An Evaluation of Parkside Hospital, Formerly the Second Cheshire County Asylum (1871-1997): Were Asylums and Workhouses Created to Care for People Deemed ‘Unfortunate’ by Society, or to Control Them? Part 1 Dissertation 2024 Megan Marie Tate University of Salford Salford | UK This dissertation looks to question the historic landscape of mental health focusing on the influence of workhouses and mental asylums, and particularly an evaluation of Parkside Hospital formerly the Second Cheshire County Asylum (1871-1997). Starting with a literature review that examines the social attitudes and theories that have influenced the treatment served to people seen as ‘unfortunate’ and explore the interplay between care and control that developed throughout time. The methodology combines the research, analysis and evaluation of legislation, architectural drawings, and documents collated from the Cheshire Record Office. The case study of Parkside formerly the asylum will be used to gain an understanding of how architecture has been formed from the influence of ideologies and technology to create a place of divisive nature. By comparing the asylums to its predecessors’ workhouses and its successors modern day psychiatric units to evaluate what has changed and what has simply been repackaged in an everlasting legacy. Reflecting on the initial question of whether asylums and workhouses were created to care for people deemed ‘unfortunate’ by Society, or to control them this cannot be answered in a definitive way as one intended due to the research undertaken highlighting the complexities of these institutions. In conclusion both care and control were entangled in the formation and running of these buildings. Megan Marie Tate Tutor(s) Athena Moustaka Colin Stuhlfelder