The History of Rozelle Hospital is in tandem with the historical, social and political context of the mentally ill of a new colony and the progressive maturity of a nation. The progressive changes between 1870 and the present day evidence this maturity as social attitudes gradually changed towards the care and treatment of the mentally ill.

In the early days of the colony the mentally ill were incarcerated in gaols or convict hospitals as no distinction was made between deviancy and illness. As time progressed in the colony an attitudinal change occurred and there was a determined effort to provide decent conditions and treatment for the mentally ill. The administrative policy of the day saw the need for purpose built lunatic asylums in order for the people to be treated, at the very least, humanely as distinct from convicts and social deviants.  

The State Government purchased the site, then known as “Callan Estates” in 1873 with the express purpose of building a large psychiatric hospital to ease the severe overcrowding at the Gladesville Psychiatric Hospital. The proposal was met with some opposition from the local residents as the land, some 100 acres in area, had originally been advertised for sale as a residential subdivision.

In 1876, Garry Owen House, the original homestead on the site was used to accommodate the first patients at the new hospital. This building is now the NSW Writer’s Centre. 

The fine group of sandstone buildings on the site was officially opened in 1884. These buildings, known as the ‘Kirkbride Block’ were named after the eminent American, Dr William Kirkbride who was renowned for his pioneering work on progressive mental health care. The buildings were originally designed to accommodate 666 patients however, by 1890 the hospital was seriously overcrowded with a total of 1078 patients. A further group of buildings were built around the turn of the century close to the Kirkbride buildings to ease the overcrowding problem.

The hospital grew in stature, and in 1900 the hospital was ranked as one of the finest institutions in the Commonwealth for the housing and treatment of persons suffering from mental disorders.

Following the end of the First World War, a further six wards were built on the lower part of the site near the foreshore to accommodate war veterans with mental disorders.

By 1955, severe overcrowding and poor building stock was again an issue and in 1961, around the time of the Royal Commission into Callan Park, there were some 1,750 patients in residence.

In 1915, the Langdon family placed their 24 acre estate known as, Broughton Hall at the disposal of the Commonwealth Government to accommodate wounded soldiers and those suffering “shell-shock” from the First World War.

With the building of the war veteran’s accommodation at Callan Park, these functions were transferred to Callan Park in 1920 and Broughton Hall became a psychiatric clinic for people seeking mental health services but who were not certified under the Mental Health Act. The clinic provided accommodation for around 100 patients in addition to running a large outpatient clinic.                                        

A number of new buildings were built on the site during the early 1920’s and a day hospital and teaching complex was completed in the early 1960’s.

As a result of the 1961 Royal Commission’s enquiry into certain matters affecting the hospital additional wards were built on the site and the high brick fences around the site were removed in an attempt to ‘de-institutionalise’ the hospital.

In 1976 Callan Park amalgamated with Broughton Hall to form Rozelle Hospital. Rozelle Hospital has continued its services through the intervening years up to the present day in these historic buildings.  Rozelle with its long and rich history has provided  a milieu of progressive learning in treatment and care of the mentally ill with which it can be justly proud.