Willow Court was originally built in 1827 as a barracks for convicts who were physically and/or mentally handicapped. It soon became a mental institution called the New Norfolk Insane Asylum. It has since had various other names, including Willow Court, the Royal Derwent Hospital, and the Royal Derwent Mental Hospital.

A new hospital at Willow Court was built in 1830 by order of Sir George Arthur, the Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen’s Land at the time. By 1833, the hospital was home to 113 ‘invalids’ and 18 ‘lunatics’.*

Several buildings were added to the Willow Court complex over subsequent decades to meet the growing demand for mental health services, and the institution became a significant employer of people who lived in the New Norfolk area.

Treatment for mental illnesses at the time of Willow Court’s establishment as a mental institution was rudimentary and harmful**, but it developed and evolved over time. Willow Court did not keep up with this evolution, however. In the later part of its existence, it faced criticism for its outdated facilities and treatment methods, leading to patients being transferred to care within smaller, community-based settings.

Willow Court closed its doors for good in 2001. Several of its buildings were sold and have since been re-purposed as tourist attractions, shops, and accommodation. Other parts of the complex were simply abandoned and have since become derelict. They have also been damaged by regular vandalism and arson attacks.

* An invalid is a person who is too ill or disabled to care for themselves. The term ‘lunatic’ was historically used to describe individuals who were mentally ill and/or exhibited erratic or disturbed behaviour on a regular basis.

** Asylums were often overcrowded, there was frequent use of physical restraints, and practices such as bloodletting and purging were commonplace.

Tas That Was is a column that includes:

  • anecdotes of life in Tasmania in the past;
  • historical photographs of locations in Tasmania; and/or
  • documentaries about locations in Tasmania.

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Callum J. Jones studied English, History, and Journalism at the University of Tasmania. He has written fiction and non-fiction for The Tasmanian Times since 2018. He can be traced by the smell of fresh coffee.

Follow him on Twitter (@Callum_Jones_10) and Facebook (@callum.j.jones.creative).