Craiglockhart Hydropathic
Encyclopedia
Craiglockhart Hydropathic, now a part of Edinburgh Napier University and known as Craiglockhart Campus, is a building with surrounding grounds in Craiglockhart
, Edinburgh
, Scotland
.
at the University of Edinburgh
. It stayed in the Munro family for more than a hundred years.
. Between 1916 and 1919 the building was used as a military psychiatric
hospital for the treatment of shell-shocked
officers.
Probably the most famous patients of Craiglockhart were the poets Siegfried Sassoon
and Wilfred Owen
, whose poems appeared in the hospital's own magazine called The Hydra
. Wilfred Owen was the editor of the magazine during his stay. Siegfried Sassoon was sent to Craiglockhart, as a response to his 'Soldier's Declaration', an anti-war letter. He later wrote about his experiences at the hospital in his semi-autobiographical novel, 'Sherston's Progress
'.
The best known of the doctors assigned there was W. H. R. Rivers
. The Hospital featured in the 1991 book Regeneration
by Pat Barker
– and the 1997 film adaptation by the same name – and in which the institution was known as Craiglockhart War Hospital.
, before serving as a Catholic
teacher training college. It then passed to the then Napier College, and was used by that institution and its successor, Napier Polytechnic; thus it is now part of Napier University. Much of the old building has been retained, but an extensive new wing has been built behind it to house the Business School.
Craiglockhart
Craiglockhart is a suburb in the south west of Edinburgh, Scotland, lying between Colinton to the south, Morningside to the east Merchiston to the north east and Kingsknowe to the west...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Origins
The estate in which the Hydropathic's building lies was sold in 1773 to Alexander Munro, who was first of three generations to be Professor of AnatomyAnatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. It stayed in the Munro family for more than a hundred years.
The Hydropathic and the War Hospital
In 1877, the estate became the property of the Craiglockhart Hydropathic Company, who set about building a hydropathic institute. The Hydropathic was built in the Italian style. Craiglockhart remained as a hydropathic, until the advent of the First World WarWorld 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...
. Between 1916 and 1919 the building was used as a military psychiatric
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
hospital for the treatment of shell-shocked
Shell Shock
Shell Shock, also known as 82nd Marines Attack was a 1964 film by B-movie director John Hayes. The film takes place in Italy during World War II, and tells the story of a sergeant with his group of soldiers....
officers.
Probably the most famous patients of Craiglockhart were the poets Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Loraine Sassoon CBE MC was an English poet, author and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both described the horrors of the trenches, and satirised the patriotic pretensions of those who, in Sassoon's...
and Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Edward Salter Owen MC was an English poet and soldier, one of the leading poets of the First World War...
, whose poems appeared in the hospital's own magazine called The Hydra
The Hydra
The Hydra was a magazine produced by the patients of the Craiglockhart War Hospital, noteworthy for having been edited at one time by Wilfred Owen, and for including poems by Siegfried Sassoon....
. Wilfred Owen was the editor of the magazine during his stay. Siegfried Sassoon was sent to Craiglockhart, as a response to his 'Soldier's Declaration', an anti-war letter. He later wrote about his experiences at the hospital in his semi-autobiographical novel, 'Sherston's Progress
Sherston's Progress
Sherston's Progress is the final book of Siegfried Sassoon's semi-autobiographical trilogy. It is preceded by Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man and Memoirs of an Infantry Officer....
'.
The best known of the doctors assigned there was W. H. R. Rivers
W. H. R. Rivers
William Halse Rivers Rivers, FRCP, FRS, was an English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist and psychiatrist, best known for his work with shell-shocked soldiers during World War I. Rivers' most famous patient was the poet Siegfried Sassoon...
. The Hospital featured in the 1991 book Regeneration
Regeneration (novel)
For the 1997 film adaptation of the novel see Regeneration .Regeneration is a prize-winning novel by Pat Barker, first published in 1991. The novel was a Booker Prize nominee and was described by the New York Times Book Review as one of the four best novels of the year in its year of publication...
by Pat Barker
Pat Barker
Pat Barker CBE, FRSL is an English writer and novelist. She has won many awards for her fiction, which centres around themes of memory, trauma, survival and recovery. Her work is described as direct, blunt and plainspoken.-Personal life:...
– and the 1997 film adaptation by the same name – and in which the institution was known as Craiglockhart War Hospital.
Later uses
The building then became a convent for the Society of the Sacred HeartSociety of the Sacred Heart
The Society of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic religious congregation established in France by St. Madeleine Sophie Barat in 1800. It has presence in 45 countries. Membership to the Society is restricted to women only. Its members do many works, but focus on education, particularly girls'...
, before serving as a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
teacher training college. It then passed to the then Napier College, and was used by that institution and its successor, Napier Polytechnic; thus it is now part of Napier University. Much of the old building has been retained, but an extensive new wing has been built behind it to house the Business School.
See also
- Alexander Monro tertius
- Regeneration (1997 film)Regeneration (1997 film)Regeneration is a 1997 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Pat Barker. The film is directed by Gillies MacKinnon. It was released as Behind the Lines in the USA in 1998.-Plot:...
- set, but not filmed, here.