Minor alterations and Additions, 1880s

There were various alterations and minor additions in the 1880s.
In 1881 the Medical Superintendent’s House was enlarged. In 1883-4 a covered way was made for ladies to reach the Recreation Room and garden, and a portion of the main Gallery on the first floor was adapted for women. Meanwhile, a new projection at the east end of the centre building was made for lavatories and WCs, and a porch was made at the west end of the Ladies 6th Gallery to make a sitting room and provide easier access for ladies to the garden. In 1885 a porch was similarly made for the Ladies 5th Gallery. The plans in RET 2/1/17 relate to all these works.
There were many other works in this decade. These included reorganisation of some of the functions of rooms: eg the large Ladies Saloon was made into a General Parlour and the new Ladies Recreation Room became a Sewing Room also used for Meetings. All Galleries were provided with special parlours for dining; corridor screens were removed to open up views; heating, ventilation and sanitation was improved; and there were various works done to improve the grounds.

Much of the Retreat Archive has been digitised with funding from the Wellcome Collection. Copies of digitised records can be viewed online where available by following links provided within the catalogue.

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