St. John's Hospital

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St. John's Hospital
Opened 1852
Closed 1989
Current Status Preserved
Building Style Corridor Plan
Architect(s) Hamilton & Thomas Percy
Location Lincolnshire
Alternate Names
  • Lincolnshire County Pauper Lunatic Asylum
  • Lincolnshire Lunatic Asylum
  • Bracebridge District Lunatic Asylum
  • Lincolnshire Mental Hospital



History[edit]

Formerly, the Lincolnshire County Lunatic Asylum. The Asylum was built in 1852 and enlarged on several subsequent occasions in 1859, 1866, 1881 and 1902. It was originally established jointly by Lindsey, Kesteven, Holland, Lincoln, Grimsby and Stamford, and managed by a Board of Visitors appointed by the contributing authorities. Kesteven and Grantham withdrew from the arrangement when the contract of Union expired in 1893 (eventually establishing the Kesteven County Asylum at South Rauceby, 1897).

The hospital was set in grounds of 120 acres which included gardens, farmland and a burial ground. In 1940 female patients were transferred to other hospitals, mainly Storthes Hall near Huddersfield, to make space for an Emergency Hospital, and many did not return until well after the end of the War. Administration of the hospital passed to the National Health Service in 1948. By the early 1960s it was known by its final name of St John’s Hospital. Patients were admitted from Harmston Hall Hospital when that hospital closed. St John’s Hospital itself was closed in December 1989 with the remaining patients transferred to other establishments. The site was sold for housing and most of the buildings apart from the central block were demolished.

The asylum finally closed in 1989/1990 and was bought by a property developer a few years later who has converted half of the site into houses but the main asylum buildings are Grade II listed buildings and cant be demolished. In 2014 Developers Mabec started to restore the building into 183 luxury homes and apartments.

Video[edit]

The following eight minute history video on St. John's hospital was created by LincolnshireTV.