The Victorian Asylum

by Sarah Rutherford

The Victorian lunatic asylum has a special place in history. Dreaded and reviled by many, these nineteenth-century buildings provide a unique window on how the Victorians housed and treated the mentally ill.

Despite initially good intentions, they became warehouses for society's outcasts at a time when cures were far fewer than hoped for. Isolated, hidden in the countryside and surrounded by high walls, they were eventually distributed throughout Britain, the Empire, the Continent and North America, with 120 or so in England and Wales alone.

Now the memory of them is fading, and many of the buildings have gone or are threatened. Most have been closed as hospitals since the 1980s and either been demolished or turned into prestigious private apartments, their original use largely forgotten.

Their memory deserves rehabilitation as a fascinating part of Victorian life that survived into modern times. In The Victorian Asylum , Sarah Rutherford gives an insight into their history, their often imposing architecture, and their later decline, and brings to life these haunting buildings, some of which still survive today.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Victorian

56 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 2008

About the author

There is more than one Sarah Rutherford in the Goodreads catalog. This entry is for Sarah^Rutherford, conservation expert.

Sarah Rutherford is an expert in the conservation of historic parks and gardens. She was head of the English Heritage Historic Parks and Gardens Register and is now a freelance consultant, creating conservation plans.

Reviews

[Noctvrnal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this book was longer, much longer, because it talks about every aspect of what Victorian Asylums were in UK, but it's such a short study that it only underlines the briefest of points. I enjoyed the pictures accompanying the text, illustrating it, and Sarah obviously knows her subject well, but this needed to be not 56 pages, but 556. Or at least I think so. I enjoyed this book a lot but how short it was left me wanting more and not fully informed how I wanted to be. However, with how difficult it is to find proper literature about asylums - I take what I can get.

[Aileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Shire publication which gives an insight into the rise of asylums in England during the 1800s. Life seemed a lot better for the patients during this time, in stark contrast to their treatment in the previous century where they were little better than amusement for those who could afford to visit. Medical treatment was improving, the patients had lots to do, work if they were up to it, and the asylums themselves were more like large estates, with farms, gardens, sports pitches and walks. This was a very interesting 56 pages with lots of photos.

[Holly Bronte · Rating 3 out of 5]

A goodish introduction to asylums but doesn’t quite capture the day to day life there - more showing an idealised view of them.

I would be interested in reading into this further - see if there is a book similar to ‘voices from the workhouse’ by higginbotham- to get a more detailed account from people who were there.

[K.R. Valgaeren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very brief but interesting overview. A nice starting point for anyone who wants to know more about the subject.

[Mirona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and a good start if you want a short introduction on the subject.

[Neena · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a lover of Architecture and as someone who has a vast interest in the dark history of Mental Asylums, I thought I would love this book and eagerly bought it but from the first couple of pages, I realised that I was to be sorely disappointed - there just seems to be no real depth to this book - I'm not quite sure how to explain myself properly here but it was just like reading a soul-less cheaply produced textbook with badly copied and boring photographs, drawings and maps thrown in to bulk it out a little (apart from one beautiful photograph) and it seems as though the author has just produced this book as a half-hearted money-making scheme.
You don't learn much about ANY of the hospitals, asylums, doctors (apart from Charlesworth and Conolly)or patient care nor even that much about Victorian attitudes towards the mentally unwell - I would avoid this book and sadly it is one that is unlikely to stay in my book collection at home and will be finding its way either onto eBay or into an animal charity shop sack!
You can find out much more and see many more (far superior) photographs and learn more about any hospital you choose on the internet for free!
For anyone who is particularly interested in the architecture, I would seriously advise you to perhaps have a look on Flickr (type in "Derelict Hospital) and other Urbex sites and you will be guaranteed to see some truly amazing photos!

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little shire book is the opposite of a "Horrible History". Reading it you really get the feeling that they were trying to help the insane and the disabled as much as possible and that conditions in most asylums were quite pleasant. I have to say I was expecting a bit more of a gruesome history for I can't imagine life was all that pleasant for people in asylums in the 19th century. Rutherford's biggest criticism seemed to be the lack of privacy residences faced. Still it is an interesting little history and beautifully illustrated (with at least one illustration per page). It covers more of the physical side of asylums, the grounds and architecture much more than the lives of the patients or what qualified for mental illness in those days. Rutherford talks a bit about different types of "cures" ranging from showers to morphine, but states how most people saw these as ineffective. An interesting little book to giving a brief outline on the subject and does include a list of references for those who wish to look further.

[Veleda · Rating 2 out of 5]

At not even 60 pages, Rutherfords book is too short to feel comprehensive. Surely, there's more to say about the Victorian asylum. Rutherford also speaks of the asylums in glowing terms, and focuses on the architecture and placement of gardens rather than the experiences of the people who lived there. While this is a valid area of study, the whole thing makes one feel the Rutherford stuck to studying official statements by those in charge, rather than what the inmates truly lived. I have, of course, no way of knowing if that's the case, but that how it felt.

[Sophia Beaumont · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointingly short and lacking in detail. Most of the information on daily life could have been found more easily online (I had to do an interlibrary loan for this book, and it shipped from halfway across the country). Most valuable, I think, is the list of sources in the back.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, but no flow & far too vague. Good for a basic overview.

[Lise Thrige Gøttler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too short, but quite interesting!