Towers Hospital
| Towers Hospital | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Opened | 1869 |
| Closed | 2005 |
| Current Status | Preserved |
| Building Style | Corridor Plan |
| Architect(s) | Edward Stephens |
| Alternate Names |
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History
The Leicester Borough Lunatic Asylum was opened on 2nd September 1869. By 1912 the hospital substituted "Mental Hospital" for "Lunatic Asylum" as "lunatic" was gaining obsolescence in referring to mental health. The present name "Towers Hospital" was acquired in early 1947. As an administrative institution, the Towers Hospital held regular meetings with staff and with staff in other Leicester Health Institutions. There was also a General Meeting held in London which served as an assessment of mental health care throughout the country. In order to clarify the purpose and terminology of the various Acts of Parliament instrumental in restructuring mental health care, the following is a brief outline on why they were necessary and the effects of each Act on patients.
Although in the 18th century mental asylums had become synonymous with barbarity and abuse, with the illegitimate confinement of the sane and the inhuman living conditions, some philanthropists endeavoured to bring these misdemeanours to light. In 1808 it had been made law that each county was responsible for erecting an asylum which would be publicly funded. Of course, Leicester already had its county asylum by the time the Borough asylum was erected in 1869.
