SNN109142 - Theraputic Landscapes: A History of English Hospital Gardens Since 1800

The book is primarily concerned with landscapes that were designed specifically for purpose-built medical institutions, so the time period under consideration begins at the end of the C18th. Before this date there were only about 30 general hospitals in England, but this number rapidly increased during the C19th. In relation to the care of those suffering from insanity, the purpose-built asylum, which emerged as a new architectural form at the end of the C19th, became the norm for psychiatric treatment during the C19th. The term ‘asylum’ will be used as it was the contemporary description of these buildings. Whether they were intended for the treatment of physical or mental illness, many of these purpose-built establishments seem to have included gardens in their design. For example, in 1863 John Syer Bristowe and Timothy Holmes described at least 46 general hospitals as having some kind of external grounds.