Kew Asylum - Shrinking Grounds

Shrinking Grounds

When opened, Kew's extensive 340 acres (1.4 km2; 0.5 sq mi) of grounds were intended to be used for farming, agriculture and recreation for the inmates. However as treatment methods, inmate profiles, superintendents and societal factors changed, use of the grounds changed accordingly.

A large area of the grounds between the asylum main buildings and Princess street was allocated to Children's Cottages in 1885. When the Children's Cottages became a separate institution, the area surrounding the cottages became no longer under asylum management and was no longer for asylum inmate use. Widening and straightening of Princess street in 1939-1940 resulted in the demolishing of Kew's gatehouses, loss of land and the relocation of the main gates to Victoria Park, Kew. Construction of Yarra Boulevard during the 1930s lead to a section of the asylum's river frontage being acquired by the roads department.

In 1958, 58 acres (0.2 km2; 0.1 sq mi) of the northern section of the asylum grounds were offered under a Crown Grant to the Talbot Colony for Epileptics. Later known as Royal Talbot (now part of Austin Health), the hospital and training centre continue to operate on the site to this day. An area of Kew's grounds adjacent to the Talbot Colony was granted to the Guide Dog Association of Victoria for the building of a guide dog breeding and training centre, which opened in 1962. The construction of the Eastern Freeway in the early 1970s also resulted in property loss for both Royal Talbot and Kew Asylum.