ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses with moving across spatial scales in studying a few ‘vignettes’ in the historical geography of one specific lunatic asylum, the Inverness District Lunatic Asylum, opened in 1864 and finally closed in 2000. In what follows, attention will be paid to three different geographies of the Craig associated with three different spatial scales. The three different spatial scales are the region, meaning the Highlands of Scotland wherein Inverness is the ‘capital’ settlement; the setting, meaning the local environment, natural and human, around into the grounds of the asylum; and the buildings, meaning the basic structure as well as the wards, corridors, and interior facilities of the asylum. From the early years of the asylum’s life, attention was paid to the buildings in terms of design, layout, fittings, and furnishings, and recall Browne’s complimenting of the institution for giving off the appearance of ‘a private dwelling’ that combined facets of hospital, school, and reformatory.
