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The Beechworth Burke Museum
From the collection of The Beechworth Burke Museum
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Photograph, L. Maher, 1936

  • An empty dining room with two large tables down the centre of the room, with table cloths and a large vase of flowers on each. Chairs placed along the left wall with a piano in the far left corner. Paper decorations are hung across the room from the ceiling.

    1997.2702 (Cropped)

  • An empty dining room with two large tables down the centre of the room, with table cloths and a large vase of flowers on each. Chairs placed along the left wall with a piano in the far left corner. Paper decorations are hung across the room from the ceiling. Photograph has a white boarder.

    1997.2702 (Obverse)

  • Matte card with 1997.2702 written in pencil in the top right corner. Stamped with an embellished round stamp saying "PRINTED BY L.MAHER BEECHWORTH"

    1997.2702 (Reverse)

  • An empty dining room with two large tables down the centre of the room, with table cloths and a large vase of flowers on each. Chairs placed along the left wall with a piano in the far left corner. Paper decorations are hung across the room from the ceiling.
  • An empty dining room with two large tables down the centre of the room, with table cloths and a large vase of flowers on each. Chairs placed along the left wall with a piano in the far left corner. Paper decorations are hung across the room from the ceiling. Photograph has a white boarder.
  • Matte card with 1997.2702 written in pencil in the top right corner. Stamped with an embellished round stamp saying "PRINTED BY L.MAHER BEECHWORTH"

Historical information

Mayday Hills Mental Hospital was originally constructed in 1864 under the name of the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum. It was built for locals in need of help who were kept in the local gaol. In its first decade, the residents of the hospital were used as menial labourers but over time, as mental healthcare progressed, were cared for in more nuanced ways. This site became a training hospital for nurses in the 1960's. Eventually, mental health patients were moved to other care facilities and Mayday Hills was operating as a geriatric care facility. It was closed in 1995, after which the buildings and their grounds were purchased to La Trobe University to be used as a campus. The university sold the site in 2011 to private ownership.

The image depicts an interior room which is presumed to be a dining or common room. This space has been decorated for Christmas.

Significance

Mayday Hills Mental Hospital is a historically significant site for many factors. It is representative of healthcare practice in nineteenth century Victoria. It contains rare examples of construction and architecture. It is also significant for aesthetic and technical reasons.

Physical description

Black and white rectangular photograph printed on photographic paper

Inscriptions & markings

Obverse:
PRINTED BY/
L.MAHER/
BEECHWORTH/
1997.2702

Subjects

References

  • DHHS - Beechworth Lunatic Asylum A basic history of the institution, including a listing of all names the site has been known as
  • VHD - Mayday Hills Hospital A visual and descriptive history of the site and a statement of significance
  • Beechworth - A Titan's Field by Carole Woods ISBN/ISSN: 0949905259 A book on the history of Beechworth and its surrounding areas. pp. 122, 123, 163, 192, 193
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