The Crichton Legacy and the Easterbrook Hall

The Crichton Legacy

The Crichton estate at Dumfries was founded by Elizabeth Crichton in 1834 using funds her late husband had made trading with the East India Company. She had originally intended to found a university but this failed mainly through lack of support from the establishment so instead she developed what became the Crichton Royal Hospital.

The magnificent, gothic, cathedral style Crichton Memorial Church, built to commemorate the hospital founders, was completed in 1897. The last major development of the original hospital was the imposing art deco Easterbrook Hall, the brainchild of Dr Easterbrook it was conceived following extensive research in the USA and Canada and completed in 1938 The Hall accommodated a wide range of facilities from operating theatre through to cinema, swimming pool and squash courts. The hospital was renowned for the quality and forward looking nature of its health care, the quality of its buildings and the 100 acres of superb landscaped parkland and gardens in which it is set.

A New Beginning

By the 1980s advances in treatment for psychiatric illnesses were ending the era of the large Victorian hospital all over the country. Patient numbers were dramatically reduced and it was faced with gradual closure until in 1995 Dumfries and Galloway Council stepped in and bought most of the estate for the community. Since 1995 the estate has been managed and redeveloped by Crichton Development Company.

The Crichton

(www.crichtoncampus.co.uk)
The Crichton now houses the first multi-university and college Campus in the UK starting with the University of Glasgow, the University of the West of Scotland, and now Dumfries and Galloway College with around 7,000 students in total. The Crichton Business Park has over 30 tenants and around 900 employees.

Easterbrook Hall

(www.easterbrookhall.co.uk)
After several years of detailed planning and fundraising Crichton Development Company was ready to take off with a major project to restore and improve the whole north and west section of the Hall and enable the building of a brand new hotel in its support. Work on the Hall was completed in May 2006 and the Aston Hotel opened in September 2006. Easterbrook Hall, now fully refurbished, continues its central social role with a great deal of panache, hosting conferences, balls, dinners, weddings and other major events all year round bringing huge numbers of people to the Crichton.

The restored and immaculately maintained grounds operate as a public park for visitors and local people. To date, the Crichton Regeneration Project has received six national awards in recognition of the combination of high conservation standards and economic success achieved. For more information on The Crichton, please go to www.crichton.co.uk.