Mendip Hospital, main building

Mendip Hospital, the main building, is a county lunatic asylum that was constructed between 1845 and 1847 by architects G.G. Scott and W.B. Moffatt, with supervision by Richard Carver, for the County Magistrates. The building is made of coursed and squared rubble with freestone dressings and features slate roofs with ogee-shaped gables and finials, as well as tall grouped ashlar stacks.

Designed in the style of a Tudor manor house, the building has a double E-shaped frontage that is approximately 280 metres long and is nearly symmetrical around the central entrance block, which is the most elaborately decorated part of the structure. It has two long front-facing wings on either side and is two storeys high with attics. The windows are stone mullioned, featuring two, three, and four lights, each with a casement. The windows are regularly spaced, with some being transomed, some having labels, and some being bay windows. The entrance block has paired front-facing gables and an ashlar bell-cote at the centre, which includes mullioned and transomed openings and an ogee-shaped cupola. The central door opening is enriched and has an ashlar porch. The rear elevation is much simpler and has undergone some alterations. There is an attached chapel at the rear, which is also of interest. The interior of the building is noteworthy.

This building is an important example of Scott's early institutional work and was built by Kirk of Sleaford for £38,000, following a contract won in open competition.