Parkinson’s awareness is more than a day, it’s about bringing attention to a life-changing disease that is on the rise and connecting people to vital resources. World Parkinson’s Day is an opportunity to support the community. To raise their voices. To share their experiences of living with Parkinson’s. And to use Parkinson’s UK resources to…
A new mural has been unveiled at The Willows Children Young People & Family Centre based on the Crichton Campus in Dumfries. The artwork was officially unveiled as part of a special event on Thursday 21 March 2024 The project has been coordinated by DG Creative Wellbeing, a ground-breaking project in Dumfries and Galloway delivered by regional…
Representatives of the Boards of SWI and The Crichton Trust met in Edinburgh on Tuesday 26 March to progress their collaborative partnership on a nationally significant project. At the heart of the collaboration will be nationally important archives and artifacts of both the SWI and The Crichton. The collections contrast wider society life with developments…
We were delighted to welcome the Digital Dairy Chain to Easterbrook Hall last week for their Knowledge Exchange Event. With over 160 attendees, it was a popular event and it was great to see connections being made within the dairy sector. The Digital Dairy Chain offer any business or individual involved in the dairy supply…
The Crichton Women In the background of this photograph, taken at a Crichton Christmas party, there are several significant women, hidden within the larger group. Behind the flowers, and sitting to the left of Medical Superintendent P.K. McCowan (served 1937 – 1957) is Matron May Houliston whose married name was Boyle. May Houliston (1912 –…
Remembering Together Dumfries and Galloway is a region-wide project marking the impact of the pandemic as part of a Community Covid Memorial with the planting of over 400 native species trees. The project is led by DG Unlimited, Dumfries and Galloway Council and greenspace Scotland, and funded by the Scottish Government. Commissioned artists t s…
View image William A.F. Browne, who was Medical Superintendent at the Crichton between 1838 and 1857, wrote extensively about his practice and his views about appropriate treatments for psychiatry. Many of these ideas became influential through his publications, lectures and personal contacts. The Annual Reports of the Crichton Institution include another passage which offers a…
View image One of the most important innovations during the early years of the Crichton Institution was its introduction of concerts organised and performed by patients and staff. Performers were drawn from across the asylum, including several of the attendants (male nursing staff), as well as local musicians from Dumfries town. The first concert given…
🌳National Tree Week at The Crichton! It turns out that yes, there is such a thing as National Tree Week and we are celebrating it this week here at The Crichton. As part of our 100 year landscape plan, we are looking to plant more trees across our site and increase our biodiversity. Work is…
View image The Crichton Royal Institution supported a vibrant music life, including concerts, musical plays and, from the mid-nineteenth-century, a choir and band. Much of this activity is also recorded at lunatic asylums elsewhere in the UK, but the Crichton is unusual for its record, albeit brief and , of patient composition. This edition of…
Halloween is a fantastic excuse to get creative, whether you’re making your own spooky costume, decorating your house for a party, or coming up with a design that will win the office pumpkin carving competition. But you know what’s scarier that ghosts, ghoulies, or the prospect of losing the coveted office pumpkin carving crown? That’s…
For the past two months, we’ve been lucky enough to welcome Maddy Rosenberg to The Crichton as an Artist in Residence as part of the Sandstone Steps project in collaboration with Hugh Bryden and Roncadora Press. Sandstone Steps is an ambitious collaborative project that explores and celebrates the historical cultural flux that crossed and re-crossed…
The Crichton Campus Leadership Group has celebrated its 10th anniversary with a new Statement of Ambition, outlining its four key priorities which aim to ensure Scotland’s most multi-institution academic campus is a global destination. The new statement of ambition in available to view here. The Crichton in Dumfries is home to five educational institutions which…
The UCI Cycling World Championships came to Dumfries earlier this month, putting the town on a global platform. Coverage of the para-cycling races was streamed around the world by numerous TV channels and websites, but none of it would have been possible without The Crichton Memorial Church. Originally built in 1897, The Crichton Memorial Church…
The Crichton Trust is an innovative social enterprise based in the South of Scotland. We are looking to recruit up to a number of new Trustees to join us in leading #TheCrichton through our next exciting phase. We are here to protect, preserve, manage and develop buildings, lands and sites of architectural, scenic or historic…
View image A year after the first theatrical was performed by patients in the hospital boardroom emerged another creative venture from within the walls of the Crichton Royal: The New Moon. The inaugural issue of Crichton’s very own in-house magazine The New Moon or Crichton Royal Literary Register was published in December 1844, being the…
We’re excited to be the location for two days of para-cycling road races as the UCI Cycling World Championships come to Dumfries! While the time trials are taking place in the town on Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th of August, The Crichton will be home to the road races and medal events on Thursday 11th…
View image Whilst poring over the rich variety of cultural ephemera collaged across the pages of Dr Charles Easterbrook’s scrapbook, I stumbled across this beautifully-printed copy of a programme advertising a performance of James Kenney’s humorous farce, Raising the Wind, that took place in January 1843. At first glance, the programme itself did not strike…
View image What comes to mind when you think of the asylum? Is it the image of the large, isolated, gothic institution, dark and mysterious, surrounded by spiked gates and iron-clad windows? Or do you immediately think of straitjackets and chains, physical restraint and neglect? Acquiring a reputation for being ‘dustbins’ for the imprisonment of…
We are looking for local choirs to join us on a collaborative project to create a virtual reality choir experience for those who might not have access to in person group singing. The Crichton Trust are working with CareReality, Alzheimer Scotland, and the University of York in collaboration on the ‘Virtual Choirs in Care Homes:…