Punch bowl with view of St. Luke's Hospital

Porcelain punch bowl with a view of the second incarnation of St Luke's Hospital for Lunatics, which opened in Old Street, London, in 1786, possibly English, early 19th century.

St Luke’s Hospital for Lunatics first opened in 1751 in a converted foundry on Windmill Hill, Upper Moorfields, London. This was close to what was the then site of Bethlem Hospital (aka Bedlam) and St Luke’s was intended to relieve some of the pressure on that institution. However, its capacity was limited from the start and within two decades moves were underway to build a larger hospital on a new site.

This second St Luke’s opened nearby in Old Street in 1786. It was a grand building, with a huge 150 metre wide frontage. Designed with a central entrance, male wards were located to the left and female wards to the right. This punchbowl, perhaps intended for use at fund-raising events or governor’s meetings, shows the impressive structure. Unlike the exterior though, the interior was far bleaker with single cell-like rooms for 300 patients. Beneath a small window placed high on the wall, each room was sparsely furnished, with bedding straw on a wooden bedstead and no heating.

St Luke’s was more progressive in its treatments than many institutions and, with some improvements made to the building’s interior, its work continued throughout the 19th century. But by the early 20th century it was seen as unsuitable for purpose and the hospital relocated for a third time, to Muswell Hill in North London. The Old Street building was sold to the Bank of England who used it as a print works, before it was demolished in 1963.