Gransha Hospital Explained

Gransha Hospital
Org/Group:	Western Health and Social Care Trust
Location:	Clooney Road, Derry
Country:	Northern Ireland
Healthcare:	Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland
Type:	Community
Founded:	1902
Map Type:	Northern Ireland
Coordinates:	55.0154°N -7.2794°W

Gransha Hospital was a health facility in Clooney Road, Derry, Northern Ireland. The site is managed by Western Health and Social Care Trust.

History

The facility was commissioned to replace the aging Londonderry County Asylum.^[1] It was designed by Matthew Alexander Robinson in the Victorian style and built between 1902 and 1905.^[2]

After joining the National Health Service in 1948,^[3] the facility evolved to become the Stradreagh Hospital.^[4] Two gate lodges were added in the 1960s.^[5] Following the introduction of Care in the Community in the early 1980s the hospital went into a period of decline and almost all buildings in the old hospital were closed by December 2011.^[6]

The main building of the old hospital was occupied by Oakgrove Integrated College on a temporary basis from 1992^[7] until the college moved into modern purpose-built accommodation in 2004.^[8] It was subsequently left to decay and was badly damaged in a serious fire in March 2016.^[9]

Current facilities

The following modern facilities have been established at Gransha Park, the site of the old hospital:

• Grangewood Hospital, which was designed by Avanti Architects in collaboration with Kennedy Fitzgerald and built by Heron Brothers at a cost of £10.8 million, was completed in November 2012.^{[10] [11]} The 30-bed hospital provides inpatient acute mental health care services.^[12]
• Lakeview Hospital, which was built at a cost of £4.8 million, was completed in October 2005.^[13] The 43-bed facility provides assessment and treatment for people with learning and mental health problems.^[13]
• Waterside Hospital, which dates back to the 1970s,^{[14] [15]} was partially refurbished in 2014.^[16] The facility provides services for elderly people including dementia sufferers.^[16]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Londonderry County Asylum. 13 June 1895. Hansard. 1 April 2020.
2. Web site: Co. Derry, Gransha, District Lunatic Asylum (new). Dictionary of Irish Architects. 1 April 2020.
3. Web site: Gransha Hospital, Londonderry. National Archives. 1 April 2020.
4. Web site: Huge blaze at old hospital 'was deliberate': Fire Service. Belfast Telegraph. 9 March 2016. 2 June 2019.
5. Web site: Derry/Londonderry To Limavady. Marks of Time. 1 April 2020.
6. Web site: Gransha psychiatric hospital will soon be consigned to history. Belfast Telegraph. 8 December 2011. 1 April 2020.
7. Web site: Oakgrove Integrated College. Education Base. 1 April 2020.
8. Web site: And the Walls Come Tumbling Down. 6 August 2003. Education Week. 1 April 2020.
9. Web site: Firefighters tackle major blaze at Londonderry disused hospital. Belfast Telegraph. 8 March 2016. 1 April 2020.
10. Web site: Grangewood mental health crisis unit officially opened. Avanti Architects. 1 April 2020.
11. Web site: Health contract for Heron Bros. 21 January 2011. Construction Index. 1 April 2020.
12. Web site: Health minister officially opens new £10.8m Grangewood Hospital at Gransha. 17 December 2013. 1 April 2020.
13. Web site: Specialist hospital opens doors. BBC. 31 May 2006. 1 April 2020.
14. Web site: New Hospitals. Hansard. 5 March 1991. 1 April 2020.
15. Web site: Hospitals (Ward Clerks). 20 January 1981. Hansard. 1 April 2020.
16. Web site: Patients to benefit from newly refurbished dementia care ward at Waterside Hospital. Derry Daily. 2 October 2014. 1 April 2020.