St Nicholas Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne

St Nicholas Hospital is an NHS psychiatric hospital located in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, UK. The entrance is located on Jubilee Road. The buildings range from Victorian-era to modern facilities and occupy 12 hectares (30 acres) of land.[1] The hospital is managed by Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.

St Nicholas Hospital
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust
St Nicholas Hospital
St Nicholas Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne is located in Newcastle-upon-Tyne
St Nicholas Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne
Location in Newcastle upon Tyne
St Nicholas Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne is located in Tyne and Wear
St Nicholas Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne
Location in Tyne and Wear
Geography
LocationGosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom
Coordinates55°00′23″N 1°38′05″W / 55.006344°N 1.634747°W / 55.006344; -1.634747
Organisation
Care systemNHS England
TypePsychiatric hospital
History
Opened1864 (1864)
Links
Websitewww.ntw.nhs.uk
ListsHospitals in England

History

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Early history

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As Newcastle upon Tyne did not have a hospital of its own for mentally ill patients,[2] a new asylum was proposed in Coxlodge, where a 50-acre (20 ha) farmstead known as Dodd's Farm[3] was purchased. In 1864 initial plans were drawn up, and William Lambie Moffatt was appointed architect.[4] The facility opened as Newcastle upon Tyne Borough Lunatic Asylum in July 1869 and became the Newcastle upon Tyne City Lunatic Asylum in 1882.[5] Some of the first patients were transferred from Bensham Asylum as Durham County Magistrates had refused to renew the contract of that facility.[6]

In 1884 permission was granted to extend the hospital, and the East and West Pavilions were completed in 1887. These allowed an additional 80 patients to be admitted.[7] The asylum steadily grew, with more buildings erected. During the First World War the patients were evacuated and the hospital became Northumberland No. 1 War Hospital for wounded soldiers, who were brought there by train. The facility reverted to an asylum in 1921.[8] In 1948 the National Health Service took over the hospital and changed the name to St Nicholas Hospital.[5]

A new admissions unit called the Collingwood Clinic was opened in 1956.[9] The site of the former Collingwood Clinic was sold in the 1990s and is now used by Virgin Money.[10] Part of the original asylum was sold in the late 1990s and converted into housing, now known as Lanesborough Court.[10]

In 1986 a church that had been located within the hospital grounds burned down.[11] The area used by the church is now occupied by the 1994-built Ashgrove Nursing Home.[11]

Recent history

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Work to build an extension, the Bamburgh Clinic, on the site of a former fish factory,[12] at a cost of £22 million started in November 2004 and was completed in April 2006.[13] The new clinic is bordered by residential properties and a Northumberland Wildlife Trust wildlife centre and office.[14]

In 2009 the Greentrees unit and the Lennox Ward were renovated at a cost of circa £8 million. The renovation of these Victorian hospital buildings was one of eight projects short-listed from 20 entries for the Best Design in the Community Benefit category of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors North-East Renaissance Awards.[15]

Jubilee Theatre

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The hospital also includes the Jubilee Theatre, a theatre which opened in 1899.[16] Currently the theatre is primarily used by two groups: Juniper Productions (founded 1998) a drama group for sufferers of mental health difficulties, and since 1992, an external theatre company, First Act Theatre.[16]

Bibliography

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  • Ewing, Logan (2009). A History of St. Nicholas Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England 1869-2001. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1438937540.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust - Our Sites and Directions". 24 December 2013. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  2. ^ "St Nicholas". County Asylums. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  3. ^ "Gosforth, St. Nicholas Hospital Conservation Area". Twsitelines.info. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  4. ^ "Newcastle Asylum". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
  5. ^ a b Reference number HO.SN. Tyne and Wear Archives Service.
  6. ^ "Gosforth, High Coxlodge/Asylum Farm | sitelines.newcastle.gov.uk". Twsitelines.info. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  7. ^ "St Nicholas Hospital, Gosforth | The National Archives". Discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  8. ^ "World War One At Home, St Nicholas Hospital, Gosforth: From Asylum to War Hospital". BBC. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  9. ^ "Tyne and Wear Archives Service Catalogue". 22 October 2015. Archived from the original on 22 October 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  10. ^ a b "St. Nicholas". County Asylums. 14 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  11. ^ a b "St. Nicholas Hospital Conservation Area Character Statement" (PDF). Newcastle City Council. April 2005. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Case Studies - Bamburgh Clinic, St Nicholas Hospital, Newcastle". Royal Institute of British Architects. Archived from the original on 13 July 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ "Shine - Bamburgh Clinic, St Nicholas Hospital, Newcastle Detailed case study" (PDF). 19 April 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 April 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  14. ^ "About". Northumberland Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Retrieved 14 December 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. ^ "Hospital in the running". 2 April 2009. Archived from the original on 4 April 2009. Retrieved 2 April 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). The Northern Echo, 2 April 2009
  16. ^ a b "Jubilee Theatre". First Act Theatre. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
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