Mount View Lunatic Asylum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount View Lunatic Asylum |
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|---|---|
| Geography | |
| Location | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 41°18′22″S 174°46′52″E / 41.306114°S 174.7810835°E (current Government House) |
| Organisation | |
| Hospital type | Specialist |
| Services | |
| Beds | 200 |
| Speciality | Psychiatric hospital |
| History | |
| Closed | 1910 |
The Mount View Lunatic Asylum was a special hospital in Wellington, New Zealand. It was built for people who needed help with their mental health. Today, the Government House stands on the land where the asylum once was.
What Was Mount View Asylum?
The Mount View Lunatic Asylum was a hospital that cared for people with mental health conditions. It was also known as Mt. View Lunatic Asylum or Mount View Asylum. The hospital was built on a large piece of land, about 113 acres (46 ha) in size.
Work on the hospital started in 1872. It officially opened its doors in 1873. The asylum was located in an area above the Basin Reserve. It was designed to care for about 100 patients.
Early Days and Growth
Mount View Asylum took the place of Karori Lunatic Asylum. Karori was the very first asylum in New Zealand. Soon after opening, Mount View needed more space. More patients needed care than expected.
By 1880, the hospital was made bigger. A two-story wooden building was expanded. Two new wings were added. This change doubled the number of patients the hospital could hold. Around 1885, two more patient wards were built.
Closing Its Doors
By 1905, the Mount View Asylum was caring for 250 patients. However, within the next five years, things changed. All the patients were moved to other hospitals. Many went to Porirua Lunatic Asylum.
The Mount View Lunatic Asylum then closed down in 1910.
