asylum

Congratulation for your beautiful Album.

You'd have to think prison or, as they were known back then, lunatic asylum with all the bars on the upper floor windows.

I am leaning towards a hospital. STP_0436 next door is a reverse view.

Drawing a blank at the NIAH so far, possibly gone or North of the border...

It looks like this, except it seems to have an extra floor: www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&...

Read John Blaxland's biography here: adb.anu.edu.au/biography/blaxland-john-1796

" ... By 1860, the Blaxlands had lost control of the estate. By 1863, Newington was very run down, although the slaughterhouse and the saltpans were both still in use. At this time, ten hectares of land including Newington House were leased to the Methodist Church for use as a boys’ boarding school on the understanding that the rent from the first five years of occupancy would be used for repairs to the buildings. It was in July 1863 that nineteen pupils were admitted to the school. This humble beginning was the genesis of Newington College. By 1880, the College began the move to its present address in Stanmore, an inner-city western suburb of Sydney. Newington College on its Stanmore campus was officially opened on 15 January 1881. Newington Estate was eventually sold to John Wetherill in 1877 for £14,000. He subdivided the property into the Newington and Rosebridge Estates and was selling land for the next twenty years. In 1879, Newington House was offered for sale by auction but remained unsold although as early as June 1860, James Barnet, the Colonial Architect, reported on the house and buildings and concluded that it was suitable for a boys’ reformatory or a benevolent asylum for aged/destitute women that was then located at Hyde Park Barracks. He recommended that lots 78, 79, 87 and 88 of the Newington Estate should be purchased. In September 1879 a payment of £5,000 was made to Wetherill and by 1880 Newington House became Government property. In 1883, Newington House was opened as a Benevolent Asylum for Aged Women. Between 1912-18 buildings were added and the function of the facility changed from asylum to a state hospital with Newington House at one time being used as nurses’ quarters. In 1969, the house became the administration block within the Silverwater Correctional Complex. ... .... " From www.afloat.com.au/afloat-magazine/2009/january-09/John_Bl... So it seems that this photo is after 1880. There is an 1895 photo which shows the two palm trees at similar heights - nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an3366506-s70-a1. By 1922 the palm trees were taller - nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an2726970 And by the time of this photo, the vegetation was winning - acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemDetailPaged.aspx?itemID=206419 So possibly c.1895. At the time the house was an Asylum for Aged Women, so Iwonder who the young children belonged to?

The house still stands in the middle of Silverwater Correctional Complex (prison) - GoogleMapsSatellite - goo.gl/maps/1QahQ

What a fantastic way of adaptive reuse. However it is sad that it can not be visited, or can it?

Luc Getting in is relatively easy - but getting out might be harder! Try ringing them - (02) 9289 5100 - www.correctiveservices.nsw.gov.au/offender-management/cor... . Say you are investigating an old photo ...

What a very handsome building it was / is. James Barnet architect. BUT . . . It seems a lot of the images in State Records NSW Archive are mistakenly labelled as "Gladesville" when they are Callan Park. Rather large Ooops! eg - Most of this list is wrong (I think, but my knowledge of asylums is like that of court houses, police stations, and prisons - very limited!) - investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/asp/photosearch/search.as... .

History and info at Historic Houses Trust -

Contemporary view from same angle - [http://www.flickr.com/photos/8481360@N04/2444402325/]

beachcomber australia Thanks for this info, the photos would have come to us labelled that way...possibly because at one stage Callan Park was "managed as a branch of Gladesville Hospital" - see Advanced Search -> Agency (Agency Number = 69) I'll pass your comment and links along. AB

Museums of History NSW - State Archives Collection Everyone, including (or especially) Government Departments, makes missteaks! It would be great to get these very interesting, high quality, and rather beautiful photos better known, especially with the new lease of life Callan Park or Kirkbride is experiencing as the Sydney College of the Arts. The HHT Open Day on 6/11/10 (see link above) might be a good place to start. Having spent time finding out about the place, I would love to have a snoop around. Field Trip anyone? Unfortunately I am 400 kms away...