Potted History

On completion of St Luke's division, the first part of the hospital to be built, rules for staff were published; staff had to be on duty by 0600 and retire to bed by 2200. They were allowed to go out one day every three weeks and one Sunday every month. Any 'attendant' who lost a patient, had to pay the expenses incurred in their retrun to the hospital. In 1878 Cooper & Tullis built the Annex (St John's division) following the purchase of 68 acres of land. The Annex was completed in 1880 and then accommodated 115 patients. The Post Office was constructed within St John's division with the agreement of the Postmaster General; the hospital now had its own Post Office! In 1884 telephone communications were established with Preston at an annual cost of £20. In the same year, an Infectious Diseases Sanatorium was established, known as Fryars' Villa, named after Alderman James Fryar who, at one time, was Chairman of the Hospital Committee.

In 1890 the "Lunacy Act" was passed by Parliament; this was one of the greatest pieces of legislation in the history of Asylum. 1892 saw arrangements being made for the grounds to be illuminated by the new 'electric lamps', and this was completed in 1894.

In 1901 the introduction of 10/- (ten shillings - (50 pence today)) per week was introduced for staff on annual leave in lieu of rations. The attendant staff wanted a shorter working week at this time, as their recorded working week was 98 hours! Annual leave at this time was; 10 days for Attendants; 12 days for Second Charges and 14 days for Charge Attendants. The daily diet of patients and staff included one glass of Ale which was brewed on site in the hospital's own brewery!

1912 saw the construction of the New Annex (or West Annex) to become known as St Margaret's division; prior to this, Cameron House was completed and opened and named after James Cameron.

In 1914 the Clock Tower, which was a prominent landmark, rising from above the main corridor in St Luke's division, was taken down, never to be returned to its place of splendour, and faded into history - it is only seen on very old photographs, some of which we hope to include in later editions. St Margaret's officially opened in the same year, 1914, and the patient population in the following year, 1915, is recorded as being 2,820.

In 1918/19 the New West Annex (St Margaret's) was evacuated as an Asylum and turned over to the Military for their use in the care of sick and injured from the First World War. There are four graves in the hospital cemetery which are under the care of the War Graves Commission relating to casualties of the First World War (there is one from the Second World War too, although this one appears to be the grave of an Italian internee).

Committee records show at this time, the change of name from "Whittingham Asylum" to "Whittingham Mental Hospital".

The Commissioners noted in 1929 that an 'open door' principle was practised on a number of wards, and in 1930 Parliament passed the first "Mental Health Act", resulting in the first "voluntary" patients being admitted. The term "Asylum" was replaced by "Mental Hospital" and the term "Lunatic" was replaced by "person of unsound mind". In 1932 the patient population exceeded 3,000 for the first time, and at this time, staff numbers are recorded as being 433.

Since the beginning, the hospital had its own Brass Band and Orchestra, both of which achieved very high standards. Both patients and staff were members of these two functions. Later Whittingham developed a sporting tradition, which was encouraged by the Management Committee, and achieved a reputation of which it is justly proud - cricket is still played on the hospital pitch today and it is home to Whittingham and Goosnargh Cricket Club.

The "open door" principle was extended and patients had access to the grounds of the hospital and the local village, Goosnargh. The hospital grounds by this time had become a work of art and, up until closure, were maintained to a very high standard and were a pleasure to wander through.

At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the patient population was 3,533, which made Whittingham Mental Hospital the largest in the country. Wards 31 to 36 (St Margaret's division) were vacated and patients accommodated in other hospitals to allow the Military once again to have access to the facility, and this part of the hospital become known as the Whittingham Emergency Hospital. These wards consisted of 900 beds and many casualties, both military and civilian, were treated there, the first being evacuee casualties from Dunkirk.

A Major from the Royal Army Medical Corps was responsible for discipline and had his own compliment of military personnel for the duration. Prisoners of War were also treated in this 'emergency hospital' at this time. The military vacated the hospital in 1946 and the hospital returned to its intended function.

The innovation of staff at Whittingham produced the very first EEG machine. This was a result of the collaboration between Dr C S Parker and Mr Charles Breakall, and the encephlograph was born! This equipment was produced from War Surplus material which, at the time, was being sold for £2.10.0d (two pounds, ten shillings) per hundredweight! An article was published in the "Lancet" describing this new innovation, and considerable interest was expressed by the American Department for Space Medicine, the forerunner of NASA.

1953 saw staff shortages such that recruitment had to be carried out from overseas. This proved a success, staff were recruited from places such as France, Italy, Denmark, Ireland, Malta and Mauritus, broadening gently, the cultural scope of Whittingham.

During this period there was also a sad event in that Whittingham's very own railway was closed down. The railway began in 1887 and ran from the British Rail junction at Grimsargh through to Whittingham, carrying stores, supplies, staff, patients relatives and visitors. The final run of the Whittingham train was made in 1957 ending seventy years of service.

1960 saw the implementation of the new "Mental Health Act" and this, in addition to the new forms of pharmacological treatment available saw vast improvements for people with Mental Illness problems. This was, alas, also the beginning of the end of Whittingham. Large and outmoded Victorian institutions such as Whittingham were deemed not to be the way forward in the treatment of Mental Illness (a fact since proved, without a doubt, wrong!) and small, 'specialised' units were to be created adjacent to large general hospitals. Even with the modern treatments available today, "asylum" in itself was a valued form of treatment and a very worthwile one too. There was then, there is now, and there always will be, a very real need for asylum!