The Lawn, Lincoln

The Lawn, Portico

The Lawn, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England, is a notable early nineteenth century Greek revival building designed by Richard Ingleman [1] (who was also architect for HM Prison, Devizes). It is next to Lincoln Castle on Union Road, 0.3 miles (0.5 km) to the west of Lincoln Cathedral, and comprises a number of notable buildings, a hotel, rose garden and children's play area, set within a large lawn. The Sir Joseph Banks Conservatory is an attraction for visitors, a hothouse containing exhibits categorised by Banks on his voyages with Captain James Cook.

The main building has a substantial portico with Ionic columns.

History as mental hospital

Statue of Dr Edward Parker Charlesworth, physician and life governor of the Lawn Hospital from 1820 until his death in 1853

The Lawn began its life as a lunatic asylum. After initial fundraising, the site was bought in 1809; and Richard Ingleman, architect of Nottingham Asylum, was brought in. After delay caused by indecision on the management of the asylum, independent of the county magistrates, the subscribers went ahead in 1817, and the building opened as a hospital in April 1820.[2] The Lincolnshire County Asylum was later built (around 1854) at Bracebridge Heath.[3]

The Lawn continued to provide psychiatric inpatient facilities until closed by the NHS in 1985.

Current status

The City of Lincoln Council purchased the Lawn Hospital including the grounds on 13 March 1986 from The Secretary of State for Social Services for £425,000.00 and, following extensive refurbishment, the Lawn complex was officially opened on 20 November 1990. It operated as a catering and event venue under council control for some years until, in October 2011, a decision was made to sell it.[4]

Previously the complex housed military regimental museums and a museum about the Roman colony Lindum Colonia, from which Lincoln takes its name. The main building is now run as a conference centre. The previous accommodation building for nurses and doctors is now a boutique hotel with an orangery and events area.

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Lawn, Lincoln.
  1. ↑ Roberts, Andrew. "Index of English and Welsh Lunatic Asylums and Mental Hospitals Based on a comprehensive survey in 1844, and extended to other asylums.". A Middlesex University resource by Andrew Roberts. Middlesex University. Retrieved 19 January 2012. 
    Lunatic Asylum
A Hospital
Union Road, Lincoln<br />originated by a bequest (1803) of £100 by Paul Parnell, surgeon. (White)
Architect: Richard Ingleman
Administrative records from 1817
instituted 4.11.1819
25.3.1820 "opened for the reception of patients". Or
Opened 20.4.1820 with accommodation for 50 patients
[[Edward Parker Charlesworth]] visiting physician from 1820.
He worked for the reduction of mechanical restraint.
     line feed character in |quote= at position 52 (help)
  2. ↑ Leonard Smith (11 May 1999). Cure, Comfort and Safe Custody: Public Lunatic Asylums in Early Nineteenth-Century England. Continuum. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-567-24041-5.
  3. ↑ The Journal of Mental Science. Longman, Green, Longman & Roberts. 1868. p. 368.
  4. ↑ "The Lawn for sale". City of Lincoln Council. Retrieved 19 January 2012. The Lawn in Lincoln is now formally up for sale.
    The Grade II* listed building is now being marketed, and a brochure detailing the sale is available online. The City of Lincoln Council is inviting interested parties to submit bids for acquiring The Lawn, with the closing date for bids being 12 noon on Wednesday 7th March 2012.

Coordinates: 53°14′06″N 0°32′38″W / 53.23500°N 0.54389°W / 53.23500; -0.54389

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