Blackberry Hill Hospital
Encyclopedia
Blackberry Hill Hospital is an NHS
mental health facility and redevelopment site in Fishponds, Bristol
, presently the home of some facilities of the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership.
Opened as a prison in 1779, many of its buildings and the co-located Glenside
campus of the University of the West of England
(UWE) are Grade II listed. In 2009, the 21 acres (8.5 ha) site was sold to the UK Government's Homes and Communities Agency
, and is proposed to be redeveloped as part of a wider regeneration project.
and Spanish
prisoners of war, who had been landed at Bristol Docks. Today, the shell of the original prison plus the British Garrison Officers Mess House and the Admiralty Agents House are all still remeining. After George III recognised the 13 United States as free and independent in 1783, the prisoners were sent home.
The site now formally adopted the title Stapleton Prison, but under utilised in civilian use, was again expanded from 1793 after France
declared war at the start of the Napoleonic Wars
. A third prison building was completed in 1804, used most recently as nurses' accommodation. After the Treaty of Paris
of 1814, again the prisoners were sent home.
outbreak in 1834 led to overcrowding of Bristol's first workhouse
at St Peter's Hospital
, the Bristol Corporation of the Poor
rented the old prison.
After purchasing the site in 1837, they began to make alterations, adding to the walls separating the different sections of the site. In 1861, they demolished many of the oldest prison buildings, and built the main structure of the campus, later to become Blackberry Hill Hospital.
, the site was turned over to become Stapleton Institution for the Maintenance and Workshop Training of Certified Mental Defectives. The facility housed and then trained those assessed as mentally defective in domestic and industrial crafts, so that they could be deployed in the war effort. After the end of hostilities, these housing and post-assessment training activities continued.
, the National Health Service Act 1946
turned the informal retention activity into a full mental health facility, under the title Stapleton Hospital. Records show that on take over by the NHS, the facility was caring for 837 patients: 350 under the Lunacy Act
; 152 mentally handicapped; 80 social misfits. Even after takeover, the previous regime stayed in place, with patients assessed as capable enough working for their keep in the hospital's kitchens, bakery and for local farms.
However, in 1948 it became Stapleton Hospital for Geriatric Illness and was renamed again in 1956 as Manor Park Hospital. See Psychiatric Bulletin 1987 11: 261-264
programme, while the residual were moved in to new buildings constructed on the former Manor Park site for their long term care.
The newly created Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWMHP) created two new secured facilities at Blackberry Hill. The first was a refurbishment of the secure in-patient care facility, while the second in new buildings to the rear of the site provided a medium secure facility, known as Fromeside Hospital.
In 1996, Avon and Gloucestershire College of Health and Bath and Swindon College of Health Studies joined with the University of the West of England to purchase the former Glenside site, and converted it into the UWE Faculty of Health and Social Care.
transferred their remaining services to Frenchay
and Southmead Hospital
s. In 2007, they declared the Blackberry Hill site surplus to requirements, while AWMHP moved some of its older people services to Callington Road and Southmead hospitals. After transferring their 10% interest in the site to NBT, AWMHP adult mental health services were moved to the most modern buildings on the site, proposed to remain onsite until at least 2010.
In 2009, the entire residual 21 acres (8.5 ha) Blackberry Hill Hospital site was sold to the UK Government's Homes and Communities Agency
, and is proposed to be redeveloped as part of a wider regeneration project. The buildings which are mainly Grade II listed will be converted into a mixed-use development of flats, houses, shops and small business premises.
As of October 2011, the Homes and Communities Agency has launched a tender asking potential developers to come up with a vision for the Blackberry Hill site. Some eight bidders have been short listed and three fnalists will be selected by the end of November. Part of the requirement will be to work with a newly appointed Community Interest Group to shape any future development plans for the site as closely as possible to legal, community and commercial requirements.
National Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
mental health facility and redevelopment site in Fishponds, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, presently the home of some facilities of the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership.
Opened as a prison in 1779, many of its buildings and the co-located Glenside
Glenside, Bristol
Glenside campus is the home of the School of Health and Social Care at the University of the West of England , Bristol. It is located on Blackberry Hill in the suburb of Fishponds...
campus of the University of the West of England
University of the West of England
The University of the West of England is a university based in the English city of Bristol. Its main campus is at Frenchay, about five miles north of the city centre...
(UWE) are Grade II listed. In 2009, the 21 acres (8.5 ha) site was sold to the UK Government's Homes and Communities Agency
Homes and Communities Agency
The Homes and Communities Agency is the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England. It was established by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 as one of the successor bodies to the Housing Corporation, and became operational on 1 December 2008.-Background:On 17...
, and is proposed to be redeveloped as part of a wider regeneration project.
Stapleton Prison
The site first came into use as a prison in 1779, during the American War of Independence. Developed to house DutchDutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
and Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
prisoners of war, who had been landed at Bristol Docks. Today, the shell of the original prison plus the British Garrison Officers Mess House and the Admiralty Agents House are all still remeining. After George III recognised the 13 United States as free and independent in 1783, the prisoners were sent home.
The site now formally adopted the title Stapleton Prison, but under utilised in civilian use, was again expanded from 1793 after France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
declared war at the start of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. A third prison building was completed in 1804, used most recently as nurses' accommodation. After the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris could refer to a number of treaties which have been negotiated and signed in Paris, France, including:*Treaty of Paris , ended the Albigensian Crusade*Treaty of Paris , between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France...
of 1814, again the prisoners were sent home.
Stapleton Workhouse
Used as a naval stores, and then a school for naval boys, after a choleraCholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
outbreak in 1834 led to overcrowding of Bristol's first workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
at St Peter's Hospital
St Peter's Hospital, Bristol
St Peter's Hospital, Bristol could be found to the rear of St Peter's church until it was destroyed in the Bristol Blitz in 1940. A house had stood on that site since approximately 1400 and the hospital was a timbered, gabled mansion. In 1607 the building was bought by a rich merchant named Robert...
, the Bristol Corporation of the Poor
Bristol Corporation of the Poor
The Bristol Corporation of the Poor was the board responsible for poor relief in Bristol, England when the Poor Law system was in operation. It was established in 1696 by the Bristol Poor Act...
rented the old prison.
After purchasing the site in 1837, they began to make alterations, adding to the walls separating the different sections of the site. In 1861, they demolished many of the oldest prison buildings, and built the main structure of the campus, later to become Blackberry Hill Hospital.
Stapleton Institution
At the start of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the site was turned over to become Stapleton Institution for the Maintenance and Workshop Training of Certified Mental Defectives. The facility housed and then trained those assessed as mentally defective in domestic and industrial crafts, so that they could be deployed in the war effort. After the end of hostilities, these housing and post-assessment training activities continued.
Stapleton Hospital
Post World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the National Health Service Act 1946
National Health Service Act 1946
The National Health Service Act 1946 came into effect on 5 July 1948 and created the National Health Service in England and Wales. Though the title 'National Health Service' implies one health service for the United Kingdom, in reality a separate NHS was created for England and Wales accountable to...
turned the informal retention activity into a full mental health facility, under the title Stapleton Hospital. Records show that on take over by the NHS, the facility was caring for 837 patients: 350 under the Lunacy Act
Lunacy Act
The Lunacy Act 1845 and the County Asylums Act 1845 formed mental health law in England and Wales from 1845 to 1890. The Lunacy Act's most important provision was a change in the status of mentally ill people to patients.-Background:...
; 152 mentally handicapped; 80 social misfits. Even after takeover, the previous regime stayed in place, with patients assessed as capable enough working for their keep in the hospital's kitchens, bakery and for local farms.
However, in 1948 it became Stapleton Hospital for Geriatric Illness and was renamed again in 1956 as Manor Park Hospital. See Psychiatric Bulletin 1987 11: 261-264
Manor Park Hospital
Renamed under the NHS reforms of 1956, Manor Park Hospital retained its mental health brief in a non-workhouse specified regime. The 430 bed hospital manned by eight consultantcy teams hence removed much of its workhouse related architecture, reducing ward sizes internally, and replacing farming and work areas with lush green gardens.Blackberry Hill Hospital
From January 1993, the hospital site merged with the adjacent Glenside Hospital, originally built as a lunatic asylum, to become the jointly named Blackberry Hill Hospital. Patients of Glenside were assessed for capability, with many placed within the Care in the CommunityCare in the Community
Care in the Community is the British policy of deinstitutionalization, treating and caring for physically and mentally disabled people in their homes rather than in an institution...
programme, while the residual were moved in to new buildings constructed on the former Manor Park site for their long term care.
The newly created Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWMHP) created two new secured facilities at Blackberry Hill. The first was a refurbishment of the secure in-patient care facility, while the second in new buildings to the rear of the site provided a medium secure facility, known as Fromeside Hospital.
In 1996, Avon and Gloucestershire College of Health and Bath and Swindon College of Health Studies joined with the University of the West of England to purchase the former Glenside site, and converted it into the UWE Faculty of Health and Social Care.
Present
In 2005, North Bristol NHS TrustNorth Bristol NHS Trust
North Bristol NHS Trust is a National Health Service trust providing community healthcare and hospital services to Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset. Hospital services are provided through Frenchay Hospital and Southmead Hospital...
transferred their remaining services to Frenchay
Frenchay Hospital
Frenchay Hospital is a large hospital situated in Frenchay, South Gloucestershire, on the outskirts of Bristol, England, part of the North Bristol NHS Trust....
and Southmead Hospital
Southmead Hospital
Southmead Hospital is a large hospital, situated in the northern suburbs of Bristol, England, part of the North Bristol NHS Trust.The hospital opened in 1902 as a 64 bed workhouse for poor sick people. By 1911 there were 520 beds....
s. In 2007, they declared the Blackberry Hill site surplus to requirements, while AWMHP moved some of its older people services to Callington Road and Southmead hospitals. After transferring their 10% interest in the site to NBT, AWMHP adult mental health services were moved to the most modern buildings on the site, proposed to remain onsite until at least 2010.
In 2009, the entire residual 21 acres (8.5 ha) Blackberry Hill Hospital site was sold to the UK Government's Homes and Communities Agency
Homes and Communities Agency
The Homes and Communities Agency is the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England. It was established by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 as one of the successor bodies to the Housing Corporation, and became operational on 1 December 2008.-Background:On 17...
, and is proposed to be redeveloped as part of a wider regeneration project. The buildings which are mainly Grade II listed will be converted into a mixed-use development of flats, houses, shops and small business premises.
As of October 2011, the Homes and Communities Agency has launched a tender asking potential developers to come up with a vision for the Blackberry Hill site. Some eight bidders have been short listed and three fnalists will be selected by the end of November. Part of the requirement will be to work with a newly appointed Community Interest Group to shape any future development plans for the site as closely as possible to legal, community and commercial requirements.