

There Was Once an Asylum



This site not only provides an overview of mental health history and its implications for Goodna, but also explores the complex relationship between memory and history.
There are stories we may never know, but this site uncovers the history, revealing the layers of understanding that underpin the present.
It is done in a way that honours the patients, clients, and the people.
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- Laundry | Goodna Asylum
The Laundry Built-in 1918 The laundry was erected in 1918, replacing an earlier building that had been seriously damaged by fire in 1916. The building was erected for £17,000 and included a steam laundry plant, water services and electric light. This one-storey brick building measures 123 feet by 188 feet. The building contained a receiving room for dirty linen, drying cabinets, an ironing and folding room, a distributing room for clean linen, an engineer's workshop, a store and a messroom. All rooms were equipped with the latest appliances to handle laundry work on the site. The design of the building was subsequently based on the laundry of the Brisbane General Hospital. In 2025, the building is used as an office and a canteen, with hospital complex-related paraphernalia stored within, including a straitjacket, a gurney, medical implements, a gramophone and records, sewing machines, and a restraint chair. It also has a Leadlight window depicting St Dymphna removed from the hospital’s demolished catholic chapel. Chronology 1918: construction 1947: additional toilet accommodation was added to the western elevation. 1957: awning to western elevation over dispatch platform 1961: workshop converted to staff 1962: Office for the Superintendent 1963: new store 1964: alterations to the male staffroom 1967: glass louvres installed together with fly-screening 1970: additional toilet accommodation 1895 Drain Plan from Laundry to Brisbane River Click to view The Laundry front side Click to view The Laundry rear Click to view The Laundry rear Click to view The Laundry front Click to view The laundry Awnings Click to view Leadlight window depicting St Dymphna (installed in Laundry c2007) removed from the hospital’s demolished catholic chapel Click to view Patient Labour Asylum Click to view Photos from heritage report Click to view Photos from heritage report Click to view Photos from heritage report Click to view Photos from heritage report Click to view Photos from heritage report Click to view Layout Plans 1 Click to view Layout Plans 2 Click to view Chief Engineer letter 1957 Click to view Photos from heritage report Click to view Photos from heritage report Click to view Photos from heritage report Click to view Photos from heritage report Click to view
- Residence | Goodna Asylum
Residence 10 Built sometime between the 1890s-1910s, relocated c1958, c2000 The Residence is a small timber-framed and -clad house standing south of Anderson House. Originally built as a residence, it has been relocated twice within the complex (in 1958 it was removed from west of McDonnell House to north of the Medical Superintendent’s Residence, and from there in c2000 to its current location, which was previously the nurse's quarters location). Fabric relating to and after its 1958 move, including its location and setting, fence and yard, verandah enclosures above handrail height and front balustrade, kitchen and bathroom fit-outs, and stumps, is not of state-level cultural heritage significance. In 2020, it is vacant and highly intact. 24 August 1951 Click to view During the day Click to view At night Click to view Between the trees Click to view Night Rear Click to view Across from the pumphouse Click to view Black & white Click to view Colour of the rear Click to view With old women's Click to view
- Chapels | Goodna Asylum
Chapel of Hope Chapel - The Resurrection, Chapel - St Dympna, Chapel - Christ the King Built-in 1961 The three chapels were erected in 1961 and were similar in design and construction. The Resurrection Chapel (WP 14 A) was erected for Protestant denominations; St Dympha (WP 14 B) for the Roman Catholic, and the Christ of King (WP 14 C) as the Anglican chapel. From an early period, clergy visited the institution to conduct religious services. These visits were encouraged and welcomed, but no special facilities were provided by the government. Services were held in whatever space was available, and when the recreation hall was built, it was regularly used for services conducted by visiting clergymen. In English asylums, chapels were considered a standard part of the infrastructure. No attempt was made, however, to build a chapel or chapels at the Goodna asylum. With the constant problem of overcrowding, the construction of additional ward accommodation was always a priority. A special building for religious services was a luxury. Moreover, in colonial Queensland, with no established church and a climate of denominationalism. Rivalry and sensitivity, it would not have been possible to build only one chapel. Clergy continued to visit the institution into the 1950s and conduct religious services until the appointment of three full-time chaplains in 1959 to the Brisbane Mental Hospital. To assist the work of the clergy in the conduct of services and in the counselling of patients, three chapels were erected in 1961. The Anglican Chapel was named the Chapel of Christ the King, the Catholic Church was named St Dymphna in honour of the Catholic Patron Saint of the mentally ill, and the third chapel, conducted by the Council of Churches was the Chapel of Hope {later renamed the Chapel of Resurrection). 66 The chapels were similar in design being simple box like structures with low pitched roofs and floor to ceiling windows on the two principal sides. The chapels were arranged in a semi-circle pattern. The Resurrection Chapel was severely damaged by fire in early 1995. Located at the eastern end of Cricket Lane is the Chapel of Hope. Built as a Christian chapel for patients, it is the sole survivor of three similar chapels of different Christian denominations, erected side by side (the Chapel of Hope was the westernmost). In 2020, it is currently used as an office building, and its exterior cladding was replaced. The building has been semi-integrated with a new building built on its western side. The interior was not inspected. A statue of Saint Dymphna (the Catholic patron saint of people with mental illness) stands approximately 35 metres east of the chapel, the corresponding chapel having been demolished. Chapel being built in 1961 Click to view Chapel being built in 1961 Click to view Chapel in 1962 Click to view Chapel in 1962 Click to view Chapels in 1995 Click to view Chapels in 1995 Click to view Chapel Commoration Cairn 2023 Click to view Statue of St Dymphna 2023 Click to view The Statue of Saint Dymphna amongst the stars Click to view Leadlight window depicting St Dymphna (installed in Laundry c2007) removed from the hospital’s demolished catholic chapel. Click to view 1962 Scale Model Click to view Chapels prior to demolishment Click to view Chapels prior to demolishment Click to view Chapels prior to demolishment Click to view Chapels prior to demolishment Click to view Chapel in 2023 now EFTRU & CSO office Click to view Chapel in 2023 now EFTRU & CSO office Click to view Chapel in 2023 now EFTRU & CSO office Click to view Chapel in 2023 now EFTRU & CSO office Click to view
- Osler & Pearce House | Goodna Asylum
Osler House (Male Ward 14), Osler House is a single-storey brick building. It was designed specifically for more difficult patients who needed to be accommodated in single cells. As part of the major upgrading and expansion of the male section, plans were prepared in 1916 for two small wards for the more violent and troublesome patients. Construction was postponed due to other priorities for more than a decade. Work on the new ward finally commenced in 1918, and it was opened on 10 August 1929 by Home Secretary JC Peterson. The building was brick, with a tiled roof and tiled iron verandah. It provided accommodation for 34 patients in single bedrooms. While the building was planned along standard principles of moral treatment, it did include several innovations and refinements compared with the wards erected in the 1910s. The building had no square corners as all external corners were rounded and all internal corners cavetted. The building was enclosed with a K-wire fence. The building overlooked the vegetable garden, and Ellerton hoped this would have a beneficial effect on the patients and induce a desire to work in the garden. In 1963, the ward was converted to a security ward, £7,600, with further security provisions made in 1967. Chronolgy 1929: building opened for patients 1963: additional security - barbed wire fencing 1965: conversion of single room to staff room 1967: additional security - windows, doors, and skylights 1977: additional security - personal lock to main entry Pearce House (Male Ward 15) Pearce House was opened in 1934 and was designed to accommodate the violent and difficult patients. As part of the major upgrading and expansion of the male section, plans were prepared in 1916 for two small wards for the more violent and troublesome patients. Construction was postponed due to other priorities for more than a decade. Work on the new ward commenced in 1932, and it was completed in 1934 for a cost of £10,156 and was opened on 14th May 1934 by Home Secretary Edward Hanlon. It was immediately occupied by epileptic patients who were disruptive in other wards, as it was believed that segregation would promote peace and quiet in the institution. The original plan was identical to Osler House; however, to maximise accommodation, the eastern wing was converted to a dormitory in the final plans. It comprised 23 single rooms, dining rooms, a servery, two observation rooms, a general dormitory ward, an attendants' office, a bathroom and lavatories. Chronolgy 1934: building construction complete 1967: additional security added 1928 Plan Click to view 1928 Plan Click to view 1928 Plan Click to view 1928 Plan Click to view 1928 Plan Click to view 1928 Plan Click to view 1932 Plan Click to view 1932 Plan Click to view 1932 Plan Click to view 1932 Plan Click to view 1932 Plan Click to view 1932 Plan Click to view Life at Osler & Pearce Houses Click to view Barbed Wire Click to view Fenceline with the mango trees Click to view Pearce house possibly 70s Click to view One of the rooms located inside Osler House Click to view Osler & Pearce 2024 Click to view Osler female ward had an air lock system two doors to get into Pearce ward Click to view Osler with the mango trees remaining in place Click to view Osler & Pearce with the mango trees remaining in place Click to view Pearce with the mango trees remaining in place Click to view Osler with the mango trees remaining in place Click to view Pearce at night Click to view Front 2024 Click to view
- Dawson House | Goodna Asylum
Dawson House Built-in 1944 In August 1938, the medical superintendent, Dr Stafford, invited an architect. EA Godfrey from the Works Department to visit the site and discuss plans, thus indicating the involvement of the medical superintendent in the planning process. By June 1939, Dr Stafford reported that it was imperative that the new ward be built as 328 female patients were living in improvised or unsuitable accommodation, such as beds in corridors, alcoves and between existing beds. The 641 female patients in the Institution were more than twice its normal capacity. The building differed from others as it was to provide, as well as accommodation for 60 patients, facilities for Intensive psychiatric treatment. The site was selected to complete a regular layout of the female division. Dawson House was numbered female patient acute ward 4 and was named after Professor William Siegfried Dawson, a pioneer of psychiatry at the University of Sydney. The building is a substantial two-storey building with a basement, built into the steep slope at the northern end of the Female Patients Area. Purposely designed as an acute ward for female patients, the building reflects the principles of Mental Hygiene in its design and layout. In 2020, it is today used as a mental health training and research centre and is highly intact. The building has its main front (south) entrance on the ground floor and a rear (north) entrance on the basement level, and retains its open, semi-formal garden setting. Later additions and alterations, including stairwells (1965) at the northern ends of the wings, the air-conditioning plant and ducting, non-original interior partitions that enclose and divide former open spaces, and fire doors, are not of state-level cultural heritage significance. Chronology 1944: construction 1965: fire escapes added 1967: landscaping to the rear yard 1968: alterations for acute physical treatment wards 1972: remodelling of wards Research Note: This was the first building to reflect medical superintendent Dr Basil Stafford's modern ideas. Dawson House was a new female building completed in 1944. which provided accommodation for 60 patients and was located on a sloping site close to the existing female wards. It was recognised that a building with a basement could be built on such topography, with the basement accommodating treatment rooms for cardiazol therapy, insulin therapy, malaria therapy, somnifaine or continuous narcosis therapy and other medical treatments. The most striking difference was the minimal attention paid to the external environment; this building was inward-looking, signalling the decline in the significance placed on the environment in 'moral treatment' and the increasing medicalisation of mental health treatment. Day rear Click to view Rear side Click to view Front night Click to view Day side Click to view Tree at rear Click to view Window bar grille Click to view Window bar grille Click to view Inside Click to view Side night bar grilles Click to view Front side Click to view Rear night Click to view Lift and stairwell Click to view Old window Click to view Prior to renovations in early 2000s when abandoned Click to view Prior to renovations in early 2000s when abandoned Click to view Prior to renovations in early 2000s when abandoned Click to view In the roof of Dawson house Click to view 1988 private collection Click to view 1988 private collection Click to view 1988 private collection Click to view 1988 private collection Click to view 1988 private collection Click to view 1988 private collection Click to view private collection Click to view
- Lewis House, McDonnell & Noble House | Goodna Asylum
Lewis, McDonnell, Noble Houses Built-in 1915 Lewis House (Male 9/10), McDonnell House (Male 11), and Noble House (Male 12/13) are three similar buildings. These buildings were part of a major expansion of the male section in the 1910s. In 1911, the Department of Works, closely advised by Ellerton, prepared plans for two identical blocks. Construction commenced on both buildings in 1912, but they were not completed until 1915. The block was oriented with the main elevation facing the cricket ground. The exterior was of exposed red brick to the first floor level and rough cast render with light coloured ochre finish above. The planning of each floor was similar with two large dormitories opening to verandahs, a central dining room with a bay window, and a scullery and bathroom at the rear. Each floor accommodated 60 patients. The dormitory wards were designed, according to Ellerton, to be 'light, airy, cheerful'. The area in front of the building was laid out with flower beds, lawn and gravel paths. Unlike the older wards, the gardens were not surrounded by high fences but low timber railings to reduce the sense of confinement. In 2020, they are vacant and had most of the later fabric removed, along with most internal fittings and finishes. These building was heritage-listed in 1992. The Queensland Police Service currently owns the building, and it is not in use. Naming Lewis House is named after Sir Aubrey Julian Lewis, an Australian. He was the first Professor of Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, London, at the famous Maudsley Institute of London. McDonnell House is named after Dr McDonnell, who was an official visitor to the hospital and was a dignified and impressive member of the medical profession. Noble House is named after Dr Henry Winston Noble, who was the Minister for Health and also worked in psychiatry. Lewis House Chronology 1915: Building construction was completed 1944: alterations for a cafeteria 1945: renovations to showers 1963: substantial remodelling 1973: remodelling of wards 1973: a two-storeyed attached laundry building constructed McDonnell House Chronology 1915: Building construction was completed 1944: alterations for a cafeteria 1965: new staff room 1971: major renovations including alterations to stairwells, a new toilet block, steel windows introduced, large wards subdivided, and a new concrete tiled roof. Noble House Chronology 1915: Building construction was completed 1945: alterations to showers 1968: major renovations, including alterations, including a new tile roof and windows, demolition of attached toilet block, demolition of bay windows, new fire escape, subdivision of large wards, single rooms converted to bathrooms 1970: new laundry 1992: conversion of the upper level for staff training 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view McDonnell House 1914 plan Click to view Lewis House, Ward 14 for violent patients' Architectural plans 1928 Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view 1911 2 new male wards planned Click to view
- Gailes Golf Club | Goodna Asylum
Gailes Golf Club The Goodna Golf Club, later to achieve greater prominence as the Gailes Golf Club, was formed on Monday evening, February 4th, 1924. According to press reports, "upwards of thirty" attended the meeting, which was held in the hospital's Recreation Hall. Unfortunately, the minutes have not been preserved. The Club's first asset was a donkey. Gailes Golf Club owes its existence to Dr Henry Byam Ellerton, a pioneering expert in psychiatry who moved from England to Queensland in 1909. Dr Ellerton took up the post of Inspector of Asylums and Medical Superintendent at the Hospital for the Insane at Goodna. A keen sportsman, Dr Ellerton enjoyed cricket for many years, but when his eyesight began to deteriorate in his mid-forties, he turned to golf, initially joining the Brisbane Club. The travel was irksome and, to a man of his temperament, an appalling waste of time. His wife suggested he build his own course. The only land available was the uninviting waste outside his garden fence, but undeterred, he walked the land until he knew every tree and hollow. He was determined to build a course, and naturally, it would be of championship standard and the best in Queensland. Official permission was essential, and, keenly interested in the fledgling field of occupational therapy, he made a compelling case to the authorities for the benefits golf could bring to recuperating patients. Approval was granted immediately, and the doctor, now approaching fifty-two years of age, took up the challenge with enthusiasm. The Goodna Golf Club, later to achieve greater prominence as the Gailes Golf Club, was formed on February 4th, 1924. The course was officially opened by the patron, the Premier of Queensland, the Honourable B.G. Theodore, M.L.A. Still, in his plus fours following a morning round with Dr Ellerton, the Premier ceremoniously drove the first ball. Mr Theodore’s drive was described as “a low screamer of 220 yards”. Four of Queensland’s leading amateurs played an exhibition stroke round. They were Frank Boyce, Tom Hunter, and the Brown brothers, Jack and Charlie, each of whom was a foundation member of Goodna. The initial nine-hole layout proved very popular. On Opening Day, the course measured 3,300 yards and was easily the longest nine holes in Queensland. The clubhouse, decked out in bunting, was officially opened on August 1st, 1925, by the Governor of Queensland, His Excellency, Sir Matthew Nathan. A grand, two-story affair, it was sited near the railway siding, as in those days, there were few cars or roads. Construction work on the second nine holes was completed early in 192,9, and improvements were then made to the first nine. So why the ultimate name change? With the advent of the new railway siding, the Goodna golf course was no longer at Goodna. It was at Gailes. This confused visitors travelling by rail, who often alighted at the wrong stop, so in 1935, Goodna Golf Club became Gailes Golf Club. It was clear the course was special, and recognition came with hosting the Queensland Open in 1952 and again two years later. In 1955, Gailes became one of the few Queensland courses to host the Australian Open, and in 1999, it welcomed the Australian Senior Open. While Gailes Golf Club has an illustrious history and has always championed the traditions of the game, it is equally committed to maintaining and improving its excellent facilities for the enjoyment of current and future generations. Source GGC Research Note An average of 35 patients worked on the course per day Gailes Golf Club - The First Fifty Years The first meeting 1925 Click to view Opening Day Click to view 1929 Sketch outline Click to view Dingo Hill renamed Gailes in 1925. Click to view Saturday 23 July 1938 Newspaper Article Click to view 1961 Click to view 1992 Aerial Overview Click to view Honour Boards Click to view The 12th Green Story Click to view The 12th Green Story Click to view The 12th Green Story Click to view The 12th Green Story Click to view The 12th Green Story Click to view
- Male Patients Area | Goodna Asylum
Male Patients Area The former male patients' area comprises nine former ward blocks and the recreation oval. These buildings constitute the most coherent group on the site. This coherence derives from their formal arrangement around the recreation oval and the complementary architectural styles and forms. These principles of moral treatment are most clearly demonstrated in this area. These buildings divide into four subgroups: Lewis, Noble, and McDonnell; Pearce and Osler, Jenner, Kelsey, and Gladstone; Fleming. The Lewis, Noble and McDonnell Group were a two-storeyed block erected in the 1910s. They comprised large open dormitory wards with ancillary facilities. These buildings have subsequently been altered internally, and only Partial evidence remains of the original planning. Fewer changes have been made to Noble House, and it's the most intact. Alterations have also been made to the exterior. Nevertheless, the 'institutional' character of the buildings is still readily apparent and is reinforced by the repetition of a similar massing and form. Pearce and Osler Houses are two almost identical wards at the eastern end of the area. They were built between 1928 and 1934 to accommodate more violent and troublesome patients. The continuing requirement to upgrade security provisions has led to the introduction of elements that are visually intrusive but continue to be functionally necessary. With a different use, these elements may be removed. Gladstone, Jenner and Kelsey Houses were completed in the mid-1930s and were distinguished by their 'crab' plan form from a central section providing two straight rear wings and two front angled wings. Although these buildings were the last to be planned according to the outdated principles of moral treatment in Queensland, they nevertheless demonstrate a degree of innovation and creativity in planning. Fleming House is a two-storeyed brick building that was completed in 1898. Substantial alterations were undertaken during the 1920s. Following the construction of each of these wards, gardens were established, and the immediate grounds landscaped. The cricket pavilion was built in 1910 as part of the redevelopment of the cricket oval in the early 1910s on the initiative of HB Ellerton. It comprised dressing rooms surrounded by a verandah. The pavilion was relocated to its present site in 1936 following the construction of the new male wards. Ellerton requested the relocation of the pavilions as he felt they were blocking the outlook of the patients to the recreation oval, which would be a constant annoyance and may retard their recovery. The recreation ground was originally laid out in 1895. It was built following the decision to relocate the male section following the floods of 1890 and 1893. Cricket was the principal sport, and outside teams visited the asylum. When Ellerton arrived as superintendent in 1909, the recreation area was redeveloped, principally built by patient labour. It comprised a new cricket and football ground, 200x100m and three tennis courts. At the time, Dr Ellerton declared that when complete, "this ground when form one of the prettiest, if not the best in Queensland. In 1914, the entire recreation ground was enclosed with a nine-foot-high, K-wire fence. The fence was intended to give patients an unobstructed view of the oval from the wards. It also served another function in allowing patients to wander and exercise in a large open area. Thus, it became, what Ellerton referred to, as 'a sort of nursing ground'. The recreation ground became one of the principal means of promoting the asylum as a 'decent' institution where patients enjoyed a degree of freedom and pleasant surroundings. The bowling green was built by patient labour in 1951 and was part of a wider program of expanding recreational facilities in the hospital during the 1950s. The clubhouse for the bowling green was erected in 1968. Chronology 1895: cricket ground laid out 1910: grounds relevelled and extended to include football grounds and a tennis court 1910: cricket pavilion erected in the southwest corner 1914: The entire cricket ground was enclosed with K-wire fencing 1936: cricket pavilion relocated to the southeast corner of the ground 1951: Bowling Green constructed 1968: Bowling Green Clubhouse constructed Click to view Click to view Click to view Click to view Click to view Click to view Click to view Click to view Click to view Click to view Click to view Click to view Click to view Click to view
