The Old Infirmary, Piccadilly

Summary

Model of the former Manchester Royal Infirmary and Lunatic Asylum (and the public baths?). Founded in 1752, the hospital moved to larger premises in Piccadilly in 1756 on land donated by Sir Oswald Mosley. One of the UK's first Lunatic Asylums was built adjoining the RMI from 1757 and opened 1766. In 1849 it moved out of Piccadilly to a site in Cheadle, Stockport. In 1854 Manchester Corporation commissioned Sir Joseph Paxton to replace a pond with a wide promanade designed for the display of public statues - Sir Robert Peel, the Duke of Wellington and John Dalton - which was completed in 1856. MRI moved to Oxford Street, opposite the Whitworth in 1908. The hospital was demolished by 1910 with a small part retained as the Outpatients Department until the 1930s when it was briefly the Manchester Public Free Library Reference Department. Next there was a proposal to build a municipal art gallery on the site and plans for a large neoclassical building were drawn up. The site remained empty until the 1930s when Piccadilly Garderns was created, with the hospital's basement forming the original ornamental sunken garden. So this model was acquired when the building no longer existed. Which branch gallery was it acquired for? Heaton Hall was displaying the Old Manchester Collection from 1922 and reopened 1939. Was it already exhibited at QP and then purchased? Part of the 1909 Old Manchester Collection? We bought this model and Yates gifted another 5 models of Manchester buildings (all unknown).