ABSTRACT
In February 1901, the eminent asylum architect George T. Hine presented a lengthy paper titled 'Asylums and Asylum Planning' to the Royal Institute of British Architects. To cope with burgeoning numbers, the London County Council (LCC) Asylums Committee launched an ambitious asylum-building programme. This chapter aims to build on this rich body of work by exploring the role of space as a technology of control, as contended by Foucault, focusing in particular on its gendered nature. Claybury was the first asylum to be built by the LCC and opened in 1893. Patients were strongly encouraged to work for two reasons: first, to contribute to the asylum economy, for example by growing food and making asylum clothes; and secondly, because work was considered to be therapeutic. The modern asylum has long passed the prison workhouse stage and its work demands recognition as a mental hospital in every sense of the word.
