Students to step back in time

11:13am Tuesday 19th August 2008

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SCHOOL pupils will be given a fantastic chance to step back in time and examine one of Prestwich’s most fascinating places - its former lunatic asylum.

As part of a £3,000 Bury Council project, children studying across Bury will be given information packs and invited to talks about the County Lunatic Asylum at Prestwich, which opened in 1851 in Bury New Road and eventually became Prestwich Hospital, which closed in 1994.

The building had room for 2,600 patients, who included people suffering from epilepsy to women who became pregnant while unmarried.

Youngsters will be able to get an insight into what doctors thought of their parents, Students will be able to have a look at documents including patient case books, photographs of the inmates, staff records, death, registers and logs of patients who attempted to escape.

The information packs will be used in lessons, and Bury Museum will organise special sessions at which students can see artefacts from the asylum.

Students from Bury Church of England High School will be the first to have the lessons when the new term starts in September.

Bury Archive Service is keen to hear from anyone with stories of what life was like when the asylum was still in operation. Written memories of the area and the institution can be sent to: Bury Archives Service, Moss Street, Bury, BL9 0DR.