St. Davnets Hospital
| St. Davnets Hospital | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1861 |
| Construction Began | 1867 |
| Opened | 1869 |
| Closed | 2011 |
| Current Status | Closed |
| Building Style | Pavilion Plan |
| Architect(s) | John McCurdy |
| Location | Roosky, Monaghan, IRE |
| Alternate Names |
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History[edit]
The first asylum buildings were designed by Dublin architect John McCurdy. They included the main hospital block, the gatehouse, the laundry and the water towers. When first built, the main block was linked together with a huge system of covered corridors, now demolished. The house of the Resident Medical Superintendent was built later, in 1880, and is more ornate than the other buildings on the site. The twinned chapels on the site were built at the turn of the twentieth century.
Continuing problems with overcrowding led to the construction of a new Acute Admissions Unit and a Nurses’ Home in the 1940s. However, due to the T.B. crisis in Ireland these were immediately taken over as a T.B. hospital and not returned to the hospital until the 1950s.
In the 1960s with the developments in pharmacology and a drive to engage patients in socialisation things began to change on the campus. In the 70s and 80s a rapid shift in how mental health services should be delivered saw the beginning of the end for institutional care. Buildings began to change in use, such as St Jude’s originally built as a new nurses home and which was taken over as a hostel for patients, as a half way point to living in the community again.
