St George's Hospital

St George's Hospital, originally Staffordshire General Lunatic Asylum, is a mental hospital built in 1818 by Joseph Potter, with extensions from 1849 to 1850 and subsequent additions. The building is constructed of brick with ashlar dressings, covered by a hipped slate roof. It is a long, symmetrical range with projecting wings and recessed end wings, the latter being of a later date. The rear incorporates various original and later wings, including a chapel and a water tower.

The main facade is four stories high and features a five-window centre flanked by five-window ranges, two-window projections and further five-window ranges. The end projections are likely later, with two-window wings and three-window returns. The end wings themselves are three stories high with nine windows. Architectural features include a plaster plinth, a plat band over the ground floor which becomes the first-floor sill band to the centre, a second-floor sill band and a top frieze and cornice. The first-floor entrance features an architrave, frieze, consoled cornice, overlight, and twentieth-century glazed doors. A porch with paired Doric columns, a frieze, a cornice, and a blocking course is flanked by walls featuring lanterns. Curved staircases with enriched iron balusters lead to the front entrance, which has been rebuilt in the twentieth century. Ground-floor windows are round-headed with 12-pane sashes, ten of which have upper radial glazing bars. Projections feature windows set behind two round arches with imposts and keys. The end projections have tripartite windows with angle pilasters and gabled lintels, with similar single windows to the wings. First and second-floor windows have friezes and cornices over 12-pane, horned sashes. Third-floor windows have rubbed brick flat arches over 6-pane, horned sashes, those to projections and wings having plain lintels. Returns are similar, with end tripartite windows, inserted fire escapes and entrances. Round-headed entrances are topped by triple windows within round-headed recesses, with a top Diocletian window. Lower wing windows are consistent in style. The rear includes a gabled chapel wing with a bell cote and a triplet of lancets in an arched recess, alongside flanking lancets to the transepts. The water tower has a tank and truncated stack. Stacks are prominent, including two large stacks to the main range with quoins and cornices.