Queen Mary Hospital
| Queen Mary Hospital | |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1897 |
| Closed | 2003 |
| Location | Hanmer Springs, NZ |
| Alternate Names |
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History[edit]
Queen Mary Hospital was located in Hanmer Springs, New Zealand. The setting was near the hot pools in an alpine setting an hour and a half drive from the South Island's main city, Christchurch. The hot springs had been used by Maori for years before being discovered by a European settler in 1859 and opened to the public in 1883. The sanatorium was built in 1897. During the First World War it was replaced by the Queen Mary Hospital for Sick and Wounded Soldiers. The building was destroyed by fire in 1914 and a new building constructed. It accommodated up to 200 WWI servicemen returning to NZ who needed rehabilitation for mental and nervous conditions.
In 1922 the military gave control over the facility to the Department of Health and it was rebranded the Queen Mary Hospital. It treated mainly mental health disorders in the 1920s to 1960s, and in the 1970s it became the national specialist addiction and alcohol treatment centre. The hospital closed in 2003.
