The Northumberland County Pauper Lunatic Asylum opened on 16 March 1859. Lunatic Asylums were managed by Committees of Visitors appointed by the Quarter Sessions under the Lunacy Act 1845 and were subject to visits by the Commissioners in Lunacy. Situated in Cottingwood, Morpeth, the asylum was a magnificent Victorian building built in the Italian style of red brick with stone dressings. Designed by Henry Welsh, it was originally built to accommodate about 200 male and female patients. In 1890 the asylum was renamed the County Mental Hospital then in 1937, the name was changed to St. George’s Hospital. In 2006, St. Georges Park, a purpose built mental health hospital was built on the old St. George’s site.

In 1901, the architect John Cresswell created a birds eye view plan which gave a 3 dimensional view of the asylum and its grounds. The apartments on the west side were for female inmates while males were situated on the east. Surrounding the buildings were pleasure and kitchen gardens as well as a stone chapel and brewery. The Superintendent was the principal officer of the asylum and was required to be a medical practitioner and legally qualified. The Matron was responsible for all female attendants, servants and female patients and the Clerk/Steward for male patients and male staff.

Early records for the asylum show it to be professionally managed.  All male and female patients had to be kept in separate wards.  No male attendant, servant or patient could enter the female wards, nor any female enter the male wards except in cases where the Superintendent deemed it advisable. The Asylum Rule Book stated the following:

“There be at least one attendant for every ward and that there be not less than one attendant for every 25 patients who are tranquil or convalescent and not less than one attendant for every 12 patients who are dirty, violent, refractory or dangerous to themselves or others. No ward shall be left at any time without an attendant being there and that the attendant be so distributed that in case of need they may readily assist each other.”

A booklet entitled Rules of Government for the Pauper Lunatic Asylum 1860 stated that dormitories had to contain no more than 3 beds and had to have a space of at least 2 feet and six inches between them. An attendant had to sleep in an adjoining room and a light was kept on through the night. No patient was to be struck or kept in perpetual restraint or seclusion. If a patient needed to be restrained, it had to be reported to the Superintendent as soon as possible and documented in the Day Book. Visitors were permitted to the asylum once a fortnight. Every visit made by a male relation or friend to a female patient had to have the Matron or female attendant present throughout the entire visit. The booklet also stated that in relation to the death of a patient, the passing had to be firstly reported to the parish officer. The House Steward would then inform one of the nearest relations of the deceased and the body would be delivered to them if requested. If the body was not taken by the fourth day, it was buried under the direction of the Superintendent.

During the day patients of both sexes were employed. Men worked in the garden and were taught trades by Shoemakers, Tailors, Plumbers and Painters. The women worked in the laundry and kitchen and also undertook sewing, knitting and mending work. Reading was encouraged and an ample supply of books and publications of a moral and cheerful nature had to be made available. This was in addition to the bible and prayer books.

The Superintendent issued a yearly report commenting on admissions, discharges and deaths. Recommendations were made for improvements to the building and patient care but events and observations were also recorded. The report for 1868 stated that when one woman was admitted she was searched and was found to have on her person money and bankers receipts of upwards of £500. The sum was unknown to her husband or family and was shrouded in mystery. It was noted that every Wednesday evening there was a dance interspersed with songs and on two occasions a conjuring entertainment was kindly provided by Mr Shute, the Assistant Surgeon. In the summer months the men played cricket, bowls, quoits and football while the women played croquet. The patients also enjoyed picnics at the seaside.

The Commissioners in Lunacy also visited the asylum and issued a yearly report. The report for 1867 claimed that the state of the inmates was satisfactory, their person and clothing were very clean and in general their conduct was orderly with nobody in seclusion. On the day of the visit dinner consisted of baked meat, potatoes, bread and beer. The wards were clean and properly ventilated but were said to have a bare appearance. It was noted that a good deal of painting, colouring and papering was required and it was hoped that the most cheerful, light and pleasing colours would be chosen. Space was a major concern and the day rooms were classed as being seriously overcrowded. The report for 1873 commented upon the death of a male patient who had died due to a blow to the head but who was also found to have his breast bone and five ribs fractured. It was never discovered how these injuries were inflicted. A female patient was also mentioned as when out walking with a party of other females she committed suicide by jumping in the river. Due to this incident walks outside of the asylum had been terminated.

The Gibson Collection was deposited with Northumberland Archives in 1979.  The work represented within the Collection is that of John Pattison Gibson, his son John Gibson, and another photographer, Edgar G. Lee.  The collection comprises cameras, certificates, framed photographs, sepia prints and glass plate negatives, as well as family artefacts and papers.  As Robin Gard, former Northumberland County Archivist, wrote in 1982, the collection is a ‘unique visual historical record of prime value to scholars in several disciplines as well as to local historians.’

J.P. Gibson was born on 4th January 1838 in Hexham, the son of W.W. Gibson.  He was educated at Hexham Grammar School, and later Newcastle Grammar School, before following his father into the family business as a chemist within the families’ pharmacy in Hexham.  As well as being an athlete and boxer in his youth, Gibson was also a keen shot.  He was interested in military history, and served in the Hexham Rifle Corps from 1859, retiring in 1892 with the rank of Major.  At the end of the Franco-Prussian War, Gibson visited the battle sites, and was present in Paris during the Commune of 1871.

Much of Gibson’s work is focused on archaeological sites and excavations, showing his deep interest in archaeology.  His first notable find occurred in the summer of 1891, when he came across a rabbit hole on the Nicks of Thirlwall.  This led to his discovery of Mucklebank Wall turret, which was then excavated in 1892.  He was involved in excavations at Housesteads and Gilsland, and was also the official photographer for the ‘Corstopitum’ excavations of Corbridge, from 1906 until his death in 1912.  This combined his love of archaeology with his photography.  He produced mainly glass plate negatives from these excavations.  Postcards were also produced and sold to raise funds for the excavations.

Gibson joined the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1883, and due to his skill and interest in architectural history, he was chosen by the Society as a leader and guide for some excursions.  He was also a prominent lecturer, using his glass slides to illustrate and educate his audience.

He later became Vice President of the Society, and wrote many articles for Archaeologia Aeliana.  He was also a member of the Durham and Northumberland Architectural and Archaeological Society, the Royal Photographic Society, and in 1911 was elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.  In 1908 Gibson was granted honorary membership of the Glasgow Archaeological Society.

During his career, Gibson won many medals, diplomas and certificates.  He was presented with a diploma at the Universal Exposition of Paris in 1889.  This was a World Fair held from 6th May to 31st October, during the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, and was the Fair for which the Eiffel Tower was completed, functioning as the entrance arch.  Gibson was awarded this diploma of the silver medal for “landscape photographs of Northumbrian river scenery”, which was exhibited in Group II, Class 12.

The style of photography adopted by Gibson resulted in his photographs having the appearance of paintings.  This style was developed around 1889 as the result of the furore that arose when artists complained that photography could not be an art form.  Gibson’s photographs are works of art, and his techniques show how much thought and time went into their production.  He used different cloud formations and skies to alter his works, and these were taken from separate cloud negatives that still exist in the collection.  This was primarily done because the emulsions for the negatives were not able to capture the various extremes of light at the time.

After Gibson’s death in 1912, the family shop continued to trade.  It was originally opened in 1834 in 16-20 Fore Street, Hexham, by J.P. Gibson’s father, William Wilson Gibson.

The Arms of the City of London were a feature of the shop front, after J.P. Gibson’s son, John, was admitted to the Freedom of the City of London in 1908 as a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers.

The ornate carving above the door of the shop was executed by a Belgian refugee (one of around 400 in Hexham during World War One) as an expression of gratitude to the Gibson family.  The family had provided meeting rooms and a library of French and Flemish books for the refugees in the town.  The left shield bears the letters JPG around the sun, necessary for photography, while the right shield shows JG around an eye, representing an optician.

The shop closed in 1978 and was threatened with demolition.  The Science Museum in London stepped in and bought the fittings and shop front, showing how well-known and well-regarded Gibson was.  The shop front and most of the contents are now on display in the fourth floor gallery of the Museum entitled, ‘Glimpses of Medical History’.