Ha-ha Wall, Mayday Hills Hospital

The Mayday Hills Hospital is one of Beechworth’s most infamous heritage places; it is included in the Victorian Heritage Register [place number H1189] for its historical, architectural, technical and aesthetic significance to the State of Victoria. A large collection of buildings sprawls across substantial grounds, with structures dating from the initial establishment of the institution - the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum - in 1864. At its peak, the hospital housed over 1200 patients and 500 staff and was one of the largest psychiatric facilities in Victoria. The hospital closed in 1998 after 128 years of operation.

Quatrefoil teamed up with Greg Owen from Period Building Conservation to assess one of the remnant ha-ha walls which was showing some leaning and some lifting from nearby established trees. A section approximately 140m in length was inspected. The walls are massive and impressive, as is the significant ramped terrace that forms the ‘ha-ha.’ Ultimately, only modest remedial works were proposed as the wall was found to be in good condition.