attendants'
room, a lobby for the patients clothes at night (it being very undesirable for
these to remain in the dormitory) a linen store, and a spacious lavatory. Each
attendants' room has a window giving supervision of each division of 40
patients. The windows of the dormitories, 12 on each side are opposite each
other they are 3 ft. wide and 4 ft. from the floor. In all cases they come
between the beds, and not over them. There are also windows at each end, giving
through, direct ventilation to the staircase of each block.
Infirmary Blocks.
These blocks are in each case of three floors; each floor being in its internal
arrangements alike, it being assumed that the ground floor would be occupied by
the very infirm or epileptic patients, whom it would be undesirable and almost
impossible to take up and down stairs. Should this not be the case, the ground
floor could be used a day-room, for the 60 patients; although beds are shown
over the entire floor of the wards, the end of each might be used as a day-room
for patients becoming convalescent, and separated by a screen or partition from
the other portion if required. Each ward has 3 fireplaces, the windows are
opposite each other, and within 3 ft. of the ground, it being more cheerful for
the sick to see out of them. On each of the three floors are placed rooms for
excitable patients - four in number. These are approached direct from the
staircase, and have a lobby between the dormitory and them, so that the noise
may not annoy the sick. With reference to ventilation and heating, all the
corridors connecting the blocks have windows on both sides of their entire
length, and those in the administrative block are lighted and ventilated above,
and at intervals, at the sides.Open fireplaces are employed generally throughout
the buildings, and wherever gas is used it will be made the means of carrying
off the vitiated air by means of galvanized iron tubes in the thickness of the
floors, connected with the spare ventilating flues from the various rooms. In
order to keep up unceasing movement of the air in the upper part of the ward,
the whole of the windows, 24 in number, in each dormitory have a portion of
their height, about 2 in. wide at the top, the opening being covered with fine
wire gauze. The lower portion of all the windows will also be constructed so
that the middle part, about 1 ft. in width from to to bottom, can be unlocked
and turned upon a entre, and thus a flood of pure air be admitted when desired.
In addition to this, air-bricks are built into the wall at intervals, at the
level of the ceiling, with fine zinc gauze covering the inside, and a sloping
lip projecting about 6 ins. from the wall, to give an upward current to the air
and prevent down-draughts. In order to disperse the stratum of foul gases, which
is found to be about the level of what may be called the bed line, or about 2
ft. from the floor, there are a series of hit and miss gratings, lined with fine
gauze, and communicating by means of galvanized iron horizontal tubes in the
floors, with the outer air. The fireplaces are entirely of firebrick back and
sides; and in order more effectually to distribute the heat in the wards and
save fireplaces a principle is adopted which has been found to answer extremely
well. A flue conveys the fresh air to a chamber at the back and sides of the
fireplace, where it is warmed, and passed by a pipe built in the wall to midway
between each fireplace in some cases, and in others into the single patients' rooms
near infirmaries, lavatories, clothes lobbies, linen chests, and W.C.'s and
staircases, where by a means of hit and miss grating it is let out. The cost of
each asylum, as now altered, is estimated at about £85,000.
It will be seen that the whole of the buildings are of a plain, and substantial
character. No stone is used except in cills and doorsteps. In the windows circular
heads have been avoided, as entailing expense. In the wards and elsewhere
all the sashes are of cast iron. The insides of the wards, corridors,
staircases, etc will be of brick, with neat joint, and coloured a light green or
grey colour.
Source: The Builder 1868 Vol XXVI 25th July 1868 p.541
Submitted by Alan Longbottom
South Metropolitan District Asylum, Caterham
The foundation stone of the asylum for imbecile poor of the south metropolitan
district at Caterham was laid on Saturday last. As our readers may recollect, this asylum is to be in all respects a duplicate of that now also in the course
of erection at Leavesden, in Herts.
We gave full particulars of the designs in a leading article for July 25th 1868,
with view and plans. Some little progress with the extensive blocks has been made by the contractors for the new buildings at
Caterham.
The works, when complete, like those at Leavesden, will cost about £85,000 The
contractor is Mr John Chappell, and the architects, Messrs Giles and Biven. The
site is in the parish of Caterham, near Croydon, and about four miles from the
Caterham Junction of the London & Brighton Railway.
The foundation stone was laid in the vestibule of the central block, and the
ceremony of laying it was performed by Dr. Brewer, M.P. chairman of the board. A
numerous company was conveyed to Caterham for the purpose of witnessing the
ceremonial. and for the convenience of the visitors a special train had been provided by the Board.
From Caterham Junction the contractors have laid a single line of railway, by means of which the materials for the new
buildings are conveyed, and along this line, which is a rather up-hill piece of work with a gradient which in some
parts is 1 in 30, the visitors were conveyed.
Source: The Builder 1869 Vol XXVII
24th April 1869 p.329
Submitted by Alan Longbottom.
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August 06, 2007
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Caterham Asylum