Digby Park - Exeter City Asylum

Exeter City Asylum was opened in 1886 which was designed by Robert Stark Williams a local architect who made the 'asylum' into 2 main ranges with the northern part being made up of service areas, administrative facilities and accommodation for laundry workers. The southern part of the hospital was made up of occupations for the male inmates with the central parts being separate wards for male and female patients alongside open land with the wards being separated by a recreation hall. In 1929 the Asylum was renamed to Exeter Mental Hospital and was used in the first World War to accommodate patients from Bristol City Asylum when it was taken over for military use.

Exeter Lunatic Asylum, 1886

The hospital changed name again in 1949 becoming Digby Hospital, to then become Exe Vale Hospital, Digby Branch in 1962 before it's closer in 1987 a year after Devon County Asylum with 301 beds left in 1971. Similarly to what is now Devington Park, Digby Hospital became housing and is now known as Digby Park, earlier plans show the hospital was to be completely demolished to be replaced by a supermarket and a new housing site but the plans were declined as the main hospital and smaller buildings linking to it are Grade 2 listed. There is still the chapel and the gatehouse visible on entry to the main building with the majority of its features still in place.

Administrative Building, Digby Park, Exeter