Visited with Rigsby and Speed.
This was one of the main aims for our mini-break down to Cornwall and I'm pleased to report that it all went according to plan. In and out again quicker than you can say "you have the right to remain silent" and back in Asda for a full Cornish breakfast to prepare us for a day of tin mines further down south.
They're on the ball here so it was nice to be kept on our toes. I had to endure probably the most stressful "urban wee" in my exploring career. We were hidden in a room for a while whilst security did their rounds but I couldn't stand it any longer and had to brave the busy corridors on my own, in search of facilities. The Gents' cloakroom yielded good results and I was able to walk again.
The rest of the hostital is quite bland and reminded me a lot of Graylingwell with its bare corridors and modern decor. But nevertheless, the main hall made up for the rest of it with its patchwork ceiling and faultless wood panelling
Nine out of Ten for the hall, well done Jubalubs
Here's a bit of history taken from this website http://jrsm.rsmjournals.com/cgi/content/full/96/7/361
In the 1870s St Lawrence's Hospital in Bodmin, Cornwall, had been running for 50 years, one of sixteen county asylums set up between 1811 and 1842. By examining 511 admissions between 1870 and 1875 to this typical Victorian asylum we hoped to shed light on this mid-point of the asylum era. The 511 patients were all classified as 'paupers', whose admissions were publicly funded. A few privately funded patients were admitted during this period but are not included.
Asylum populations rose greatly through the 19th century. Whether this rise was mainly due to an increase in psychotic illness or to a decrease in tolerance of the mentally ill in the community is unclear. Many patients were admitted under the Poor Law and Lunacy Acts. After amending acts of 1853, the parish medical officer was required to visit all paupers in his areas four times a year. He was expected to notify the guardians or the overseers of those who seemed in need of mental treatment.1 If any were thought to need treatment in the asylum, admission was certified by the medical officer and the local justice of the peace.
The Lunacy Act of 1845 stated that all asylums must keep an admission book—a contemporary record of each admission with basic demographic data and details of diagnosis, cause of disorder and age of first attack. It also contained records of the date of discharge or death and whether the patient had recovered or not. From the admission book dated 1870–1875 (County Record Office, Truro), the only surviving one for Bodmin, we obtained demographic data and information on illnesses and outcomes.
Here's the photos:
This was one of the main aims for our mini-break down to Cornwall and I'm pleased to report that it all went according to plan. In and out again quicker than you can say "you have the right to remain silent" and back in Asda for a full Cornish breakfast to prepare us for a day of tin mines further down south.
They're on the ball here so it was nice to be kept on our toes. I had to endure probably the most stressful "urban wee" in my exploring career. We were hidden in a room for a while whilst security did their rounds but I couldn't stand it any longer and had to brave the busy corridors on my own, in search of facilities. The Gents' cloakroom yielded good results and I was able to walk again.
The rest of the hostital is quite bland and reminded me a lot of Graylingwell with its bare corridors and modern decor. But nevertheless, the main hall made up for the rest of it with its patchwork ceiling and faultless wood panelling
Nine out of Ten for the hall, well done Jubalubs
Here's a bit of history taken from this website http://jrsm.rsmjournals.com/cgi/content/full/96/7/361
In the 1870s St Lawrence's Hospital in Bodmin, Cornwall, had been running for 50 years, one of sixteen county asylums set up between 1811 and 1842. By examining 511 admissions between 1870 and 1875 to this typical Victorian asylum we hoped to shed light on this mid-point of the asylum era. The 511 patients were all classified as 'paupers', whose admissions were publicly funded. A few privately funded patients were admitted during this period but are not included.
Asylum populations rose greatly through the 19th century. Whether this rise was mainly due to an increase in psychotic illness or to a decrease in tolerance of the mentally ill in the community is unclear. Many patients were admitted under the Poor Law and Lunacy Acts. After amending acts of 1853, the parish medical officer was required to visit all paupers in his areas four times a year. He was expected to notify the guardians or the overseers of those who seemed in need of mental treatment.1 If any were thought to need treatment in the asylum, admission was certified by the medical officer and the local justice of the peace.
The Lunacy Act of 1845 stated that all asylums must keep an admission book—a contemporary record of each admission with basic demographic data and details of diagnosis, cause of disorder and age of first attack. It also contained records of the date of discharge or death and whether the patient had recovered or not. From the admission book dated 1870–1875 (County Record Office, Truro), the only surviving one for Bodmin, we obtained demographic data and information on illnesses and outcomes.
Here's the photos:
