Whitchurch Hospital

Whitchurch Hospital

This hospital is constructed of red brick with yellow brick banding and Welsh slate roofs, while the entrance block features ground floor and dressings in Bath stone. It was built using the developed form of the 'broad arrow' or echelon plan, a layout widely adopted for large mental hospitals from the later 19th century onwards.

The hospital's structure consists of a spine of administration and service blocks with five two-storey ward blocks (roughly L-shaped) arranged on each side, stepped back in echelon formation and connected by a curved rear corridor with cross corridors. The convex south-facing side opens outward to provide sun and light to the ward blocks, while the concave corridor encloses the service blocks, with the entrance block facing north.

The entrance block is designed in Wrenaissance style. It is two storeys high with three bays, featuring an advanced gabled central bay with an open porch beneath. The roof is covered in slate with weathered red brick end chimneys and two smaller chimneys to the ridge. The first floor is built in brick with a deep eaves band course bearing a dentil cornice and Bath stone dressings, while the ground floor is finished with horizontally channelled Bath stone. The windows are horned sashes with small panes to the upper sash and a single large pane below. The single first floor window to each outer bay has an architrave with keystone and rusticated surround, with two ground floor windows to each outer bay. The advanced central bay features a broken pediment and paired Ionic pilasters at the ends, a large round-headed first floor window with keystone and rusticated surround, and an open segmental arch to the porch at ground level. The returns have two first floor windows with rusticated surrounds and ground floor arches similar to the front. The gable ends are treated as pediments with projecting central stacks. On each side of the two-storey section are attached single-storey pavilions with hipped roofs and banded Bath stone, semi-hexagonal bays to the front and two windows to the returns. The rear of the entrance block is built in red brick and connects with the hospital body via a corridor flanked by one- and two-storey office blocks.

To the east of the entrance is a yard formed by L-shaped works and laundry blocks, with a mortuary block to the north. This yard contains boiler houses with prominent ridge ventilators and a two-storey attached range. Rear of the boiler houses stands a combined water tower and chimney. The top stage comprises a copper dome with small lantern over an open loggia with three bays to each side, featuring brick pillars with stone capitals and cornice. There is a freestone cornice and bandcourse with roundels and yellow brick bands. An attached chimney follows the water tower up to the cornice then becomes a cylindrical brick chimney.

To the west of the entrance, the area between corridors contains attached service buildings in matching materials.

Ten roughly L-shaped two-storey ward blocks are disposed on either side of the entrance, built in red brick with yellow brick banding, red brick chimneys, and slate roofs. They feature small-pane horned sash glazing. The blocks are connected to each other and to the rear corridor to enclose small courtyards. At the rear of each ward block is an attached two-storey sanitary block and ventilation cupola in red brick with wooden louvres surmounted by a small dome and pinnacle. The ward blocks are arranged almost symmetrically and numbered 1 to 5 East and West respectively. Wards 1 (East and West) have two-storey splayed bays near their inner angles. Ward 2 (West) has a bay in the same position, while block 2 (East) has a bay near the centre of the elevation. Wards 3 and 4 on each side have polygonal corner bays. Wards 5 on each side have two splayed bays to the outer corners. Some ward blocks have modern single-storey shallow extensions in yellow brick with corrugated roofing on their south-facing walls, and some have two-storey extensions in red brick.

Between Wards 1 (East and West) stands a two-storey staff house connected by corridor to the body of the hospital. It has six windows with a recessed central bay and splayed bay-windows at the ground floor outer bays. Rear of this house contains two-storey physiotherapy and pharmacy departments. Behind these are other blocks including the main recreation hall, largely obscured by adjacent buildings but with a prominent louvre, and kitchens. A network of corridors forms courtyards with buildings attached for office, medical, and service uses.

Most interiors have been remodelled and modernised, and were not available for inspection at resurvey in January 2002 except for the entrance hall. The entrance block retains a square hall with a plain ceiling and cornice. There are three bays to each side with Roman Doric engaged columns or pilasters. The wall has panelled wood dado, a fireplace to the right, and a door to an enquiry office to the left. The entrance to the hospital is through a screen wall with columns. A transverse corridor with classical detailing connects to a staircase hall on the right leading to the former boardroom area, which contains a wooden stair in the style of circa 1700 and six-panelled doors, though the offices have been modernised.

The main recreation hall, measuring approximately 15 by 30 metres, retains its original interior. It features a segmentally vaulted ceiling with cross-ribs and seven bays to each side, each with a round-headed window. The piers between windows have a dentil cornice with cartouche and floral pendants. The west end wall has a triple blind window with a taller central window flanked by lower windows treated as walls, and the dentil cornice continues from the side window-piers. Round windows with pediments and square architraves are positioned to each side, with three doorways having double-leaf doors below. The east end has a stage with a large segmental pedimented proscenium arch. Cartouches with female heads and swags flank the arch, and windows are positioned to each side with square-headed doorways having double-leaf doors below. Each door leads to a lobby with a wooden staircase to the rear stage area.