Whau Lunatic Asylum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Whau Lunatic Asylum |
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Unitec Institute of Technology
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| Geography | |
| Location | Point Chevalier, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 36°52′30″S 174°42′23″E / 36.874975°S 174.706332°E |
| Organisation | |
| Hospital type | Psychiatric hospital |
| History | |
| Closed | after 1972 |
The Whau Lunatic Asylum was a special hospital in Point Chevalier, Auckland, New Zealand. It was built in 1865 on the Oakley Farm Estate. This hospital was one of the biggest of its kind in the New Zealand Colony.
A "lunatic asylum" was an old name for a psychiatric hospital. These hospitals cared for people with mental health conditions. Today, most of the old hospital site is used by the Unitec Institute of Technology. Some smaller parts are used by the Mason Clinic, which helps people needing mental health care.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name "Whau" comes from a type of tree. This tree, called Entelea, grows only in New Zealand. There is also a Whau River in the Auckland area.
A Look Back in Time
Early Days of the Asylum
Auckland first got public support for a special hospital in 1851. By 1853, the first small hospital was built. It was located on the grounds of Auckland Hospital. However, by 1862, this building became too crowded. People then asked the government for help.
In 1863, plans for a new, larger hospital were drawn up. A builder named Henry White started the work. Bricks for the building were made both on site and at a nearby brickyard. Building stopped at the left wing of the main hospital. This was because a lot of money had already been spent. Patients moved from the old hospital to the new one on March 8, 1867.
Changes and Growth
A fire badly damaged the building in 1877. Philip Herapath then led the rebuilding work. From 1869 to 1879, Dr. Thomas Aickin was the main doctor. In 1879, a new part of the hospital was being built. Stone for this was dug from nearby Oakley Creek. Workers even used gunpowder to break up large rocks. This caused a small "earthquake" in the area.
By December 1900, the hospital had 494 patients. There were 306 males and 188 females. The staff included 31 males and 21 females. Religious services were held for patients every Sunday.
New Names and Modern Times
The hospital's name changed several times over the years. In 1959, it was called Auckland Mental Health Hospital. In the 1960s, staff worked long hours, about 60 hours a week. They only had one day off.
The hospital was later renamed Oakley Hospital. It had special units for male patients and general care wards. In 1967, the hospital celebrated its 100th birthday. In 1972, the nursing staff went on strike. They wanted better working conditions. After this, the hospital was split into two parts. The main hospital became Carrington Hospital. The special care wards remained Oakley Hospital.
In 1971, the building was seen as one of Auckland's best old buildings. In 1992, Carrington Hospital closed down. A school bought the building. This school was Carrington Polytec. They fixed up the building. In 1994, it opened as the Unitec Institute of Technology. Today, the original building is used by Unitec's design and arts departments.
Building Design
The hospital building had a grand, classic look. It was made of brick. It faced the main roads, Great North Road and Carrington Road. The middle part of the building held dining halls, kitchens, and storage rooms. The two sides of the building were for male and female patients. The male dining hall was also used for plays and music shows.
Some smaller wooden buildings burned down in 1894. A new brick building was finished in 1897. The hospital also had a chapel called St Luke the Physician. It was built in 1865. It was used as a sleeping area for a while. But it was fixed up and reopened as a chapel in 1961.
The Hospital Grounds
The hospital had a large estate with a farm. This farm was nearly 200 acres big. It gave patients a healthy way to spend their time. It also provided fresh vegetables for the hospital. The farm had about 50 milk cows and many pigs. They also got fresh eggs from the farm's chickens.
A spring and a waterfall on Oakley Creek provided plenty of water. This water was used for daily needs and for fighting fires. Part of the land was even used for an experimental sewage farm. The oldest part of the building has special trees and plants. These include holm oak, sweetgum, and chaste tree. They are now part of the Unitec Arboretum, which is like a living plant museum.
In 2019, the New Zealand government bought most of the land. They plan to build 3000 to 4000 affordable homes there.
