The Lawn is an early nineteenth century

Greek revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

building on Union Road, in Lincoln,

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

, England, to the west of

Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...

. The complex features a walled garden and children's play area. The building housed The Lawn Hospital for Mental and Nervous Diseases from 1921 until 1985.

History

The hospital's origins lie in a bequest by Dr Paul Parnell to establish an asylum in Lincoln. After delay caused by indecision by the management of the asylum, the project went ahead in 1817, and a facility designed by Richard Ingleman in the

Greek revival style Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

opened as the Lincoln Lunatic Asylum in April 1820. It was at the asylum that, in the 1830s,

Robert Gardiner Hill Robert Gardiner Hill MD (26 February 1811 – 30 May 1878) was a British surgeon specialising in the treatment of lunatic, lunacy. He is normally credited with being the first superintendent of a small Insane asylum, asylum (approximately 100 p ...

, with the support of Edward Parker Charlesworth, pioneered a mode of treatment that suited "all types" of patients, so that mechanical restraints and coercion could be dispensed with—a situation he finally achieved in 1838. In 1839 Sergeant John Adams and Dr. John Conolly were impressed by the work of Hill, and introduced the method into their Hanwell Asylum, by then the largest in the country. Hill's system was adapted, since Conolly was unable to supervise each attendant as closely as Hill had done. By September 1839, mechanical restraint was no longer required for any patient.Edited by: Bynum, W. F; Porter, Roy; Shepherd, Michael (1988) ''The Anatomy of Madness: Essays in the history of psychiatry''. Vol.3. The Asylum and its psychiatry. Routledge. London EC4 The facility became known as the Lincoln Lunatic Hospital in 1905 and The Lawn Hospital in 1921. Patients were to be "persons of the superior class who shall contribute to the general expense of the establishment according to their ability and persons in more limited circumstances whose payments shall be relieved, when an opportunity may offer, out of the disposable funds of the charity." Mary Barkas, a respected psychiatrist, worked as Medical Superintendent at the hospital between 1928 and 1933. The hospital joined the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

in 1948 and, following the introduction of

Care in the Community Care in the Community (also called "Community Care" or "Domiciliary Care") is a British policy of deinstitutionalisation, treating and caring for physically and mentally disabled people in their homes rather than in an institution. Institutional c ...

, closed in 1985. City of Lincoln Council acquired the hospital and operated it as an events venue until August 2016 when it sold it to R. W. Stokes & Sons who have redeveloped the property as a new business headquarters, cafe, restaurant and theatre. A tropical glasshouse, the Sir Joseph Banks Conservatory, was moved from the site in late 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawn Neoclassical architecture in England Hospital buildings completed in 1920 History of Lincolnshire Tourist attractions in Lincolnshire History of mental health in the United Kingdom Buildings and structures in Lincoln, England Defunct hospitals in England Former psychiatric hospitals in England

History

See also

References