Hartwood
Encyclopedia
Hartwood is a village in North Lanarkshire
, Scotland
. Nearby settlements include Shotts
, Allanton
and Bonkle
. The area is rural, with fewer than 50 houses.
The remains of Hartwood Hospital, an 19th century psychiatric
hospital
with imposing twin clock tower
s, are the main feature of the village, even after its closure under the direction of the Lanarkshire Health Board in 1998. Like many other Victorian
institutions in the area such as Gartloch Hospital, Stonyetts, Lennox Castle and Kirklands, the inception of the Community Care Act (1990) gave rise to a more community-based focus for long-term mental health care, and the consequent closure of long-term psychiatric hospitals.
An annex of the main hospital, Hartwoodhill Hospital, still exists one mile to the north east of the village, along the unclassified road which forms the main thoroughfare.
The original hospital was overseen by Dr Archibald Campbell Clark, the medical superintendent, and was involved with the inception of modern psychiatric therapies such as occupational therapy
, ECT
and industrial involvement. In the hospital style of the time, Hartwood was entirely self-sustaining, with its own farm, gardens, reservoir, graveyard, staff houses, etc.
Hartwood also contributed to the growth of nurse education
, and had its own College of Nursing, which was annexed to Bell College
(which merged with the University of Paisley to form the University of the West of Scotland in August 2007). It was the last part of the original Hartwood site to close in 2000 when educational services were transferred to Bell College's
purpose-built facility (the Caird Building) on its Hamilton
site.
Transport is provided at Hartwood railway station
, operated by Network Rail
, with an hourly service Monday - Saturday every hour between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley
on the Shotts Line
.
And some photographs taken after the hospital's closure can be found here:
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also borders Stirling, Falkirk, East Dunbartonshire, West Lothian and South Lanarkshire...
, 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...
. Nearby settlements include Shotts
Shotts
Shotts is a small rural town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located almost halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh . As of the 2001 census, the population was 8,235...
, Allanton
Allanton
Allanton is a small town in Otago, New Zealand, located some 20 kilometres southwest of Dunedin on State Highway 1. The settlement lies at the eastern edge of the Taieri Plains close to the Taieri River at the junction of the main road to Dunedin International Airport at Momona.Established near the...
and Bonkle
Bonkle
Bonkle is a village three miles north-west of Wishaw in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Murdostoun Castle is located nearby.- External links :* *...
. The area is rural, with fewer than 50 houses.
The remains of Hartwood Hospital, an 19th century 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
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
with imposing twin clock tower
Clock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
s, are the main feature of the village, even after its closure under the direction of the Lanarkshire Health Board in 1998. Like many other Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
institutions in the area such as Gartloch Hospital, Stonyetts, Lennox Castle and Kirklands, the inception of the Community Care Act (1990) gave rise to a more community-based focus for long-term mental health care, and the consequent closure of long-term psychiatric hospitals.
An annex of the main hospital, Hartwoodhill Hospital, still exists one mile to the north east of the village, along the unclassified road which forms the main thoroughfare.
The original hospital was overseen by Dr Archibald Campbell Clark, the medical superintendent, and was involved with the inception of modern psychiatric therapies such as occupational therapy
Occupational therapy
Occupational therapy is a discipline that aims to promote health by enabling people to perform meaningful and purposeful activities. Occupational therapists work with individuals who suffer from a mentally, physically, developmentally, and/or emotionally disabling condition by utilizing treatments...
, ECT
Electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy , formerly known as electroshock, is a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in anesthetized patients for therapeutic effect. Its mode of action is unknown...
and industrial involvement. In the hospital style of the time, Hartwood was entirely self-sustaining, with its own farm, gardens, reservoir, graveyard, staff houses, etc.
Hartwood also contributed to the growth of nurse education
Nurse education
Nurse education consists in the theorical and practical training provided to nurses with the purpose to prepare them for their duties as nursing care professionals. This education is provided to nursing students by experienced nurses and other medical professionals who have qualified or...
, and had its own College of Nursing, which was annexed to Bell College
Bell College
Bell College was a higher education college based in Hamilton and Dumfries in Scotland. Founded in 1972, the College merged with the University of Paisley on 1 August 2007, it is now part of the renamed University of the West of Scotland.-History:...
(which merged with the University of Paisley to form the University of the West of Scotland in August 2007). It was the last part of the original Hartwood site to close in 2000 when educational services were transferred to Bell College's
Bell College
Bell College was a higher education college based in Hamilton and Dumfries in Scotland. Founded in 1972, the College merged with the University of Paisley on 1 August 2007, it is now part of the renamed University of the West of Scotland.-History:...
purpose-built facility (the Caird Building) on its Hamilton
Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...
site.
Transport is provided at Hartwood railway station
Hartwood railway station
Hartwood railway station is a railway station serving Hartwood in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is on the Shotts Line, east of towards . The station has two platforms, connected by a stairway footbridge...
, operated by Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
, with an hourly service Monday - Saturday every hour between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley
Edinburgh Waverley railway station
Edinburgh Waverley railway station is the main railway station in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Covering an area of over 25 acres in the centre of the city, it is the second-largest main line railway station in the United Kingdom in terms of area, the largest being...
on the Shotts Line
Shotts Line
The Shotts Line is a suburban railway line linking Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley via Shotts in Scotland. The route from Glasgow to Shotts is part of the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport network...
.
External links
A full history of Hartwood Hospital can be found at these websites:- http://web.ukonline.co.uk/scotlandgenealogy/hartwood_hospital_was_in_its_hey.htm
- http://www.shottshistorygroup.co.uk/founding_of_hartwood_hospital.htm
- http://www.bobbysimpson.org.uk/HARTWOOD_HOSPITAL_PICTURES.htm
And some photographs taken after the hospital's closure can be found here:
- http://www.turbozutek.f2s.com/index.php?cat=9
- http://www.bobbysimpson.org.uk/HARTWOOD_HOSPITAL_PICTURES.htm