Hillside, Former Sunnyside Hospital, Booth House, Montrose, Angus

Description

John Alexander Ogg Allan, 1931-35. Long, 2-storey and attic, near symmetrical, with 3-storey gabled end wings, H-plan, Arts and Crafts former nurses' home (now offices, 2012). Painted concrete harl, with contrasting ashlar stone margins. Base course, deep eaves to upper and lower mansard slopes; dormers abut upper eaves. Rectangular window openings, some round-arched openings to S. Some bi- and tripartite window openings. Flat-roofed extension to E.

S ELEVATION: symmetrical. 2-storey and attic, 16-bay central section with projecting 3-storey, gabled end bays. Central, advanced, single-storey, 5-bay, flat-roofed porch with large, key-stoned, round-arched window openings and stone piers and railings to roof, forming balcony to 1st floor; moulded architraves. End bays with 5-light, canted bay windows to ground; 4-light windows to 2nd and 3rd storey and slit-window openings to gable.

N (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: symmetrical. Central advanced 2-storey and attic bay with wide, key-stoned, moulded, round-arched entrance opening; recessed, multi-pane, glazed, 2-leaf entrance doors with glazed fanlight and side panels. Flanking stone panels with carriage lights. Tripartite window openings above with single attic dormer.

W ELEVATION: asymmetrical. 3-storey, 9-bays. Off-centre gabled bay with canted 4-light bay window to ground. Prominent wallhead stacks.

Predominantly multi-pane metal casement windows with top-opening hoppers. Mansard roof to central section. Ridge and wallhead stacks. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Raised skews to gables.

INTERIOR: (seen 2012). Fine interior decorative scheme; original layout largely intact. Full-height, panelled lobby and entrance hall with multi-pane glazed screen with central swing doors. Some engaged polygonal-plan timber columns. Dog-leg stairs with moulded timber banisters and curved newels. Timber dado panelling to ground floor corridor with part-glazed doors, fanlights and sidelights. Upper storeys with boarded timber doors with panels of opaque glazing; residential rooms with integral pointed-arched wardrobes.

Statement of Interest

B-Group includes Sunnyside Main Building, Hospital Building, North Esk Villa, Garage and Former Fire Station, Booth House Former Nurses' Home, Carnegie House, Water Tank and Former Workshops, Summerhouse, Away Team Cricket Pavilion and Home Team Cricket Pavilion.

This finely detailed, little altered, Arts and Crafts former nurses' home forms a significant part of the Sunnyside hospital site. Sunnyside Asylum developed in the 19th century as a replacement for the first lunatic asylum in Scotland at Montrose. The hospital consists of a related group of buildings, informally set in a semi-parkland setting on a hillside overlooking Montrose. The site is significant in remaining largely intact and retaining the integrity of a self-contained psychiatric hospital.

Built in 1935, the former nurses' home is situated to the south of the main building, on slightly lower ground, and is an impressive addition to the complex. The long mansard roof with the unusual dormers are particularly distinctive features and the interior detailing is finely crafted with the surviving intact former nurses' rooms a particular interesting feature.

Sunnyside Hospital opened in 1857 and was constructed to replace the former Montrose Lunatic Asylum, established in Montrose in 1781. This was the first hospital in Scotland to care for the mentally ill and was founded by Susan Carnegie, who hoped that if the patients were given good treatment and medical aid, they may be able to return to society. The marble tablet from the opening of this original building is situated in the current asylum. In 1855, the Scottish Lunacy Commission was appointed and condemned the Montrose building as being unsuitable. It was agreed to build a new asylum and a site to the north of Montrose, at Sunnyside Farm was chosen. The architect William Lambie Moffat, who was working in Doncaster, designed this new building (see separate listing). Originally the building formed a double courtyard plan, but as the numbers of patients increased, the building was extended to the rear in 1877 with the addition of a new recreation hall, dining room and kitchen.

Sunnyside Hospital continued to develop during the latter part of the 19th century and the early 20th century, as patients continued to increase in numbers. A hospital building was added in 1888 (see separate listing) to care for patients who had both medical and psychiatric conditions. Carnegie House (see separate listing) was constructed in 1896 to provide accommodation for private patients. This was set slightly apart from the main building to the north and the patients had their own garden for recreational use. Other buildings were gradually added to the site, including three villas, workshops and a chapel. The gradual development of the site is important in demonstrating the change in ideas over the century in the care of the mentally ill. When the lease of Sunnyside farm expired in 1911 another 52 further acres were purchased for the use of the community. Over the course of the 20th century, the patients and staff became involved in a number of activities within the complex including gardening and farming.

John Alexander Ogg Allan (1870-1955) was based in Aberdeen and was considered to be the leading authority in the field of educational building in the north of Scotland. The vast majority of his output was educational buildings in the Aberdeen area, although he also designed a number of churches.

The site ceased to be used as a hospital in 2012.

Listed following a review of the former Sunnyside Hospital site, (2012-13).

External Links

Historic Environment Scotland Listing

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