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Bostock House & Garden

Built in 1885, extended 1901, c1924

Bostock House (former female patient ward 6) stands to the north of Anderson House, set back from and facing Ellerton Drive.

A purpose-built female ward building, it comprises its original symmetrical core, northeast extension (1901), southwest extension (1901, 1924, lavatory), and northwest verandah extension (c1924, later enclosed). The building retains its open, semi-formal garden setting. In 2020, the building accommodates offices and is highly intact.  Fire stairs added (c1969) to the rear verandah and over the front verandah (since removed) are not of state-level cultural heritage significance.

Features of Bostock House, also of state-level cultural heritage significance, include:

• Form, scale, and materials: original two-storey core with a hip roof, projecting bay to front with a gable roof, one-storey projecting faceted bay to northeast (southwest bay demolished c1924), front verandahs with stop-chamfered timber posts and skillion roofs; one-storey extension to the northeast (1901) with hipped roof; one-storey extensions to the southwest with skillion (1901) and hip (c1924) roofs - both with lanterns; two-storey timber-framed verandah extension (c1924, later enclosed) to the northwest with skillion roof; roofs clad in corrugated metal; metal water goods; polychrome face brick walls with sandstone foundations; moulded concrete lintels and sills; timber floors throughout, with concrete floors in extensions and ground floor verandahs; plaster masonry partitions

• Layout: core comprising similar ground and first floor plans, with large open rooms along the southeast side (ground floor - day room and dormitory; first floor – dormitory); and individual patients' rooms along the northwest side flanking a central stairwell. The ground floor entry has a wide arched opening into the day room. Cast iron columns and a metal beam on the first floor indicate the original location of the dormitory/hallway wall (removed c1924). The northeast extension contains a kitchen, and the southwest wing contains a storeroom and toilets

• Details/ornamentation: polychrome brickwork with contrasting string courses (some in stone), frieze and quoins around openings; corbelled brick eaves brackets; louvred oculus; stop-chamfered timber posts to front verandahs

• Joinery: original and early timber-framed multi-paned windows; early metal-framed windows, awning windows with obscured glass (replaced c1950s); original and early timber panelled and glazed doors, some with fanlights; timber-framed multi-pane glazed partition between day room and dormitory, with obscured glass on lower windows; timber board linings to verandah and bathroom ceilings; early timber toilet partitions

• Details associated with patient management (security, safety, hygiene): patients' room doors with observation panes and fanlights

• stairwell location and configuration (recent timber stair fabric is not of state-level cultural heritage significance)

• Garden setting: spacious open lawns around the building, front lawn with mature fig; two mature cypress pines (callitris spp.) to the southwest; garden beds with stone edging; early concrete paths.


  • ANNOUNCEMENTS
Searching Starting Point
If anyone is trying to find out if their family members were admitted to the Asylum
On the State Archives, DR143 716 pdf, there are 5 downloads available, which list 'The Insanity Register' from 02/03/1891 to 29/10/1918, 'Click on View Digital Copy'. It will serve as a starting point to locate family members.
Click Here to view
New Book Released 
Duncan Richardson's new history book, ‘Dangerous to Know’, has just been published and is available online and should soon be in selected bookshops. It includes an acknowledgement to 'There Was Once an Asylum' for information on some recent events related to the Asylum and the known graves of some people who died there.
Click here to purchase

Review into Wolston Park Hospital
A review of health services provided at Wolston Park Hospital between the 1st of January 1950 and the 31st of December 2000 is currently taking place.
Leading the review is Professor Robert Bland AM.
Professor Bland is a mental health expert, having worked in mental health and academic settings since 1972, where he gained extensive experience in hospital and community settings, administration, teaching and research.
As the leader for the review, Professor Bland will leverage his long-standing interest in the welfare of family caregivers supporting long-term mental illness and his dedicated research history in mental health recovery to listen to the patients, residents and family caregivers of those who were in care at Wolston Park Hospital.
This independent review will facilitate patients and family members, or carers to describe their experiences during the period concerning their treatment and experience whilst an inpatient of Wolston Park Hospital.
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Crisis contacts

In an emergency, call 000 or visit your local hospital's emergency department.

1300 MH CALL - 1300 642 255

1300 MH CALL is a confidential mental health telephone triage service that provides the initial point of contact for Queenslanders seeking public mental health services.

24/7 crisis services

Lifeline 13 11 14

Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467

Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36

MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78

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13 YARN - 13 92 76 - for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

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