The two wings are appropriated for the patients, the centre for the
resident officers, the physicians’ parlour, apothecary’s shop, and
servants’ hall, &c. &c.
Each of the wings has four galleries, and an infirmary for the
aged, quiet, and helpless female patients. The galleries are about
seventy-five yards long, with a wing of about twenty yards. In each
gallery there are twenty-three bedrooms, a keeper’s room, dining room,
and a side room for confining refractory patients, which is but rarely
used; a pump, a washing place, and a water-closet.
The galleries, in cold weather, are warmed by Howden’s patent
air-stoves, one at each end, to the top of the house; good fires are
kept below, and the heat is said to be capable of increase to the
temperature of sixty-six degrees, but this is never required.
The heat diminishes considerably in the top gallery, for which reason
there is an additional fire in the dining-room and keeper’s room of
each gallery, to both of which the patients have access at pleasure.
Around the stoves and fire-places are strong iron guards to prevent
accidents; and the fire-irons are chained, to prevent the patients
from using them for mischievous purposes. The gallery floors are of
wood, and the cielings of plate iron, excepting the basement gallery,
the floor of which is of stone pavement, and the covering an arch of
brick work; and in each gallery a lamp hangs in winter from dark till
bed-time.
The patients are divided into the four galleries, thus. The basement,
or No. 1, is appropriated for all noisy and dangerous patients, some of
whom are very uncleanly. In this gallery there are two keepers, but in
each of the upper galleries only one. The ground story, No. 2, receives
the patients on their admission, and this gallery, as well as No. 3, is
appropriated for curables.
The upper gallery, No. 4, is for the incurables, and contains patients
of that description only.
The male criminals’ wing is a separate building in the rear of the west
end of the hospital; and the female criminals’ wing is in the rear of
the east end.
Each of these wings has four of the galleries floored and cieled in
the same manner as the other galleries, and they are divided by iron
partitions.
The whole expense of the criminal wings is defrayed by Government;
and the provisions, medical treatment, and domestic arrangements, are
precisely similar with the rest of the hospital.
The airing-grounds are large square areas in the rear of the building;
the males’ side is divided from that of the females by a large
garden, allotted for the use of the officers of the establishment,
and separated from the criminals by a high wall, surmounted by a
_chevaux-de-frise_ to prevent escape of the criminals. Into these
airing-grounds the patients are brought daily, whenever the weather is
fine; and they have, by some means, obtained the appellation of “Green
Yards.”