Porirua Lunatic Asylum (alternates: Porirua Asylum, Porirua Hospital, Porirua Psychiatric Hospital; currently: Porirua Hospital Museum) was a

psychiatric hospital A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe Mental disorder, mental disorders. These institutions cater t ...

located in

Porirua Porirua, () a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Poriru ...

. Established in 1887, it was at one time the largest hospital in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. The patients ranged from those with

psychotic In psychopathology, psychosis is a condition in which a person is unable to distinguish, in their experience of life, between what is and is not real. Examples of psychotic symptoms are delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized or incoher ...

illnesses, to the

senile Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform everyday activities. This typically involves problems with memory, ...

, or alcoholics.

History

Land was acquired in 1884 for a hospital farm that would offer 'work therapy' to relieve overcrowding at

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

Mount View Lunatic Asylum The Mount View Lunatic Asylum (alternates: Mt. View Lunatic Asylum, Mount View Asylum) was a psychiatric hospital located on near the Basin Reserve in Wellington, New Zealand. Government House Government House is the name of many of the offic ...

. Construction of a one storied building containing 24 apartments, H Ward, began in 1886. Porirua Lunatic Asylum, as it was originally named, was opened in the following year and Dr. Thomas Radford King was appointed as its medical superintendent, though in less than a year, he was replaced by Dr. Gray Hassell. By 1905, Porirua Hospital had 700 beds. In the early 1900s, the facility had 2000 staff and patients, affording a major effect on the

Wellington Region Greater Wellington, also known as the Wellington Region (Māori language, Māori: ''Te Upoko o te Ika''), is the southernmost regions of New Zealand, region of the North Island of New Zealand. The local government region covers an area of , and ...

's development. By 1928, nurses moved into their own two-store, 100 room building. The resident population was 1,500 in the 1940s. After the

1942 Wairarapa earthquakes Two 1942 Wairarapa earthquakes shook the lower North Island of New Zealand on 24 June and 2 August. They were large and shallow with epicentres close together east of Masterton in the Wairarapa region. The June earthquake was sometimes referred ...

, 800 patients had to be moved to other hospitals. Subsequently, the main building was demolished and eleven new villas were constructed. Most patients were released into community-based care in the late 1980s after the release of the Wellington Hospital Board White Paper on psychiatric care. The first built ward, F Ward, was closed in 1977, considered unfit and uneconomical. In 1980, the Puketiro Centre operated as a regional base for children with developmental problems. In 1987, the hospital celebrated its 100-year anniversary, opening the Porirua Hospital Museum in F Ward.

References

External links

Porirua Psychiatric Hospital
{{Hospitals in New Zealand Psychiatric hospitals in New Zealand Buildings and structures in Porirua Defunct hospitals in New Zealand Hospitals established in 1887 Houses completed in 1887 1970s disestablishments Science museums in New Zealand Hospital museums Museums in the Wellington Region Former psychiatric hospitals