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

Wonford House - St Thomas Lunatic Asylum

Wonford House was built on the 18th of October 1866 and was completed on the 7th of July 1869 with the Earl of Devon officially opening the hospital. This came after 1842 when there was a request to increase the size of St Thomas Lunatic Asylum that lead to the pauper 'lunatics' being removed from the hospital in 1845 as "the majority were incurable" Nick Henry 1980 pg. 58. Bowhill House (St Thomas Lunatic Asylum) was purchased in 1801 with the 'asylum' being established in 1815, before being moved to new grounds after the request of expansion. The main hospital consisted of 3 walled courts, 3 gardens and 5 indoor galleries as the design was similar to a french chateau. The hospital also had a billiard room, ballroom and a chapel that was aimed at entertaining gentlemen. There were 120 beds at the time, it is now park of Exe Vale hospital that accommodates the main royal Devon and Exeter hospital that was moved from Southernhay in 1974.

 Wonford House, 1866

Wonford House is now the headquarters of Devon Partnership NHS Trust, who provide occupational therapy services for those in need. As well as care for those with mental health problems, there are art classes as a form of therapy. Wonford also specializes in treating people with problems such as behavioral and eating disorders.

Front of Main Building, Wonford House, Heavitree, Exeter

Devington Park - Devon County Lunatic Asylum

The Devon County Lunatic Asylum was first opened in July 1845 with the architect Charles Fowler who had created such places as Covent Garden market. His design was that of the Radial design with the main administration building being the center piece and several wards radiating outwards that patients would've lived in. It was built in 1842 and completed in 1845, it was also based on the model of Pentonville Prison.

Engraving of Devon County Pauper Lunatic Asylum 1845

John Charles Bucknill was the first medical superintendent in which he campaigned to have people who were mentally in transferred into his institution. He also made publications to expose the abuse of unstable relatives that was inflicted on them from their families. Elderly people who were deemed unwell were sent to the 'asylum' and arrived in extremely poor conditions, some didn't need psychiatric treatment but Bucknill refused to send them back. In 1862 Charles Bucknill left the institute and was replaced by Symes Saunders where the institution began to go down hill. There began to be severe over-crowding in 1864, which lead to several patients being turned away in 1870 until vacancies could be made and admission decisions becoming more biased towards recovery. The number of patients remaining in treatment at the end of each year was around 590 in the 1860s which had risen to over 800 in the 1880s that contributed to the over-crowding.

John Charles Bucknill

It's first peak of patients was in 1915 at 1,421 but the population eased slightly in the next 7 years before growing again from 1923. In 1929 the Devon County Lunatic Asylum became Devon Mental Hospital, with a separate sanatorium being built in 1877 and further extensions in 1906. The patient numbers peaked again in 1951 with over 1,500 patients under treatment in the hospital there were still issues with over-crowding a there had been no further extensions since 1906. In 1961 the hospital had changed names again to become Exe Vale Hospital (Exminster Branch) to be combined with Digby Hospital and Wonford House, the hospital was also expected to half its beds by 1975. It then became Exminster hospital in 1981 with it being sold in the late 1980s to be closed in 1985. The roofs of the main wards were striped with the site being turned into housing bringing it into the present day and Devington Park.

Adminstrative Building, Devington Park, Exminster, Exeter

Photograph Featured on The National Trust Website For Wembury

Continuing my volunteer work for the National Trust, one of my images that I've taken whilst at Wembury point has been featured on the main Tourist Information page along with other photographers that have photographed that area. I am very happy to receive this recognition as it will lead to further interest in my work and achieve a wider audience. The link to the website is below.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wembury/

Laura Knight Portaits - Plymouth City Museum and Gallery

In this exhibition that is currently showing at the Plymouth City Museum and Gallery there is a wide range of portraiture that depicts a large amount of people in different scenarios. The images have been painted with the smallest a lot of time and skill going into each piece. Due to the amount of detail within these images, a few look like photographs with the focus drawn to the many elements that make up each image. 

Ethel Bartlet, 1914, Laura Knight

By researching into different practitioners I was intrigued by Laura Knight's work as the focus is on the subjects in their own environment showing how they work and what their craft could be in such paintings of the dancers and women working in the factory. She has captured aspects of people that the viewer might not see if the subjects were painted in a different way for example having them in a studio environment without any objects that could hint at what they are interested in.

 Ruby Lotus Screwing a Breech-ring, 1943, Laura Knight

Laura Knight first started painting in Cornwall in 1907 when she moved there, where in 1908 she had an exhibition in the Newlyn Gallery. In 1913 Knight her first nude painting was shown which was a self portrait that at the time was scrutinized by the public but has since been seen as a key piece in the story of female self portraiture and symbolic of the wider female view. She later went on to paint WW1 and Circus folk in the 1920's, her most dominate work is that of WW2 focusing on the people and where they worked in such images as women working in factories and pilots in aircraft. One of her most prominent pieces from the war is the image The Nuremberg Trial.

Nuremberg Trial, 1946, Laura Knight

"In that ruined city death and destruction are ever present. They had to come into the picture, without them, it would not be the Nuremberg as it now is during the trial, when the death of millions and utter devastation are the sole topics of conversation wherever one goes - whatever one is doing" - Laura Knight

In Laura Knight's later life she painted dancers, dignitaries and well known people such as Jean Rhodes the 'Mighty Mannequin' that lead to further portrait commissions. Knight died on the 7th of July 1970 aged 92 3 days after a large exhibition of her work was to been shown in Nottingham Castle Art Gallery and Museum.