A sensory history of the Newcastle Asylum for Imbeciles and Idiots, 1871-1900

The negative reputation developed by psychiatric hospitals during the twentieth century has cast an undeserved shadow over Australia's earlier colonial asylums. While the mental health system had its origins in a gaol-based model, asylums of the second half of the nineteenth century manifested a notable commitment to a more humane approach to mental health. One of the early successes was the Asylum for Imbeciles and Idiots opened in central Newcastle in 1871. At a time when the merits of offering treatment to those considered incurable, including the intellectually disabled, were still being debated, this asylum provided a stimulating environment where inmates were actively engaged in work and leisure activities on their own and in the company of the broader community.