Sunnyside Royal Hospital was a psychiatric hospital located in Hillside, north of Montrose, Scotland. The hospital was founded in 1781 by Susan Carnegie as the Montrose Lunatic Asylum, Infirmary & Dispensary and obtained a Royal Charter in 1810. The original building was situated on the Montrose Links on a site bounded by Barrack Road, Ferry Road and Garrison Road.
In 1834, the Governors of the asylum, carrying out the wishes of Mrs Carnegie (who had strongly advocated the appointment of a medical specialist in insanity) appointed the phrenologist William A.F. Browne as medical superintendent. Browne was to prove an inspired choice and an energetic and resourceful leader. He regarded public education as part of his duties, and gave a series of lectures which became enormously popular and influential. In 1837, five lectures were published together under the title What Asylums Were, Are and Ought To Be; this book came to the attention of the Dumfries philanthropist Elizabeth Crichton. She travelled to Montrose, interviewed Browne and offered him the equivalent post at the Crichton Royal in Dumfries. Crichton offered Browne a raise from £150 to £350 per annum. Browne was succeeded at Montrose by Richard Poole, an early psychiatric historian, and, later, by Dr James Howden, who identified cases of pellagra in the asylum.
In 1858, a new improved asylum was completed to the north of Montrose in the village of Hillside on lands of the farm of Sunnyside and the old site was vacated. This site was further developed with the construction of a new facility for private patients called Carnegie House in 1899. Despite this addition, overcrowding was a problem, as the asylum's patient numbers had grown to 670 by 1900. This situation required additional building work to be undertaken. Consequently, two new buildings - Howden Villa (1901) and Northesk Villa (1904)- were added to the facility. Additional staff were required to care for the additional patients and the Westmount Cottages were built in 1905 to house them. In 1911 the lease of Sunnyside Farm finally expired and over 52 acres were purchased for the sum of £4500. A further development was the addition of Angus House, which was built in 1939 to accommodate elderly patients suffering from dementia.
In 1948, the National Health Service 1946 (Scotland) Act brought the hospital under control of the Eastern Regional Hospital Board. Its name was changed from the Royal Asylum of Montrose to the Royal Mental Hospital of Montrose. In 1962 it became Sunnyside Royal Hospital and came under the jurisdiction of new management. During the 1950s and 1960s, the introduction of new drugs lessened the need for prolonged admission of patients. In addition, the Mental Health (Scotland) Act of 1960 also significantly altered legislation in respect of mental illness and reduced the grounds on which someone could be detained in a mental hospital.
The archives of the hospital are held by Archive Services, University of Dundee as part of the NHS Tayside archive.
The site was officially closed in late 2011 and most patients were sent to a new £20 million build at Stracathro Hospital (also in Angus) - the Susan Carnegie Centre. Others were placed in the community. Sunnyside was open for 230 years before its closure, and was the oldest psychiatric hospital in Scotland.
Explore,
I visited this with PV, was only planned to be a quick visit but turned out to be much longer due to the fact that the site is huge and just so much to see.
We spent one night camped out in Carnegie only to find out we had been sealed in at some point early in the morning, luckly we found a way out lol.
Whilst we were there we were lucky enough to see most of the buildings on site with out too many complications. The one disappointing part was that almost all the sinks have now been smashed and taps removed.
In 1834, the Governors of the asylum, carrying out the wishes of Mrs Carnegie (who had strongly advocated the appointment of a medical specialist in insanity) appointed the phrenologist William A.F. Browne as medical superintendent. Browne was to prove an inspired choice and an energetic and resourceful leader. He regarded public education as part of his duties, and gave a series of lectures which became enormously popular and influential. In 1837, five lectures were published together under the title What Asylums Were, Are and Ought To Be; this book came to the attention of the Dumfries philanthropist Elizabeth Crichton. She travelled to Montrose, interviewed Browne and offered him the equivalent post at the Crichton Royal in Dumfries. Crichton offered Browne a raise from £150 to £350 per annum. Browne was succeeded at Montrose by Richard Poole, an early psychiatric historian, and, later, by Dr James Howden, who identified cases of pellagra in the asylum.
In 1858, a new improved asylum was completed to the north of Montrose in the village of Hillside on lands of the farm of Sunnyside and the old site was vacated. This site was further developed with the construction of a new facility for private patients called Carnegie House in 1899. Despite this addition, overcrowding was a problem, as the asylum's patient numbers had grown to 670 by 1900. This situation required additional building work to be undertaken. Consequently, two new buildings - Howden Villa (1901) and Northesk Villa (1904)- were added to the facility. Additional staff were required to care for the additional patients and the Westmount Cottages were built in 1905 to house them. In 1911 the lease of Sunnyside Farm finally expired and over 52 acres were purchased for the sum of £4500. A further development was the addition of Angus House, which was built in 1939 to accommodate elderly patients suffering from dementia.
In 1948, the National Health Service 1946 (Scotland) Act brought the hospital under control of the Eastern Regional Hospital Board. Its name was changed from the Royal Asylum of Montrose to the Royal Mental Hospital of Montrose. In 1962 it became Sunnyside Royal Hospital and came under the jurisdiction of new management. During the 1950s and 1960s, the introduction of new drugs lessened the need for prolonged admission of patients. In addition, the Mental Health (Scotland) Act of 1960 also significantly altered legislation in respect of mental illness and reduced the grounds on which someone could be detained in a mental hospital.
The archives of the hospital are held by Archive Services, University of Dundee as part of the NHS Tayside archive.
The site was officially closed in late 2011 and most patients were sent to a new £20 million build at Stracathro Hospital (also in Angus) - the Susan Carnegie Centre. Others were placed in the community. Sunnyside was open for 230 years before its closure, and was the oldest psychiatric hospital in Scotland.
Explore,
I visited this with PV, was only planned to be a quick visit but turned out to be much longer due to the fact that the site is huge and just so much to see.
We spent one night camped out in Carnegie only to find out we had been sealed in at some point early in the morning, luckly we found a way out lol.
Whilst we were there we were lucky enough to see most of the buildings on site with out too many complications. The one disappointing part was that almost all the sinks have now been smashed and taps removed.
On with the photos
The Main Building
https://flic.kr/p/25mjers
https://flic.kr/p/287hoSM
https://flic.kr/p/25miURS
https://flic.kr/p/JsmMgg
https://flic.kr/p/271TiqS
https://flic.kr/p/25miqvo
https://flic.kr/p/271T32f
https://flic.kr/p/287gJtH
https://flic.kr/p/271SPxC
https://flic.kr/p/287gumz
https://flic.kr/p/26JKMWT
https://flic.kr/p/KYjjSw
https://flic.kr/p/25mhNwQ
https://flic.kr/p/271Sa4o
https://flic.kr/p/25mhDVS
https://flic.kr/p/KYiRKW
https://flic.kr/p/287fM8T
https://flic.kr/p/287fDcH
https://flic.kr/p/271RzKu
https://flic.kr/p/25mh7Rh
https://flic.kr/p/KYik3o
https://flic.kr/p/287f8nn
https://flic.kr/p/26JJMHP
https://flic.kr/p/271QLn3
https://flic.kr/p/KYhSey
https://flic.kr/p/26JJvmR
https://flic.kr/p/282Tntq
https://flic.kr/p/26JJeU8
https://flic.kr/p/25mgba3
A long exposure at night
https://flic.kr/p/282T5cb
Part 2 - the rest of the site
Booth House
https://flic.kr/p/271PQWA
https://flic.kr/p/Jsj7Nt
https://flic.kr/p/KYh25G
https://flic.kr/p/287e2Da
https://flic.kr/p/25mfBkA
Occupational Therapy
https://flic.kr/p/287dVxn
https://flic.kr/p/271PfaS
https://flic.kr/p/KYgovu
https://flic.kr/p/KYggV5
https://flic.kr/p/KYgd9s
https://flic.kr/p/271NW5y
The Infirmary
https://flic.kr/p/26JGw2x
https://flic.kr/p/25meTc7
https://flic.kr/p/271NAWd
https://flic.kr/p/271NvCN
https://flic.kr/p/287cRa6
https://flic.kr/p/Jshy4H
https://flic.kr/p/287cxde
Carnegie Clinic
https://flic.kr/p/JshosP
https://flic.kr/p/26JFGak
https://flic.kr/p/Jsh9Tp
https://flic.kr/p/25me6rQ
https://flic.kr/p/25mdVuf
https://flic.kr/p/271MsvC
https://flic.kr/p/282Quef
https://flic.kr/p/26JF1NK
The Forge
https://flic.kr/p/282Qe2S
https://flic.kr/p/282Q7c9
The Morgue
https://flic.kr/p/25md9aC
https://flic.kr/p/KYerGy
https://flic.kr/p/25mjershttps://flic.kr/p/287hoSMhttps://flic.kr/p/25miURShttps://flic.kr/p/JsmMgghttps://flic.kr/p/271TiqShttps://flic.kr/p/25miqvohttps://flic.kr/p/271T32fhttps://flic.kr/p/287gJtHhttps://flic.kr/p/271SPxChttps://flic.kr/p/287gumzhttps://flic.kr/p/26JKMWThttps://flic.kr/p/KYjjSwhttps://flic.kr/p/25mhNwQhttps://flic.kr/p/271Sa4ohttps://flic.kr/p/25mhDVShttps://flic.kr/p/KYiRKWhttps://flic.kr/p/287fM8Thttps://flic.kr/p/287fDcHhttps://flic.kr/p/271RzKuhttps://flic.kr/p/25mh7Rhhttps://flic.kr/p/KYik3ohttps://flic.kr/p/287f8nnhttps://flic.kr/p/26JJMHPhttps://flic.kr/p/271QLn3https://flic.kr/p/KYhSeyhttps://flic.kr/p/26JJvmRhttps://flic.kr/p/282Tntqhttps://flic.kr/p/26JJeU8https://flic.kr/p/25mgba3A long exposure at night
https://flic.kr/p/282T5cbPart 2 - the rest of the site
Booth House
https://flic.kr/p/271PQWAhttps://flic.kr/p/Jsj7Nthttps://flic.kr/p/KYh25Ghttps://flic.kr/p/287e2Dahttps://flic.kr/p/25mfBkAOccupational Therapy
https://flic.kr/p/287dVxnhttps://flic.kr/p/271PfaShttps://flic.kr/p/KYgovuhttps://flic.kr/p/KYggV5https://flic.kr/p/KYgd9shttps://flic.kr/p/271NW5yThe Infirmary
https://flic.kr/p/26JGw2xhttps://flic.kr/p/25meTc7https://flic.kr/p/271NAWdhttps://flic.kr/p/271NvCNhttps://flic.kr/p/287cRa6https://flic.kr/p/Jshy4Hhttps://flic.kr/p/287cxdeCarnegie Clinic
https://flic.kr/p/JshosPhttps://flic.kr/p/26JFGakhttps://flic.kr/p/Jsh9Tphttps://flic.kr/p/25me6rQhttps://flic.kr/p/25mdVufhttps://flic.kr/p/271MsvChttps://flic.kr/p/282Quefhttps://flic.kr/p/26JF1NKThe Forge
https://flic.kr/p/282Qe2Shttps://flic.kr/p/282Q7c9The Morgue
https://flic.kr/p/25md9aChttps://flic.kr/p/KYerGyThanks for looking
