Kew Asylum
Kew Asylum, later known as Willsmere, was a large psychiatric hospital in Kew, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. It operated from 1871 to 1988 and was one of the biggest asylums ever built in the country. The site sits between Princess Street and Yarra Boulevard.
History and design
- In the 1850s, Victoria needed more space for crowded lunatic asylums. A hilltop site across the Yarra River from Yarra Bend was chosen for a new, grand asylum.
- Construction began in 1864 on about 340 acres of land, but early work had problems. Frederick Kawerau later completed the design, based on plans by G.W. Vivian, and the buildings were built to be elegant and impressive.
- The complex is a distinctive example of Italianate castle-like architecture, with tall towers, mansard roofs, and long wings. It included “ha-ha” walls around courtyards to keep inmates from escaping while allowing the outside view.
- The grounds were landscaped like an English country park, with avenues of oaks and elms, conifers, Moreton Bay figs, and native trees. The landscape was intended to be beautiful and healing for patients.
Early operation and challenges
- Kew opened in 1871 and quickly grew crowded. It housed people labeled as “lunatics,” and later also “idiots” (intellectually disabled) and “inebriates.”
- The 1876 Royal Commission on Asylums investigated conditions, leading to changes in management and treatment.
- In 1887, growing demand for child inmates led to the creation of the Kew Cottages (the Kew Idiot Ward), a separate area for children that later became its own institution.
Administration and reforms
- The 1884–1886 Zox Royal Commission examined the state of asylums and made about sixty-five recommendations. It pushed for better medical oversight and clearer separation of different types of patients, among other reforms.
- Over the years, the institution’s name and role evolved with changing ideas about mental health. From “asylum” it moved toward terms like “hospital for the insane,” then “mental hospital,” and later “psychiatric hospital.”
- In 1905, the title changed from asylum to hospital for the insane; the staff began referring to inmates as patients. In 1933 the name was changed to Kew Mental Hospital, reflecting more medical leadership.
Mid-20th century to closure
- After World War II, new drugs changed treatment and outcomes, allowing many patients to leave the hospital sooner.
- In 1959 the Mental Health Act created separate short-stay psychiatric services, and in 1962 Kew stopped housing acute or short-term patients, becoming a longer-term mental hospital. By then it was often called Willsmere.
- In 1982 some wards became a separate Psychiatric Hospital unit known as the Willsmere Unit for short-term care.
- As part of government plans in the 1980s, overcrowding and shifting mental health care toward community services led to the hospital’s closure. Willsmere closed in December 1988.
After closure and redevelopment
- The main buildings and much of the grounds were sold and redeveloped for housing.
- The Willsmere development opened in 1993, and the nearby Kew Gardens project was completed in 1995.
- Parts of the Kew Cottages site were developed as the Main Drive project. A section was preserved as a museum to document the site’s history.
- Some historic trees and landscape features were protected, and several areas became protected heritage sites.
What remains today
- The old hospital complex no longer operates as a mental health facility, but the distinctive Italianate buildings and surrounding grounds are remembered as important parts of Melbourne’s architectural and social history.
- A museum section, an archive, and artifacts were set up to document Kew Asylum’s history. Public records from the early years are held by the Public Record Office Victoria, with photos and research materials kept in state libraries and health libraries.
Significance
- Kew Asylum was a landmark example of 19th-century asylum design, intended to look dignified and civilised while serving a growing population with mental illness.
- Its story reflects changing approaches to mental health care, from incarceration toward medical treatment and community-based care.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 01:06 (CET).